Joanna, who began ballet at the age of five years old, is a graduate of the State Ballet School of Warsaw Poland, trained in the Russian Vaganova method.  Joanna has had a career dancing and teaching professionally for the last 16 years.   Joanna has performed with theatres and operas in Europe, the USA and the Middle East, in positions from corp de ballet through principal, with repertoire ranging from classical to contemporary ballet. 

 

As a student, Joanna performed on the stage of the Grand Theater - National Opera in Warsaw, Stuttgart Theater (Germany), Open Dance Festival (St. Petersburg, Russia). She has danced professionally with Ballet Carmen Roche (Spain), Progetto Compagnia (Italy) where she worked with Francesca Harper and Malou Airaudo, Central West Ballet (USA), Cork City Ballet (Ireland), Cairo Opera House (Egypt), among others.  She has taught workshops and masterclasses at, among others, Ballet Estudio Olga Ferri (Argentina), Alamal Organization (Nazareth), Danceworks (Germany), Shin Dance Academy (USA).

 

Co-creator of the staging of the opera "Fidelio" at the Solidarity Center in Gdansk under the baton of Julian Salemkour, which brought together professional musicians from conflict stricken countries and musicians from Europe.  In 2018, she brought together the first live orchestra to accompany the full length production of the Nutcracker in Kenya, comprised of Kenyan and guest musicians. 

​

Founder and board member of the Alhayez Foundation, which provides joint arts education for Arab and Hebrew youth in Israel since 2018.  Since 2019, Joanna has been the Head of the Ghetto Classics Dance program in Korogocho, Nairobi, an art in education program that serves youth from severely underprivileged socio-economic backgrounds.  Her students have received scholarships for courses to LA Dance Project, Debbie Allen Dance Academy and Palucca Schule.

 

Joanna has taught both workshops and master classes worldwide, including at DanceWorks Berlin (Germany), Ballet Estudio Olga Ferri in Buenos Aires (Argentina), Shin Dance Academy (Los Angeles), Center of Superior Studies - Sisti (Mexico). 

​

Joanna incorporates in her classes, elements of various curricula which she experienced first hand during her career. She firmly believes that each of our bodies has the ability to reach its goal, and her work is to find the way for each dancer to achieve their best - whether that way leads through Vaganova technique or a personalized adaptation.  Joanna also remains informed about the progressing methods of injury prevention, body care and well-being. Joanna's loves for ballet extends into her artistic creativity as well.

 

Between 2016-2018 Joanna attended music history and philosophy lectures at the Barenboim Said Academy in Berlin, where she also gave a lecture on historical dances.  Joanna believes that history holds rich information which can allow us to experience this art at its fullest. She is passionate about dance history and literature, as well as classical music and will teach each of our students about the rich history of dance and ballet.  Joanna also writes for Dance Europe Magazine.