Philip Rosemond

Philip hails from Miami Florida and Washington DC. Throughout his youth he sought to learn as much about the arts as he could. He studied fine art, picked up the flute and played jazz. But, when he was 15 and met two pretty gals at a youth club, he became intrigued. They baited him to follow them to the Washington School of Ballet where they were students. They pushed him (literally) into the mens’ technique class, and he was hooked! After decades as a gypsy-dancer, living everywhere from Miami to Seattle, New York City to Bozeman Montana, Philip married one of his adult students, a clinical therapist, Katherine, and settled down near his family farm in Rappahannock County, VA where he still lives.

After cramming 8 years of training into 4, he went on to a 24 year performance career. He danced with 8 major ballet companies. He was a founding member of the Washington Ballet, danced with Cincinnati/New Orleans Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Colorado Ballet, founder of Western Chamber Ballet, and many others. While he was in DC, he asked his mentors to help him learn to teach. Thus began 38 years-and-counting of teaching humans how to fly like birds.

When he joined Cincinnati Ballet in 1983, received an honors scholarship, later receiving a BFA cum laude from the U of Cincinnati in dance pedagogy, composition, dance history, aesthetics and criticism at University of Cincinnati. During this time, he began directing and choreographing ballets, operas and reviews. Over the years Philip trained in skills that could cover him during times when dance work was not available. He is a collections curator and archivist, who accesses, catalogues and manages large collections of art. His specialty is graphic journalism. He is also an artistic consultant, helping artists and arts organizations focus artistic vision and mission. Lastly, he is trainer and vestibular specialist, working with clients and students at Mountainside Physical Therapy, and Mountainside Dance Center that he directs.

Philip has 26 years as a director, ballet master, counseling, seminar and workshop facilitator in objectives training for artists and dancers. Mr. Rosemond has served as Artistic Director of Western Chamber Ballet and SW Washington Dance Center, as well as Ballet Master of Montana Ballet & Manassas Ballet Theatre. He has staged over 70 works of choreography in neo-classical and contemporary ballet and dance. He is fully trained in Vaganova Classical Ballet pedagogy and is certified to teach Horton Technique modern dance, as well as other contemporary dance forms. Philip is a certified Floor-Barre™ instructor, Viniyoga instructor and is completing his post-graduate training in Movement Analysis and Somatic Therapy through the Laban Institute for Movement Studies at the University of Maryland. 

Update: After helping to open the studio back in 2016 and teaching ballet the past six years at Polaris Dance,  Mr. Philip is scaling back to take care of some old dance injuries and spend time with his wife, Kat. We thank him for his support and time at Polaris and wish him and his wife the best. He is truly one of a kind and we will miss him.