Anjali Austin
Dance Theatre of Harlem
Ms. Austin is a professor at the School of Dance at Florida State University, where she teaches ballet and pointe, choreographs, and mentors undergraduate and graduate dance majors. A former member of Dance Theatre of Harlem for 13 years, Austin has worked with iconic teachers and choreographers Agnes de Mille, Louis Johnson, Alexandra Danilova, Glen Tetley, Valerie Bettis, Geoffrey Holder, Frederic Franklin, as well as other significant artists of that genre. Some of the ballets she has performed include Billy the Kid, Swan Lake (Act II), Serenade, Flower Festival, Dougla, Concerto Barocco, Prince Igor, Paquita, and Frankie and Johnny, in which she held a vocal role. Her PBS television specials include Fall River Legend, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Creole Giselle.
During Ms. Austin’s career she cross-trained in Pilates, Gyrokinesis®, and Gyrotonic® systems of exercise and has over 35 years of experience in these movement modalities. In these areas Austin has worked with legendary teachers Kathleen S. Grant, Hilary Cartwright, and Juliu Horvath. Under the tutelage of Mr. Horvath, she trained and completed her Gyrotonic teacher training and taught in the New York City studios. In 2002 Austin was among the first group to be certified as a Gyrotonic Master Trainer and continues to remain active in the field. Currently she is a specialized master trainer in Gyrotonic Levels One and Two, Gyrokinesis Level One, the Gyrotoner, and Leg Extension Unit. Austin introduced Gyrotonic and Gyrokinesis methodology to School of Dance students and faculty, and received administrative support for the purchase of two Pulley Tower pieces of equipment. As a result, Florida State University Dance majors have opportunities to train in the systems as a course of study and receive academic credit for their work.
Professor Austin holds an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts from Goddard College, serves as President-elect of CORPS de Ballet International, and conducts lectures on the history and legacy of Black classical ballet dancers. After being awarded a two-semester sabbatical from Florida State University, she engaged in a choreographic mentorship project with LINES Contemporary Ballet Company Founder and Artistic Director Alonzo King. Austin premiered her solo concert THREADS in spring 2017.
Source:
Bio, CreativeMoves by Anjali Austin
Current website:
See also:
Dance Faculty, Anjali Austin: “The ‘Threads’ that Bind,” College of Fine Arts
Anjali Austin, A Dancer of Color, Speaks to Ballet’s Changing Paint Bow, Tallahassee Magazine
Video links: