Teaching

Baynes is a full-time teaching artist who has been on resident faculty at

University of Utah School of Dance

Ballet West

Repertory Dance Theatre

Her work in dance education has been featured by

TEDxSaltLakeCity

United Nations Civil Society

National Dance Education Organization

International Association for Dance Medicine & Science

Jessica has guest taught for institutions such as

The National Dance School of Panama

Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company

artÉmotion

Weber State University

Brigham Young University

San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts

Modern

Baynes holds a BFA in Modern Dance. Baynes' most recent teaching assignment was offering biweekly Modern technique to all Ballet West Trainees.
Baynes also taught Advanced Modern Dance Technique & Improvisation for modern dance company, Repertory Dance Theatre (RDT). She teaches all age groups and levels of:
modern dance
contemporary dance
creative movement
improvisation
composition/choreography.
Baynes’ approach to teaching modern dance is based on the eclectic mix of her longterm learning experiences with master practitioners in various technical specialties (i.e. traditional modern techniques such as Limón and Nikolais, and contemporary techniques such as Continuum). Principles from these styles deeply inform the modern classes that Baynes designs for her students, in conjunction with the professional and academic needs of the student population.

Contemporary

Baynes's most recent teaching assignment involved leading all daily Contemporary technique classes offered in Ballet West’s Professional Training Division.
Baynes also served as Rehearsal Director for Ballet West’s Contemporary student company, “Current” Contemporary Performing Group.
She teaches all ages and levels of:
contemporary dance
creative movement
improvisation
composition/choreography.

Ballet

Baynes has taught all levels of ballet technique for a variety of ballet-focused institutions.
She has also taught for “Senior Steps” which was recently mentioned in the New York Times.
In 2022, Baynes began leading administration, teaching assignments, and program design for Ballet West’s Adult Division, and helped increase the division’s revenue by 42.2% within her first year of leadership.
She also created a 5-week introductory adult course at Ballet West that sold out three times within the first month of pre-registration, and increased revenue of the division by over 30% within the first six months.
Baynes also administratively supported, instructed, and facilitated teacher trainings for the adult ballet division at Ballet West.

Flamenco

Jessica has over a decade of training and four years of professional performance experience in Flamenco.
From 2011-2015, Baynes toured with Sabor Andaluz Flamenco Company, the popular Latin-fusion NovaMenco, and Desi Dance Company.
Jessica has guest taught Flamenco for the San Diego Ballet Summer Intensive, Barlow Arts Conservatory Summer Intensive, University of Utah School of Dance, Weber State University Department of Dance, San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, and the National Dance School of Panamá.
Baynes was the resident Flamenco technique instructor for Ballet West for four years.

Adaptive Dance

Jessica founded Healing in Motion Dance which teaches rehabilitative ballet classes to participants at University of Utah Health with neurological conditions such as stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and traumatic brain injury.
Jessica’s research and field work in adaptive dance have been featured by United Nations Civil Society, National Dance Education Organization, TEDx, and International Association for Dance Medicine & Science.
Jessica was a weekly teacher for Movement Mentor, a program that offers creative movement to children with special needs.
She was also a long-time weekly instructor for Senior Steps, a ballet program for geriatric populations recently mentioned in the New York Times.

Classical Pilates

Baynes is a 3rd-generation Joseph Pilates instructor. She holds a 600-hour Authentic Pilates™ Teacher Certification from the United States Pilates Association and the New York Pilates Studio© which has qualified her to teach on every apparatus available in a classical studio.
In the course of her career, Baynes has developed expertise in designing and instructing contrology courses specifically tailored for the professional needs of adolescent and adult ballet athletes.
Jessica taught classical Pilates mat and reformer to ballet majors while on faculty at the University of Utah Department of Ballet. She also taught classical Pilates mat daily to the students of Ballet West Academy.

Irish Dance

Baynes has almost decade of training in Irish dance. She comes from a traditional Irish family whose culture has strongly influenced her artistic background.
Jessica grew up competitive Irish dancing with Harney Academy of Irish Dance and Malone Academy of Irish Dance, taking home medals from Oireachtas championships between 2006-2009.
Baynes has taught workshops for institutions such as An Dragan Ceilteach Irish Dancers, San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, University of Utah, Weber State University, and Ballet West Summer Intensive.
Guest workshops include: Intro to Ceili Dances, Intro to Irish Step Dancing, Injury Prevention for Irish Dancers, and Classical Pilates and Cross-Training for the Irish Dancer.

Teacher Trainings

The classroom experience always begins with the quality of its teachers.
Jessica works one-on-one with dance instructors in studios and training programs on curriculum design and empathetic leadership practices.
Baynes is a four-time National Dance Education Organization (NDEO) conference presenter and a recipient of the NDEO Professional Development Scholarship. Baynes also was a selected speaker for the 2023 NDEO Professional Development Workshop.
Baynes co-authored Ballet West Academy’s dance curricula (modern, contemporary, Flamenco, and Pilates), which are currently under review for national accreditation by National Association for Schools of Dance (NASD).
She organized, co-hosted, and launched the first set of teacher trainings for the Ballet West Adult Division.
Baynes is currently pursuing a Master of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education to refine her skills in teacher training, curriculum design, and research for dance education.

Testimonials

“An amazing teacher who has the ability to connect with each of her students as she helps them to progress in their training”

— Directress, Children’s Ballet Theatre

“I have learned more from [her] ballet class than I have learned from any of my doctors. I have found an increased range of motion in both my affected arm and ankle and now I walk with little to no limp!”

— Former adaptive dance student

“Jessica’s classes were not only fun, but they stretched me and my knowledge... I wasn’t working out to work out, I was creating art, moving, doing something beautiful”

— Former adult student

“A phenomenal preschool teacher, and that’s not an easy age to instruct. I’m so glad my daughter got to take her class during COVID. She was a highlight in a tough time.”

— Mother of a former preschool age student

Teaching Philosophy

As a dance educator with a focus in community accessibility, it is my mission to encourage personal growth and self-confidence through codified technique.

I am an enormous advocate for the life-changing potential of communal dance education. As young children, we first develop awareness of our body as it relates to others. This is a knowledge that influences how a person navigates their physical embodiment through life. I believe that dance strongly impacts how we understand our physical selves, the world around us, and the relationship between the two.
Therefore, when teaching class, I integrate exercises which demand spatial awareness, kinesthetic empathy, and heightened proprioception. That way, when students leave the studio, they leave with a stronger mind-body connection and heightened sense of how their physical existence relates to their surroundings.
What drives my passion for education is my interest in personal development through community. In the classroom, I implement activities that include partnering, eye-contact, weight sharing, and group composition, in order to facilitate community.
A significant part of my somatic background is in classical Pilates, also known as Contrology, which is the study of body control. As a result, I make a point of educating dance students on their muscular anatomy, initiation, alignment, and control during technique classes.
When introducing kinesiology concepts, I instruct through an inclusive and body-positive lens which, to me, means emphasizing the importance of:
1.    listening and trusting the body’s cues on alignment and misalignment
2.    savoring the joy of movement, no matter how large or small
3.    moving for the love of dance and not for the love of perfection.