Professional Training Division Faculty
Lisae Jordan is originally from upstate New York, where many small towns have ballet schools as a result of the Ford Foundation’s support for George Balanchine and his efforts to establish regional professional ballet companies and training for American dancers. She studied and performed classical ballet since age five, training at Ramsey School of Ballet and the School of the Hartford Ballet, and performing with Ballet North, WomenWerks (a company of actors and dancers), and other regional companies. Her roles include classical and contemporary works and, of course, all female roles in The Nutcracker (as well as several of the male variations). Since moving to Washington, DC, she danced with the Washington National Opera, Baltimore Opera, and as a guest with various local companies. Repertoire includes Samson et Deliah, Aida, Luisa Fernanda, Hamlet, MacBeth, La Traviata, La Boheme, Maid of Orleans, Turadot, Lakmé. She is a proud member of the American Guild of Musical Artists and serves on the AGMA area committee for the region.
A teacher respected for her focus on responding to the needs of dancers, Lisae teaches ballet, conditioning and body mechanics, and stretch. Her work incorporates aspects of feldenkrais, franklin, gyro, pilates, and floor barre, but is grounded in ballet and the desire to provide dancers with the strength and flexibility they need to be artists. Certifications include ballet teaching and pointe assessment from Lisa Howell’s BalletBlog. Lisae was part of the original faculty at the American Dance Institute founded by Pam and Michael Bjerknes, and serves on the core faculty of the Shakespeare Theatre’s Academy for Classical Acting as well as other respected local ballet schools. Lisae is delighted to be part of the School of the Washington Ballet and its commitment to developing dancers as individuals and artists.
