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ABOUT WENDY

TTP (Dip)-NBS, FISTD (Fellowship), LISTD (Licentiate), RAD (RTS), AISTD (Associate), Russian Vaganova Trained

Wendy Jimenez is currently an International Ballet Coach and Teacher who believes, Classical Ballet has incredible benefits to offer not only for those who aspire to have a profession in it, but to any one who likes and wants to feel good while living their lives to their full potential.

Ballet is an art form. It follows the music and its inflexions, it touches your deepest emotions; some ballets tell incredible out-of-this-world stories and some just show how limitless our body is.

With her experience and seeing the work of the new generation of choreographers; she considers that dancers should be able to train with the help of different ballet techniques, as well as dancing to different dance forms. She believes that each particular technique has something unique and positive to teach a student, a professional dancer, a coach or a teacher and in her view; there should be a broader way to bring up a well-rounded and happy professional that can accomplish the main goal in a live performance: to amuse the audience.

Ballet has a strong tradition, but in her perspective, there should be a constant evolution in the teaching methodology, and changes in the way a trainee applies for a job at a Ballet Company. Also that there is more improvement to be done in the structure and lack of inclusiveness in ballet companies, as well as in how future generations can be attracted to understand and appreciate the art form. The innovation and improvements in these areas will not only bring as a result a wider audience, but it will also bring more opportunities and possibilities for many more types of dancers.

STUDIES

She started ballet lessons in San José, Costa Rica at the Academia de Ballet Classico Flor del Carmen de Montalban. It was under Montalban's direction that she found her passion. In 1997 she participated in the Latinamerican Competition, Certamen de Ballet Classico Mexico City at Teatro de Bellas Artes.

It was after her parents decided to move out of the city that she stopped taking Ballet lessons; despite this, she did not let herself down and kept on dancing and choreographing different dance styles with her friends and classmates from High School. She engaged in Hip Hop, Salsa, Cumbia, and Merengue, and as a result, she would have her first paid job as a dancer.

After graduating from High School, she was admitted to the University of Costa Rica where she studied French language and Theater. At that same time, she auditioned at The Darlington Ballet School under the Artistic Director Fury Darlington where she learned the Russian Vaganova technique.

Jimenez was part of the many productions of the school, and about a year later she joined the first Ballet Company of Costa Rica; Ballet Internacional de Costa Rica. She danced as Corps de Ballet for FireBird and as a soloist for the Coppelia Production at the beautiful Teatro Popular Melico Salazar.

Jimenez kept her focus into study Classical Ballet abroad, so she auditioned at one of Canada's National Ballet School's Professional Programs. She was successfully admitted where she danced and trained for three years and eventually graduated from the Teachers Training Program earning her Diploma in Professional Teaching Studies in June 2010.

She had first class studies and was nominated Valedictorian for her graduation. She obtained professional knowledge in: Anatomy of the Dancer, Dance History, Art History, Pedagogy, NBS's Professional Program Curriculum, Teaching Methodology in Action, Studio to Stage, Repertoire Studies, Music, Creative Dance, Modern, Contemporary Dance, Body Conditioning-Neuromuscular Studies, European Folk Dances, Voice, Children workshops, Character Dance, Choreography and more.

CAREER

Jimenez taught Ballet for several years in Toronto, Canada where she worked and assisted the Associate's Program at NBS, as well as being a Teacher Assistant for the Professional Program of the Artistic Director Mavis Staines, as well as for Carina Bomers, Ilze Titova, among others.

She has been granted two teacher's awards from the Cecchetti Society Trust Committee of Great Britain; the first one "The Gretty Salomonson Award" , and the second one "The Diane Barke Award". Upon getting her Licentiate with Cecchetti Society of England in 2017 she became a tutor and professor for ballet teachers for The Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing in the UK. She also holds her Associate National Dance Teaching Qualification (Character/Folk Dances of more than 20 European Countries) with the ISTD. She also obtained her Registered Teacher Status with the Royal Academy of Dance of London.

Wendy and her student (currently dancing at EBB Junior Company, France) receiving a scholarship in Florence, Italy with Italian Ballet Superstar, Carla Facci.

Wendy with the Artistic Director of English National Ballet Tamara Rojo, in Tokyo, Japan.

After her graduation in Toronto, she moved to Tokyo, Japan, to work as a full time Ballet Instructor. She helped Japanese and international students successfully enter into Cecchetti and Royal Academy of Dance exams all over Japan. From the Summer of 2021 Jimenez has dedicated her career, solely to the coaching of serious dance students, where she has coached them for Ballet Competitions, Summer Schools and Audition Applications for professional ballet schools worldwide.

She has successfully placed her students in professional schools and summer programs and some have joined ballet companies. Some schools she has placed her pupils are: The Royal Ballet School, Central School of Ballet, KS Dance Academy, Moorland International Ballet Academy, Elmhurst Ballet School, Opes International Classical Ballet, The Scottish Ballet in Great Britain. Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Orlando Ballet School, Boston Ballet School, The University of Washington and Idyllwild Arts Academy in the United States, Canada's National Ballet School, Alberta Ballet School and School of Alberta Ballet in Canada, Munich International Ballet School in Europe.

Wendy and the Artistic Director of National Ballet of Canada, Karen Kain, at Women of Influence Conference, 2010

Wendy and the Artistic Director of Canada's National Ballet School, Mavis Staines, at her Graduation, 2010

Jimenez has also coached students for YAGP, Prix de Lausanne, and Cecchetti International Competitions. She has also taught alongside Ballet Master Mikio Ikehata and Miho Tsurutani; former dancer with the English National Ballet Company. As well as world-renowned ballet teachers for summer camps in Tokyo, Japan, such as former Scottish Ballet Principal dancer Vincent Hantam, as well as with Principal dancer of Perm Ballet Theatre and soloist for Het Nationale Ballet, Natalia Hoffmann and former principal dancer with the Houston Ballet, and The Royal Ballet, David Makhateli.

She also has taught Contemporary Dance (Limon, Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham), Tap, and Lyrical Jazz.

Because of her commitment to continuously increase her knowledge she has ventured also in studies of Montessori, Steam, and Reggio Emilia (for the younger student) and every year she takes part in numerous ballet teacher courses and learning experiences in Japan, USA, Italy, England and Singapore. In the summer of 2022, she traveled to the UK for two weeks to do the most prestigious and highest teaching Exam with the ISTD, where she successfully obtained her Fellowship Cecchetti Ballet Qualification.

Jimenez has many years of experience in helping children and youngsters to become professional dancers but she also imparts teacher training seminars on how to teach young dancers as well training student teachers and professional ballet dancers in transitioning into a new career and getting their Professional Teaching Certification in Cecchetti Ballet. This has given her an open mind into how to approach her style in choreographing, teaching, and coaching the art. Her students come from every corner of the world, and they all have and keep on teaching her.

After a 12 year professional career in Japan, she relocated to Singapore in the spring of 2022, where she taught for two years. During her time there, she had the opportunity to attend classes and seminars at the prestigious Singapore Ballet Company as well as deepen her practice and knowledge of Yoga as a cross-training tool for dancers. Now, with 16 years of teaching experience, she is continuing her career in Sydney, Australia; where she recently relocated in June 2024. Her vision is to share her passion not only with aspiring professional dancers and teachers but also with anyone who has yet to experience the world of ballet.