Preparatory Level

Classical Technique, Pointe, Variations, Character

Eva Janiszewski has had the honor to study with great classical artists throughout her career including Gelsey Kirkland, Elena Sherstneva, Vera Solovyeva, Nikolai Levitsky, Yekaterina Mikhailovtseva, Irina Kolpakova, and Lyubov Fominich. After graduating from the Gelsey Kirkland Academy, Ms. Janiszewski became Gelsey Kirkland’s first Principal Character Artist in her company, and performed leading roles in various ballets. In the following years, Ms. Janiszewski studied intensively in St. Petersburg Russia with Yekaterina Mikhailovtseva, while taking class with the Yacobson Ballet. She then went on to freelance and perform with several companies, including a guest performance with Open World Dance Foundation, where she danced the Character Mazurka in Misty Copeland’s premiere of Cinderella. Eva Janiszewski has taught at numerous schools in the United States as full time faculty as well as summer faculty, including Gelsey Kirkland Ballet, The Hartt School, Joffrey Ballet Character Program, and Forrest Academy of Ballet New York. In 2016, Ms. Janiszewski started Eva Janiszewski Ballet, a school in NYC for young gifted artists. Her students have since won the gold medal and Jury distinction awards in the solo and ensemble categories at several competitions in the United States. In 2023, Ms. Janiszewski received the Outstanding Teacher award from both Youth America Grand Prix and National Ballet Competition, in addition to the Outstanding School award from NBC. Ms. Janiszewski is thrilled to be a part of the Ellison Ballet Faculty.

Contemporary

Ms. Verduzco is a freelance ballet and contemporary Dancer and Choreographer born in Mexico and residing in NYC since 1997. She danced featured roles with companies including Ballet Austin (as a student), New York City Opera, Benjamin Briones Ballet, Eglevsky Ballet, Staten Island Ballet, Ajkun Ballet Theatre, Connecticut Ballet, Some Dance Company, Veracity Dance Theatre, New York Dance Theatre, Dance Theatre in Westchester, Ad Hoc Ballet, Ballet Neo and Designated Movement Company among others, performing in classical and contemporary repertoire. She was honored to appear in Dance Magazine as one of the dancers highlighted in their July 2010 issue, “Race & The Next Generation.” As a choreographer she has created several commissioned works throughout the years for Ellison Ballet, Youth America Grand Prix, Benjamin Briones Ballet, Staten Island Ballet, Nomad Contemporary Ballet, Periapsis Music and Dance, Neville Dance Theatre, Columbia Ballet Collaborative, and CounterPointe, as well as for the Cuban dance company Danza Libre. She created original work for the UK film company "More than a Londoner's" short film project. In 2018, she was commissioned to create a piece for the 28th Anniversary of Cuban company Danza Libre and was invited to participate at the Grand Prix Vladimir Malakhov in Holguin Cuba with it. She was commissioned a second time to create an original work for Danza Libre in 2020 to be premiered at their 30th Anniversary Gala. She is the Founder and Director of The Latin Choreographers Festival, an initiative that was born to support the work, vision and background of Latin choreographers that reside anywhere in the world, and had a successful run from 2008 to 2012, celebrating its 5th Anniversary. She has choreographed through the years, winning solos and ensembles at NBC, YAGP, and other ballet competitions, and was awarded the Outstanding Choreographer Award at YAGP 2023.