Amy West

Clinical Assistant Professor of Dance

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Bio

Amy West is an Assistant Professor of Dance and the Health & Wellness Coach at the School of Music, Theatre & Dance at the University of Michigan, where she has been a part of the Dance faculty since 2009. Ms.West is a dedicated educator, teaching ballet technique, ballet repertoire, pointe, Teaching Methods & Dance Pedagogy, and the First-Year Seminar, whose curriculum she pioneered. She also serves as a mentor for senior BFA capstone concerts. 

Her 24-year career as a professional ballet dancer and freelance artist includes performances with companies such as Pennsylvania Ballet, Ballet West, Colorado Ballet and New Jersey Ballet, as well as principal roles with Nevada Dance Theater and David Taylor Dance Theatre. Ms. West has also been a featured soloist with Santa Fe Opera, Opera Colorado, Seattle Opera, and Dallas Opera, among many others. Her international credits and training include the Deutsche Staatsoper Ballet in Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper Ballet in Munich, Paris Opera Ballet, and was on scholarship at the David Howard Studio in New York City. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Utah, and was the recipient of the Willam F. Christensen Scholarship. 

Ms. West is a certified Health & Wellness Coach through the Mayo Clinic and the National Board of Health & Wellness Coaches, a Personal Trainer, a Pilates instructor, an Essentrics instructor, and Health Coach & Master Coach Instructor through the American Council on Exercise. At the Michigan Ice Dance Academy, founded by Olympic medalists Charlie White  and Tanith Belbin, she is the ballet instructor, wellness coach, and on-ice coach for internationally-ranked ice dancers. 

Past teaching credits include New Jersey School of Ballet, Ruth Page Center for the Arts, David Taylor Dance Theater, and as guest teacher with the Santa Fe Opera Apprentice Artists Program, among others. She founded The Dancer’s Studio in Littleton, CO, which nurtured young dance talent. 

Beyond her academic and artistic pursuits, Ms. West has made contributions as a producer, curator, and fundraiser in the performing arts. She spearheaded the concert Women Defining Themselves, an impactful evening that explored themes of strength, resilience, loss, and self-expression through dance and music. The concert featured an international cast of performers and was a fundraiser for research for the ALS Center of Excellence at Michigan Medicine. She serves on the board for Ballet Rising, a global organization dedicated to transcending cultural boundaries through dance and making ballet accessible to underrepresented countries by providing training and scholarship funding. Most recently, she choreographed OKLAHOMA! at The Encore Musical Theatre Co., earning rave reviews. 

For those seeking to achieve their wellness and fitness goals, Ms. West offers personalized wellness and movement coaching through her website, amywestwellness.com, and presents wellness workshops for groups at the national and international level. 

Ms. West is married to opera singer and U-M Professor bass-baritone Stephen West, and is the proud mother of three young-adult children. She is deeply dedicated to dance education, fostering a growth mindset, and making a meaningful impact through the arts.