Zena Rommett Bio
FROM IMMIGRANT TO ICON: A LIFE DEDICATED TO BALLET AND REHABILITATION
On March 10, 1925, from Genoa, Italy, the ship S.S. Duilio set sail for America, Land of Dreams. On board was Maria Buttignol with children Valentino and Angelina (Zena). Zena was five. Eleven days later, they arrived at Ellis Island. Met by father Antonio, two years already in America. The family settled in Westchester, New York where they worked and thrived in this new land. Zena’s singular dream was to be a ballerina.
She convinced her parents to let her take classes in Manhattan. Zena’s innate grace, her ability in the intricate technique of ballet, as well as hard work enabled her to surpass her peers. For eight years she trained on full scholarship with Anatole Vilzak and Ludmilla Schollar of Ballets Russes, Elisabeth Anderson-Ivantzova of the Bolshoi, and with choreographer Chester Hale. On December 7, 1944, Zena Rommett made her Broadway debut at the Ziegfeld Theater in the Billy Rose production of Seven Lively Arts, featuring Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin.
Zena went on to dance in Song of Norway choreographed by George Balanchine, and in Paint Your Wagon by Lerner and Loewe. Zena toured Austria, France and Germany with the United States Overseas (USO) to entertain the American troops. She later danced with the Rockettes Corps de Ballet and with the famed Ruloff Trio.
In 1965, American dance legend Robert Joffrey invited Zena to teach ballet at his American Ballet Center. Three years later Zena opened her own school in Greenwich Village known as the Oasis of Dance. In her own domain Zena originated Floor-Barre™, her revolutionary proto-technique. By utilizing the floor, and without the stress of gravity at the ballet barre, dancers learn to align their bodies, lengthen their muscles, strengthen their joints, and reach new levels of artistry. Countless dancers, among them the legionary, Judith Jamieson said, her “injury was a blessing in disguise to find Zena.”
Without the pressure of gravity, Floor-Barre™ makes it possible for dancers with an injury to execute classical ballet movements and bring their dancing to a new level of artistry. The work focuses on anatomically correct principles of alignment which are and by using only the appropriate muscles. Dancers from every discipline and major company flocked to Zena’s studio to experience this new found freedom, to maximize their talents and to extend their professional careers.
For the next 30 years Zena taught at Steps on Broadway to continued to offer her invention to professional dancers, young dancers, and people from all walks of life and ages desiring the alignment and strengthening health benefits of Floor-Barre™.
For over 60 years, Zena Rommett has earned the respect of the medical profession as a pioneer in injury prevention and rehabilitation. Floor-Barre™ receives endorsements from prominent physicians specializing in the treatment of dance and sports injuries. Her influence and her fame are global.
Her lifetime work has elevated the art form of dance to a science of movement. Her pursuit of purity in movement gave dancers a greater sense of freedom and body awareness. Lar Lubovitch and his company members worked with Zena daily. He states, “there is not a dancer I know who will not acknowledge the freedom they have gained after a brief study of this Technique.”
PASSING THE LEGACY FORWARD
In 1998, seeking to pass on her lifelong passion and achievements to future generations, Zena Rommett, together with her daughter, Camille Rommett, established a Teacher-Training Certification Program to certify dance instructors and physical therapists in Floor-Barre™.
Participants travel from around the world to become certified, returning year after year to deepen their understanding and practice of Floor-Barre™, under the guidance of Camille Rommett and the Zena Rommett mentors. Through this continuing education and international community of devoted, caring fellowship, Zena Rommett’s work continues to inspire, help dancers and live on for future generations.
A LEGACY FROM ANGELINA TO ZENA
Zena Rommett’s journey ~ from a five-year-old Italian immigrant arriving at Ellis Island with a dream of becoming a dancer, to an internationally respected master ballet teacher, healer and innovator is a story of extraordinary dedication and vision.