Draft:Janet Panetta

Janet Panetta (December 12, 1948 - December 2, 2023) American dancer, teacher, choreographer, and performer who made significant contributions to both classical ballet and contemporary dance forms. Her unique teaching style and exceptional skills influenced dancers, and how dance is taught globally.

Early Dedication to Ballet
Her ballet studies were initiated in 1954 at the age of 6 as a physical therapy in response to contracting polio in early childhood. Her rapid acceleration led her to studies at the Metropolitan Opera Ballet School where her teachers included her eventual mentor Margaret Craske, a disciple of the Italian dance master Enrico Cecchetti. Her other teachers at the Metropolitan Opera Ballet School included Antony Tudor and Alfredo Corvino. Panetta started working as Craske's teaching assistant when she was 14 years old.

Modern Dance Career
Janet started her career in modern dance as a member of Paul Sanasardo's company after joining the American Ballet Theatre in 1968. She performed her own choreographic work as well as the choreography of Susan Salinger, Neil Greenberg, Peter Healey, and others.

Legacy and Impact
Stemming from her work in France beginning in the early '80s Janet was engaged to teach by the Tanztheater Wupperthal, founded in Germany by the groundbreaking choreographer Pina Bausch. At this point Panetta began working internationally. Her work in Europe included teaching at P.A.R.T.S. (Performing Arts Research and Training Studio), the School For Contemporary Dance in Brussels. She also taught at the ImPulsTanz festival in Vienna every summer from 1997 - 2021. Panetta's work as Ballet Master with Tanztheater Wuppertal continued to the end of her life.

Panetta was on the faculty of New York University's Department of Dance and Gibney Dance, both in New York City. Among her students throughout her teaching career were Peter Healey, Susan Salinger, Neil Greenberg, Robert Kovich, Jonathan Hollander, Antonia Francceschi, and other principal members of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, American Ballet Theater, The Jose Limon Dance Company, and the New York City Ballet.

. There Panetta discusses her teaching methods, her individualized approach to dance and performance, and relates a remarkable life reconciling ecstatic passion and stalwart discipline.

Choreography
Panetta's choreographic work was noted by dance critic Jennifer Dunning as showcasing a unique blend of creativity and technical prowess. Panetta presented her choreographic work on shared programs with students in collegial relationships typical of collaborations where dancers often appear in each other's works while also retaining longtime pedagogical relationships.

Film Work
Janet Panetta's film appearances include the 1993 experimental film "Diotima" distributed at the Film Makers Cooperative and in the collections of Anthology Film Archives, The New York Public Library at Lincoln Center, and New York University's Fales Downtown Collection

Death
Janet Panetta passed away on December 2nd at 4:20PM after a long battle with brain cancer.