Meet The Mentor: Blake Stanley
Blake Stanley is an internationally recognized educator, coach, and choreographer. He is a past mentee of contemporary dance legend Mia Michaels, and has spearheaded his own training method, Blake Stanley Techniques.
He received his formal education from many studios & educators across the USA, with most notable having been a full-scholarship student at the Indiana Ballet Conservatory. He consistently trained with industry leading choreographers and educational leaders, eventually transitioning into more professional studies ranging from anatomy and physiology, to myofascial pain release, injury-prevention for dancers, childhood development, and is on the forefront of new methods of dancer injury prevention pedagogy; certified in T Spheres Injury Prevention Techniques. He has a kinetically expressive teaching style that is grounded in classical technique and is easily relatable to students of all backgrounds and levels.
Blake has held long term residencies with universities and dance studios across the US; currently having students in over 40 US states as well as Canada, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Costa Rica, Uganda, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. He is a true trail-blazer in the virtual dance community, with his weekly zoom classes reaching over 1000 students and having launched his own virtual dance app, featuring New York City’s top educators, “DanceX!”
In the competitive dance community, he is recognized as a leading educator with students receiving the highest honors such as overall winners at every major convention circuit; including “Best Dance Winner” at The Dance Awards, “Protégé Winner” at Radix Nationals, “Outstanding Dancer” at NYCDA Nationals, invitations to YAGP Finals, performances in YAGP Finals Gala, Young Arts Scholarship invitees, and features in Dance Spirit Magazine. His mentees and students include dancers at, or accepted to, the most prestigious performing arts schools; LaGuardia Arts, Frank Sinatra, and Mark Twain, Summer Intensives; Juilliard Summer Intensive and ABT Summer Intensive, Bolshoi SI, Royal Ballet in London, Pre-Professional Companies; Alvin Ailey, Joffrey, Ballet and Academy East, and Universities; NYU-Tisch, Marymount, Pace, and Point Park.