Vanessa Van Wormer is a choreographer, dancer, and instructor. Her diverse career includes dancing for the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Bill Evans Dance Company, James Hansen Assemblage/Dance, Ballet Spokane and The Spokane Opera.  She has toured nationally and internationally to venues including Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, The American Dance Guild Festival, the Royal Academy of Music in London, The American School in Switzerland, and with numerous regional festivals.

 

Van Wormer’s choreography has been regularly featured internationally in venues including Ticino in Danza, Lugano Switzerland, and at the American School in Switzerland. Nationally her work has been commissioned for Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Pops series, for critically acclaimed festivals including REVERBdance in NYC and Boston, Eastman School of Music, Memorial Art Gallery, the Yards Collaborative, Take Root Festival at Green Space NYC, Core Project Chicago, Pasadena Dance Festival, among others. Van Wormer regularly collaborates with live musicians and multi-media artists, including the Andrew Alden Ensemble, Jeff Tyzik of the RPO, Stephen Kennedy, of Eastman School of Music and Christ Church, Costume designer Emma Scholl, and Heather Jefferies of Nylon Theatre, UK.

 

Prior to relocating from NY to Los Angeles Van Wormer was Visiting Assistant Professor of Dance at SUNY Brockport where her studio focus was ballet, and she implemented and served as Artistic Director of Chamber Ballet Brockport, a multidisciplinary performance ensemble. Currently she is Associate Professor of Dance at Santa Monica College where she teaches ballet, contemporary, and choreography.

 

Van Wormer received her MFA in Dance Choreography and Performance from The College at Brockport, State University of New York, and completed graduate work at Roehampton University in the UK. She earned her BA in Theatre and Minor in Dance from Belhaven University. Van Wormer is an ABT® certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teaching Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 7 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.