About
Janelle Abbott Staley is a dancer, educator, choreographer, and certified Pilates instructor with more than 30 years of experience in the performing arts, movement, and wellness industries. Her career spans concert dance, theater, film, producing and teaching, with a passion for sharing the transformative power of movement.
Janelle has performed nationally and internationally with acclaimed dance companies and artists in New York and throughout New England. In New York City, she danced with Andrew Palermo, Taye Diggs' dre.dance, Terra Firma Dance Theatre, Adam Cates, Salim Gauwloos (Slam), John Byrne, Ballet for Young Audiences NYC, and Ollom Dance Theatre, among others. More recently, she has collaborated with Boston-based artists Peter DiMuro/Public Displays of Motion, Lorraine Chapman, and Kat Nasti Dance. She is currently a member of Annex Contemporary Dance Company in Maine and works with Articine, a New Hampshire-based organization that integrates the arts and healthcare.
Her screen credits include Elton John's The Red Piano concert performance of "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" and Norah Jones' "Those Sweet Words" music video, both directed by David LaChapelle. Janelle has performed on Broadway and Off-Broadway stages, as well as at Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. Her regional theater credits include Twelfth Night with Shakespeare Theatre Company, Peter Pan (Tiger Lily) at the Sondheim Center, A Chorus Line, and Cabaret.
Originally from Michigan, Janelle began her career with Grand Rapids Ballet before earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Ballet from the University of Utah. She has taught at New York City's Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway and has presented dance and mind-body master classes throughout the United States. A certified Pilates instructor, she has trained celebrity clientele at premier fitness studios in New York and Boston, led movement workshops for Audible and Amazon, and recently served as a guest faculty member in the Theater and Dance Department at Phillips Exeter Academy.
In addition to performing and teaching, Janelle has produced and directed dance events and fashion shows for Dance and Dance Spirit magazines in New York, Las Vegas, and Orlando. Her choreography has been presented at The Music Hall in Portsmouth, the Star Theatre, The Dance Hall, Lila Dance Festival, and Dance Northeast. Dedicated to cultivating vibrant artistic communities, she serves on the board of the Lila Dance Festival, an annual showcase of New England-based artists, and is a longtime faculty member at The Dance Annex in York, Maine.
