Jeff Stover, Adult Ballet
I began my dance studies at the Ballet Academy in Seattle taught by Illaria and Marion Ladre and performed in regional ballet productions and the restaging of ballets by Fokine and Massine by the Ladres. (The Ladres were members of Diaghalev’s Ballet Russe and in 1994 Illaria Ladre was among the first American dancers, choreographers and writers honored by receiving the Vaslav Nijinsky Medal for work carrying on the tradition of Nijinsky). Other students of the Ladres’ include Ann Reinkin (of ‘All That Jazz’ fame), Barbara Ames (a long time ballet teacher at the Western Washington University) and many others who went on to become dancers in major dance companies including New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theater and teachers in a variety of dance forms.
In 1979 I moved to New York City where I spent more than a dozen years dancing, choreographing, and producing ballets and dance performances working out of the New York Conservatory of Dance studios where I studied with Vladimir Dokoudovsky - another recipient of the Nijinsky Medal. Though I worked primarily in the field of ballet I explored the boundaries while choreographing and dancing with the Ramsi el-Edlibi dance company creating works blending ballet and mid-eastern dance and themes. At that time I also studied mime with the renowned European mime Stephan Niedzialkowski, author of Beyond the Word: The World of Mime.
For the last 13 years I have taught ballet and choreographed in the Northwest and return to New York to visit friends and family in the ballet world, watch classes and ballet performances. I strive to provide a challenging and supportive environment for people who want to explore the world of ballet and develop both their bodies and their skills while imparting a love of ballet and the ideal of beauty informed by many years of study, choreographing, performing, and teaching.
In 1979 I moved to New York City where I spent more than a dozen years dancing, choreographing, and producing ballets and dance performances working out of the New York Conservatory of Dance studios where I studied with Vladimir Dokoudovsky - another recipient of the Nijinsky Medal. Though I worked primarily in the field of ballet I explored the boundaries while choreographing and dancing with the Ramsi el-Edlibi dance company creating works blending ballet and mid-eastern dance and themes. At that time I also studied mime with the renowned European mime Stephan Niedzialkowski, author of Beyond the Word: The World of Mime.
For the last 13 years I have taught ballet and choreographed in the Northwest and return to New York to visit friends and family in the ballet world, watch classes and ballet performances. I strive to provide a challenging and supportive environment for people who want to explore the world of ballet and develop both their bodies and their skills while imparting a love of ballet and the ideal of beauty informed by many years of study, choreographing, performing, and teaching.
