Michael Shofi

In today's dance world, versatility is key. It's not enough to be a master of one style—

even when they specialize in one area, dancers are frequently asked to fuse multiple genres, or

step out of their comfort zone for specific projects. With their wide variety of summer programs,

Joffrey Ballet School aims to prepare dancers for the demands of a professional career. Walsh,

who danced with the Joffrey Ballet and in Europe and choreographs for her own company, is

well aware of the importance of staying current. She knows that classical dancers need to be able

to tackle contemporary choreography, and commercial dancers need classical training. She

brings in working artists as her faculty members, and even in the more classical NYC program,

students have new work created on them. It's all part of "not losing sight of where things are

going, and being at the forefront," she says.