Ellie Kusner, Co-Host

As a young child, I fell in love with spring points, the rigor of dance class, and the magical feeling of moving to music. I engaged in professional training at The Boston Ballet School, performing children's roles and eventually corps de ballet roles in major productions including Swan Lake, Giselle, Serenade, Le Corsaire, and of course, The Nutcracker. Ultimately concluding that a life in pointe shoes was not my destiny, I attended Barnard College in New York City, where I was introduced to modern dance.

After graduating, I danced for Pam Tanowitz, Mark Morris at the Metropolitan Opera, Ellen Cornfield, Patricia Hoffbauer, and many others. In 2010, as a dancer in Pam Tanowitz's Be in the Gray With Me, I won a Bessie Award. Alongside my performing career, I've always taught pilates to dancers and non-dancers.

In 2011, looking to bolster my teaching with more scientific comprehension of the moving body, I moved to London, England to pursue an MSc in Dance Science at Trinity Laban. Dance Science is an interdisciplinary field that investigates dance through various scientific lenses including physiology, psychology, and nutrition. I bring this scientific perspective, in addition to my lived-in understanding of dance, to all of my work. In addition to teaching dance and pilates, I write and lead workshops about health and wellness for dancers. I have published articles in Pointe and Dance Teacher magazines.

I live in New York City with my musician husband and young daughter. I teach at Hofstra University, The Juilliard School, Mark Morris Wellness Center, and sporadically at many other studios and companies throughout the area.