Cornelia Sampson, director of Michigan Ballet Theatre, received her early training in her native Detroit with Violette Armand. She was trained in the National Academy of Ballet Syllabus and was examined by its founder, Thalia Mara. She continued her studies at the School of American Ballet in New York, La Grande Ballet Canadienne in Montreal, and as a scholarship student and company member of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.

Since resettling in Detroit, Ms. Sampson has taught master classes  and founded the Rochester School of  Dance, Cornelia's School of Dance, and The Michigan Ballet Theatre. She has served on the arts council of Oakland Community College and has been on the dance faculty at Oakland University and the Flint Institute of Music and Dance.

She has staged and choreographed many works for the MBT, including a TV version of "The Nutcracker," that aired nationally on public television. Her students have been accepted into major companies and have received scholarships to company schools in the USA and Europe.