About
Janelle Abbott Staley is a dancer, educator, and certified Pilates instructor based in southern Maine. She has performed nationally and internationally with dance companies, in theatre, and in film. In New York City, Janelle worked with Andrew Palermo and Taye Diggs’ dre.dance, Salim Gauwloos aka Slam (rehearsal assistant), Terra Firma Dance Theatre, Adam Cates, John Byrne, Ballet for Young Audiences NYC, and Ollom Dance, among others. On screen, she was featured in Elton John's The Red Piano concert in "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me” and in Norah Jones' "Those Sweet Words" music video, both directed by David LaChapelle. Janelle has performed on Broadway stages, at Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall. Her regional credits include Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Twelfth Night, Peter Pan at the Sondheim Center (Tiger Lily), A Chorus Line, and Cabaret. Most recently, Janelle has worked with Boston-based artists Peter DiMuro/Public Displays of Motion, Lorraine Chapman, and Kat Nasti Dance. She is currently a company member of Annex Contemporary Dance Company in Maine and of Articine, a NH-based organization that integrates the arts and healthcare.
Janelle received her early training and began her career as a company member of the Grand Rapids Ballet in Michigan, and received a BFA in Ballet from the University of Utah. She has taught at NYC's Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway, and has lead dance and mind-body master classes around the country. A certified Pilates and barre instructor, Janelle has trained celebrity clientele at top fitness studios in NYC and Boston, and has led movement workshops for Audible and Amazon in Seattle, WA.
Janelle serves on the board of Lila Dance Festival, an annual event featuring New England-based dance artists. She is currently a faculty member of Theater and Dance at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, NH and is a longtime faculty member of The Dance Annex in York, Maine. She teaches weekly Reformer Pilates classes at FORM in Portsmouth, NH.
