Staff/Faculty

Pamela Bjerknes (Ballet) Co-Founder of the American Dance Institute. Born in Wilmington, Delaware, Pam began her studies at age 10 with former Ballet Russe ballerina Helena Antonova and James Jameison. At the age of 12, she received a Ford Foundation Scholarship to study at the School of American Ballet, the official school of the New York City Ballet. She began her professional career with the American Ballet Theater’s apprentice company, and later met her future husband, Michael Bjerknes, while dancing with the Chicago Ballet. Pam later joined the Houston Ballet under the direction of Ben Stevenson, where she danced soloist and principal roles in classic and contemporary ballets, and then joined ABT under the direction of Mikhail Baryshnikov. She has taught for Maryland Youth Ballet and Washington Ballet, among other local schools. Robert Joffrey requested that she train the children for the Joffrey Ballet’s first performances ofThe Nutcracker at the Kennedy Center. She continued her work with Joffrey Ballet as a faculty member for their Summer Intensive Workshops. After returning to the United States from a three-year stint as Ballet Mistress for the Universal Ballet Company in Seoul, Korea, she founded Ballet Ecole, a program for young children. Pam and Michael Bjerknes founded the American Dance Institute in September 2000.