Michelle Ramos

International Dance Artist | University Professor | Certified Mind-Body Educator

Michelle Ramos is an international dance artist, university professor, and certified mind-body educator with over 25 years of professional experience. Her rigorous professional training was anchored by an intensive eight-year classical track at Mexico City’s National School of Classical and Contemporary Dance—supplemented by comprehensive piano, voice, and acting studies—under the foundational guidance of Lourdes Treviño, and the artistic mentorship of the legendary Nellie Happee, a disciple of Madame Bronislava Nijinska.

Ms. Ramos holds an MFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts and a BFA from the Boston Conservatory, both awarded on talent and merit scholarships. She is also a certified educator through the Perri Institute of Mind and Body, New York.

Her career is defined by its global reach and versatility. She has been invited by national dance companies and schools globally as a professional visiting artist, guest faculty, and choreographer, notably returning for consecutive years to her alma mater in Mexico City. Her trajectory spans from the National Palace of Fine Arts—performing for heads of state and presidents—to broadcast television and appearances at Lincoln Center with icons Whoopi Goldberg and Robin Williams.

Ms. Ramos has collaborated with renowned institutions including Akram Khan, Staatsballett Berlin, National Ballet of Prague, Ballet Du Grand Théâtre de Genève, Győr National Ballet of Hungary, Compañía Nacional de Danza (Madrid and Mexico), and La Scala Ballet Academy, alongside innovators like Lucinda Childs, Gemma Morado, and further artists.

A pioneer in inclusive practice, she is a specialized Dance for Parkinson’s teacher (sponsored by the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre) and has dedicated her expertise to military personnel and refugees from war. Today, she leads IMAGINANZA, leveraging 16 years of pedagogy to mentor dance professionals, Broadway artists, and thousands of students worldwide, bridging elite performance with interdisciplinary collaboration. Throughout her work, Ms. Ramos remains dedicated to a philosophy of deep professional rigor fueled by the joy of learning, a profound sense of musicality and mind-body cultivation.

Statements of Purpose: Teaching Philosophy

By Michelle Ramos

When teaching I honor the following:

• Service to others in wellness

• Quest for knowledge and sharing wisdom

• Commitment to practice and study

• Dedication to creativity and collaboration

My work approaches the DanceBody as a community of movement, sensation, repetition & inquiry. It focuses on potential exploration, musicality and structure with an imaginative approach. The movement encourages alignment as well as awareness of breath use. Each class offers clarity in the exploration of various evolving dance traditions including classical, contemporary, improvisation and somatic techniques. It also promotes the intelligent use of the bodymind in coordination through space. The practice provides opportunities for the dancer to expand personal and communal potential, supports dynamics and encourages choice in regards to artistry.

For over two decades I have been a very active dance artist performing professionally. In the last 16 years I have also been teaching, choreographing and collaborating with diverse disciplines for a multitude of populations. The scope of variety has been extensive nationally andinternationally in culture, dance literacy, physical/mental/developmental ability, age and so-cioeconomic status. I have taught, choreographed and mentored students in universities, con-servatories, national and boarding dance schools, professional company dancers, extension programs, outreach, refugees, and students with Parkinson’s to name some. I find that by giving focused attention to the dance craft, to life and to each student at a given time, is the most holistic, democratic and faithful way to construct one another and, knowledge itself. The topic of diversity and inclusion is vast, dynamic and constantly evolving. It requires dis-cernment, structure and improvisation depending on what we have in the space & dance floor.

Day to day our teaching philosophies are put to work; mine is constantly refined, reaffirmed and flexible. Working with this structure continues to provide the space for us leaders, danceartists, professors, students and communities to move our bodies, our hearts, our minds, our spirits & the world.

Courses & Subjects Offered

Integrated Classical Ballet Technique and Heritage Variations
- Professional training that honors tradition while prioritizing physiological sustainability and dancer longevity.
Dance Composition and Choreographic Improvisation
MindBody Conditioning, Yoga and Functional Somatics
Contemporary Dance: Artistic Fusion
Global Dance History
Performance Coaching and Student Mentorship
Dance for the Community
Interdisciplinary Collaboration

For further engagements please write to: michelle@imaginanza.com

Artist Statement

Dance Art, Performance & Choreography

My work as a dancer and choreographer is based on experience, observation and imagination. I strive to find the extraordinary in the ordinary and vice versa. For example, an ordinary walk through a bridge at night can become an extraordinary experience if proper attention is given to the texture of the ground (perhaps it is cobble stone), the temperature and smell of the air, and the colors of the night. That alone is to me a source of inspiration to create movement. The beauty of it all is something I am deeply attracted to, it pleases the eyes and initiates a chain of harmony that enlivens the other senses. Why not share that with the audience?

The public in return inspires the steps I take as a mover and the creation of choreography. I consider the viewers to be simultaneously extraordinary/ordinary people with personal habits and universal emotions, we are all connected by our humanity and that is another source for the mindbody to draw from.

Music, nature, history, film, fantasy and literature inspire me. Images, words, melodies, feelings and thoughts... eventually become movements, dance films, poems, photographs, stories... The process is instant and constant. I play with the possibilities and share the result with the audience, hoping it will leave a meaningful imprint on their lives, that it may be of use to all of us.

Photo by Ramon Estevanel