Mary Jo Crews (she/her) is a passionate and dedicated dance educator and choreographer with over 25 years of teaching experience. Her dance journey began at age seven under the guidance of esteemed mentors María Carrera and Ana García at Ballets de San Juan in her native Puerto Rico. As a company member at BSH, she had the privilege to work with Frederick Franklin, Ivan Nagy, and Melissa Hayden. She shared the stage with luminaries such as Rudolf Nureyev, Fernando Bujones, and Cynthia Gregory. Crews’ repertory includes The Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadère, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, La Sylphide, La Fille Mal Gardée, Gisselle, Pas de Quatre, Carmen, and more.
Crews honed her teaching and choreography skills during her tenure at the Alabama School of Fine Arts. As adjunct faculty, students at Birmingham Southern College and Drexel University also benefited from her expertise. Crews served as Associate Director at the School of Ballet San Antonio. Her leadership extended to the position of Ballet Mistress for Ballet San Antonio’s Winter 2020 Season.
Crews holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Dance and Exercise Physiology from Adelphi University, a Master’s Degree in Education from Samford University, and an MFA in Choreography from Jacksonville University. Crews is an ABT® Certified Teacher, completing the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 5 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.
She is also certified in the Cuban Method and Progressing Ballet Technique and is well-versed in Vaganova Methodology.