ABOUT THE FOUNDER

Jennifer was born and raised in Miami, Florida. Since the early age of 4, she knew she wanted to be a ballerina. She attended several Fine Art Schools in Miami and then graduated from New World School of the Arts High School. Her professional career began at the age of 15, when she was invited to perform in “Juegos del Arte” under the direction of Fernando Bujones, regarded as one of the finest male dancers of the 20th century. She received most of her training from the Miami City Ballet under the direction of legendary ballet dancer and choreographer Edward Villella, frequently cited as America’s most celebrated male ballet dancer of his time.

She received numerous scholarships to attend several summer intensive dance programs, where she received vigorous training with schools like the American Ballet Theatre in NYC, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Southern Ballet Theatre, Ballet West and Utah Ballet. In 1999, Jennifer attended the University of Utah, where she obtained both her Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s Degree in Fine Arts. She danced with the Utah Ballet Company for five years, and toured with the company to perform in Maryland and Taiwan. During the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Jennifer performed as a “Fire and Ice Dancer.” In 2003, she was a dancer for the new “Truth” commercial choreographed by Bonnie Story and cast to dance for the television series “Everwood”. In 2004 she auditioned and was selected to be a dancer for the Utah Opera ’“Aida”. She joined Utah Regional Ballet in 2005 under the direction of Jacqueline Colledge.

Throughout her career, she has instructed and choreographed for numerous renowned dance studios, academic art schools, and universities. She has received several awards for her innovative and creative choreography. Jennifer excels in motivating and working with students of all ages. It brings her great joy to see many of her former students achieve their goals in becoming professional artists. Her students have been accepted into prestigious colleges, outstanding dance companies, and have won a title on “So You Think You Can Dance." Her students are always recognized as having a superior level of dance technique, poise, and stage presence, earning National, Regional, and State titles. Her dream of one day owning a dance studio and directing a pre-professional company has become a reality. Premier Dance Academy is the official school for the Ensemble Dance Company. Jennifer is devoted to assemble a studio of excellence and dedication to the ideal of quality in dance education.