Janet L Springer, working out of New York, NY has traveled extensively to cultivate relationships with dance professionals here and abroad. She started early in her career, to devote her life to learning and applying ‘the method of teaching classical dance’ through focused intense study of the work of Vera S. Kostrovitskaya, Alexei Pisarev, and Agrippina Vaganova because of the remarkable results that can be obtained through the use of the methodical, systematized, progressive, comprehensive training program they helped to develop.

 

Springer is the Executive Director of both Classical Dance Alliance, Inc. (CDA), New York, N.Y. and the International Center for Choreography and Ballet Pedagogy (ICCBP). Working with the Oleg Vinogradov Foundation for the Preservation & Development of Classical Ballet from 2013 - 2017, she initiated, with Vinogradov, the bilateral classical ballet festival International Youth Ballet Festival with events taking place in St. Petersburg, Russian and the United States including St. Augustine, FL (2014-2016) and Daytona Beach, FL (2013). Since 2014, she has taught courses for teachers at the Ana Köhler Escola De Danca, Lisbon, Portugal. This school is a CID UNESCO International Dance Council site. 

 

CDA has worked to raise awareness of what constitutes good classical dance (ballet) schooling, to encourage networking and discourse among the national and international dance community and to prompt ballet teachers to work knowledgeably and responsibly in the classroom. Central to this effort have been the BarreRaiser® events. Participating have been renowned teaching artists including: Irina Kolpakova (Classical Dance and Variations); Vladilen Semenov (Classical Dance and Variations); Oleg Vinogradov (Choreography and Musical Theater Direction); Ana Marie Holmes (Classical Dance and Variations); Vladimir Kolesnikov (Character Dance); Nina Kolesnikova (Historical Dance); Aleksandr Sasha Lunev (Classical Dance, Partnering, Coaching); Irina Guseva (Classical Dance and Historical Dance): Marina Gendel (Music for Ballet); and Vladimir Shinov (Music for Ballet). Under Springer’s direction, CDA produced several companion music CDs for use by participants in their own classrooms. These include: Musical Compositions for Historical Dance Lessons Volume I and Music for Elementary Character Dance Class available through Amazon or Classical Dance Alliance, Inc. Marina Gendel, pianist/composer.

 

In Boston, Springer taught all levels of ballet at the Boston Ballet School. For ten years, she was Founder, Artistic Director with teaching and administrative duties at the New York School of Classical Dance in New York City. She was Artistic Director of the Pueblo, Colorado Ballet School and Company and for ten years worked as Founder and Artistic Director of The Ballet Center School and Company of the Community Music School of Buffalo, N.Y. Springer has also worked as a guest artist, teacher and administrator for three different public school systems including Buffalo, N.Y., New Rochelle, N.Y., and Elizabeth Public Schools, N.J. She is a graduate of Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music, Bloomington where she received an MA in Ballet with Teaching Emphasis and minor in Theater. Undergraduate training was at the University of Oklahoma, Norman, where she received a BFA in Ballet and minor in Theater. She spent three summers as a ballet major at the National Music Camp, Interlochen, MI and for three seasons danced and sang in the outdoor drama TEXAS. She danced with the Oklahoma City Ballet. Early training and extensive performing experience was with Neil Hess and Maestro Pianowski in Amarillo, TX. Pianowski was Springer’s first teacher and the Ballet Master of the Anna Pavlova Company. She received a special Leadership Award upon graduation from Tascosa High School.