Zena Bio
On March 10, 1925, from Genoa, Italy, the ship S.S. Duilio (photo right) set sail for America, Land of Dreams. On board was Maria Buttignol with children Valentino and Angelina (Zena). Zena was five. Eleven days later, on March 21, they arrived at Ellis Island. Met by father Antonio, two years already in America; the family settled in Elmsford, New York. As the family thrived in this new land, Zena’s singular dream was to dance.
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), the Rockettes Corps de Ballet and with the famed Ruloff Trio (photo right).
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 on West 3rd Street in Greenwich Village known as the Oasis of Dancer. In her own domain Zena originated Floor-Barre, her revolutionary proto-technique. By utilizing the floor, and without the stress of gravity associated with understanding at the ballet barre, dancers learn to align their bodies, lengthen their muscles, strengthen their joints, and fine-tune their movements.
Floor-Barre makes it possible for dancers to execute classical ballet movements with principles of alignment which are anatomically correct, 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. Zena 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 at Steps on Broadway and workshops in Europe, the USSR and Asia.
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. Seeking to pass on her life-long passion and achievement to future generations, Ms. Rommett and her daughter Camille Rommett have been training and certifying dance instructors and physical therapists in Floor-Barre since 1998. Participants travel from all over the world to become certified, and return yearly to participate in the sharing and the deepening of their understanding of Floor-Barre. In addition to her regular and people from all walks of life and ages desiring the alignment and strengthening health benefits of Floor- Barre at Steps on Broadway and workshops in Europe, the USSR and Asia. 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. Seeking to pass on her life-long passion and achievement to future generations, Ms. Rommett and her daughter Camille Rommett (left) have been training and certifying dance instructors and physical therapists in Floor-Barre since 1998 Participants travel from all over the world to become certified, and return yearly to participate sharing and the deepening of their understanding of Floor-Barre.
In addition to her regular classes in New York City for the past sixty years, and training Floor-Barre teachers, Zena Rommett has been a guest teacher in schools and for companies through out the United States, in Germany, Italy, Russia, and Asia. Zena’s long lists of devotees include stars of Broadway, ballet, film and sports, and prominent professionals in sports medicine and rehabilitation. Ms. Rommett has acquired a reputation as an modest legend among countless gifted performers whose careers above it all to her genius, helping them achieve a new level of confidence and freedom in pursuit of perfection.
Zena’s quest for purity in movement impulses allows these dancers freedom, helps them maximize their talents and extend their professional careers. Zena offered 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