Janie Taylor is Artistic Director of Colburn’s Trudl Zipper Dance Institute for the 2024-25 school year. A former New York City Ballet principal dancer, she is currently a dancer and rehearsal director for L.A. Dance Project.
Janie Taylor was born in Houston, TX where she began her ballet training at age two with Gilbert Rome. She trained at the Giacobbe Academy of Dance in New Orleans from 1993–1996. After attending two years of the summer program at the School of American Ballet, she became a full-time student in the fall of 1996. While a student at SAB, she originated a featured role in Christopher Wheeldon’s Soirée Musicale for the spring workshop performance in June of 1998. She received the Mae L. Wien Award at the SAB Annual Workshop and was invited to become an apprentice with New York City Ballet. A month later, she became a member of NYCB’s corps de ballet. She was promoted to the rank of Soloist in February 2001 and to Principal Dancer in 2005. During her career with New York City Ballet she originated roles in ballets choreographed by Peter Martins, Benjamin Millepied, and Justin Peck. She also performed featured roles in numerous ballets by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, as well as pieces by Lynne Taylor-Corbett, Christopher Wheeldon, Susan Stroman, Twyla Tharp, and Miriam Mahdaviani. Ms. Taylor appeared in the film Center Stage directed by Nicholas Hytner which was released in 2000.
She retired from the New York City Ballet on March 1, 2014 and began working as a répétiteur setting works for Justin Peck and Benjamin Millepied, and also started a career in costume design. Her designs can be seen at the New York City Ballet, and L.A. Dance Project. From 2014 -2016, Ms. Taylor relocated to Paris, France where she assisted Millepied with his new works at the Paris Opera Ballet. During this time, she also set works for Miami City Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Ballett Dortmund, and Ballet du Rhin. She assisted Christopher Wheeldon with his work as Artistic Director for the Fashion Forward exhibition in Paris at Musee des Arts Decoratif.
Upon returning to the United States in 2016, Ms. Taylor began teaching at the Colburn School in Los Angeles on faculty and as a guest artist. She joined L.A. Dance Project as a dancer, dancing with the company through 2021. She is currently a rehearsal director for L.A. Dance Project. At the suggestion of Millepied, Ms. Taylor ventured into the world of choreography creating her first piece, Adagio in B Minor, in 2019 for L.A. Dance Project. She now has four works in the LADP repertoire.