Bio
Bohuslava (Slávka) Jelinkova, a native of the Czech Republic, received her early training at the National Conservatory of Dance in Prague, where she studied not only classical ballet technique but a variety of other dance forms, including Eastern European folk dance. Upon graduation, she was invited to join the Opera Ballet of the National Theatre in Prague, where she danced and toured worldwide for ten years. She later attended the Prague Academy of Fine Arts, receiving a master’s degree in ballet pedagogy.
Jelinkova taught extensively in the Czech Republic, including at the National Conservatory of Dance. In 1993 she was awarded a Dutch State Arts grant to pursue pedagogical studies at both the schools of modern dance and the conservatory of ballet in Rotterdam, The Hague, and Amsterdam. In 1999 Jelinkova moved to Michigan, where she continued to perform as a freelance artist with Michigan area choreographers and served on the faculties of the Flint School of Performing Arts, the Ann Arbor Arts in Motion, the Russian Classical Ballet Academy, the Brighton Ballet School, and the University of Michigan, among others, while continuing ties with her home country. For three years she taught character dance classes and choreographed for the Summer Intensive of American Ballet Theatre.
Jelinkova has had considerable experience in choreographing works for her students and has appeared as a guest teacher at dance schools both within and outside Michigan, including the Cape Town City Ballet and Cape Junior Ballet, South Africa; and the Fairbanks Summer Arts Festival, Alaska. In 2010 she danced and choreographed the Sydney, Australia world premiere of Apple Train, a Czech song cycle by famed composer Sylvie Bodorová, written for her, pianist Timothy Cheek, and soprano Laurie Lashbrook.
Jelinkova is an ABT® Certified Teacher who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. Jelinkova is also a board and licensed certified massage therapist specializing in sports massage.
