Direction

ALEXANDRA WELLS
FOUNDER & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, SPRINGBOARD DANSE MONTRÉAL

As Principal dancer of the Ballet National de Nancy, Ms. Wells toured the world and formed lasting partnerships with the late Rudolf Nureyev for six years and Patrick Dupont for four. During this time, she danced leading roles in the classics as well as the ballets of Balanchine, Fokine, Nijinsky, Lifar, Culberg, Bejart, DeMille, Neumier, Kylian, Van Manen, Limon, Christy and Dove.

Following her performing career Ms Wells returned to the Unites States and was offered the position of rehearsal director with Ballet Hispanico of New York. In 1995, she was invited to join the Faculty of l’École Supérieure de Danse du Québec (formerly associated with Les Grands Ballet Canadiens). Here she had the opportunity to work with young talent in a professional school setting as well as fostering relationships with many contemporary companies and choreographers in Montreal. This experience would eventually lead her to create the Springboard Danse Montréal with Susan Alexander. In 2002, the project was designed to give gifted dancers the unique opportunity to work with professional companies and choreographers over a 3-week intensive period. Since, Springboard’s inception choreographers have created dozens of new works and participants have been offered contracts with internationally renowned dance companies.

Since 1998, Ms. Wells has been a full time faculty member at The Juilliard School in New York City, teaching various levels of ballet and pointe as well as acting as a rehearsal director. Most recently she has worked with William Whitener on Twyla Tharp’s “Deuce Coup”, with Donald Mahler on Anthony Tudor’s “Dark Elegies” and with Jill Johnson on William Forsythe’s “Limbs Theorum”. She also functions as a colloquium facilitator, advisor and mentor for students in all artistic disciplines at Juilliard.

Ms. Wells has been a guest teacher for many companies including: BJM Danse, Ballet British Columbia, Vancouver, Cedar Lake Ensemble, NY, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, NY, and Aspen Santo Fe Ballet, CO. She serves as a curator for Danse Buissonnière, Tangente in Montreal and a curator for emerging choreographers for the M.A.D. Air performance series, Stella Adler Studio of Acting (NYC).

In 2009, Alexandra Wells collaborated in the creation of a summer intensive in New York, "The Movement Invention Project" for advanced dancers between the ages of 17 to 22 years of age. For more information, see Facebook: the movement invention project.

SUSAN ALEXANDER
GENERAL DIRECTOR & CO-FOUNDER, SPRINGBOARD DANSE MONTRÉAL