Jill Giedt
I am a Portland-based performance artist, choreographer, director, and teaching artist with over 25 years in dance and theater.
Through storytelling, I explore ancestry, identity, and belonging using movement, theater, and film.
I am the Founder and Artistic Director of Ballet the Black Way, a ballet organization that celebrates BIPOC artistry and creates space for underrepresented communities in the world of classical ballet.
Ballet The Black Way
My teaching practice reimagines the ballet tradition to be more inclusive, expressive, and empowering for today’s youth. I blend classical music with African rhythms and explore theatricality and universal stories through ballet. Rooted in the beauty and power of Black artistic expression, my classes welcome children of all backgrounds to experience the joy, creativity, and cultural richness that dance can offer.
