Ballet
Patricia Strauss’ performing, teaching and choreographic experiences range from classical ballet and Broadway musicals, to modern and jazz-ballet. Ms. Strauss has performed with several prominent companies as a soloist and/or principle dancer. These companies include Les Ballet-Jazz of Montreal, Minnesota Dance Company, Rondo Dance Theater, Joyce Trislers’ Dance Company, and Het-National Ballet of Holland’s Opera Ballet. She has also danced with the Alvin Ailey Apprentice Company, and was invited by Paul Taylor to understudy repertoire.
In addition to performing, Ms. Strauss has taught ballet in many major dance schools, including Ballet Orlando, 11 years full time with the Boston Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and Ballet Chicago Studio Company. In addition, she has been resident or guest teacher for the School of Richmond Ballet, New World School of the Arts, Walt Disney World, Audre Mendel & Jurgen Schneider’s Vaganova Seminar, Lake Michigan College, Urdang Academy of London, Sarasota Ballet, Ballet Eddy Toussaint, Ballet Florida, Harvard University and Harvard Ballet Company. While residing in Boston, Ms. Strauss was on faculty of Suffolk University, Emmanuel College, and Boston College, teaching dance courses on their campuses. Ms. Strauss has taught professional company ballet classes for Maximum Dance Company in Miami, The Alvin Ailey Company in Boston and Ft. Lauderdale, Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, Luna Negra in Chicago, Las Vegas Contemporary Dance Theater, and Les Ballet Jazz of Montreal.
Ms. Strauss has extensively choreographed for dance companies as well as for television, film, music videos, and musical theater. Moreover, she was the Artistic Director of her own company and school, L’Image, in Miami, Florida. She was the creator and co-producer of the highly successful choreographic showcase in Boston, “Dance on The Top Floor”, which ran for 7 years, receiving numerous articles and acclaimed reviews. As resident choreographer for Turtle Lane Playhouse in Massachusetts, she choreographed numerous musicals for them in the span of 9 years.
In 2007 Ms. Strauss was once more invited back to teach company ballet classes for the Joffrey in Chicago, and in 2008 was guest ballet teacher for Ballet Florida, the Alvin Ailey School in NYC, and the Florida Ballet Academy in Sarasota, Florida. In 2010 she taught master classes in Las Vegas for Cirque Du Soleil, and was a guest teacher for the National High School Dance Festival held at the New World School of the Arts in Miami. During that summer, Ms. Strauss served as guest faculty for the Artistic Dance Center in Doral, Florida. In the summer of 2011 she taught a summer intensive in Virginia for former ABT (American Ballet Theatre) soloist, Keith Lee; additionally setting an original contemporary ballet. In 2012 and 2013 Ms. Strauss taught summer dance intensives for Dance Attack and MJM studios in Miami. In February 2013 Ms. Strauss choreographed a music video for the rock group Tim Frietag from Switzerland using classical ballet as the style for the video. In September 2013 Ms. Strauss was invited to join the faculty of the national touring festival “A Day of Dance”, to teach classical ballet and has been invited to teach at the Florida Dance Association Festival in Gainesville Florida.
For many years Ms. Strauss was a full-time teacher for the Conchita Espinosa Conservatory of the Arts in Miami, coordinating the Miami Master Class Series, which continues to host eminent teachers from around the globe, and establishing the CEC Youth Ballet Company. Currently, Ms. Strauss teaches at the Sarasota Ballet School, where she is in charge of the pre-professional trainee program for dancers training to enter the Company. Ms. Strauss continues to be a guest teacher at Conchita Espinosa Conservatory of the Arts.
