Jennifer C. Hansen was born and raised in Miami, Florida. She received the largest part of her training from the Miami City Ballet under the direction of Edward Villella. At the age of 9, Ms. Cardenas at the time, began attending Fine Art Schools in Miami and then graduated from New World School of the Arts High School. Her professional career began at the age of 15. She was invited to perform in “Juegos del Arte” under the direction of Fernando Bujones. She has danced and received scholarships to vigorously train with the American Ballet Theatre in New York City, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Southern Ballet Theatre, Ballet West and Utah Ballet. Ms. Cardenas danced with Utah Ballet for five years and obtained both her Bachelors Degree and Masters Degree within that time. She toured with the company to perform in Taiwan and Maryland. In 2002, Ms. Cardenas performed in the Winter Olympics as a “Fire and Ice Dancer.”

 

In 2003, she was a dancer for the new “Truth” commercial choreographed by Bonnie Story and cast to dance for the television series “Everwood” in 2004. Within that year, Ms. Cardenas was a dancer for the Utah Opera’s “Aida”. She then graduated with her Masters Degree in 2005 and joined Utah Regional Ballet under the direction of Jacqueline Colledge. Mrs. Hansen now, has been invited annually to teach Salsa classes at the University of Utah Performing Arts Camp. Throughout her career, she has instructed and choreographed for numerous renowned dance studios, academic art schools, and universities within the United States.

 

Mrs. Hansen excels in motivating and working with students of all ages. It brings her great joy to see many of her former students achieve their goals in becoming professional artists. Her students have been accepted into prestigious colleges, phenomenal dance companies, and have won a title on “So You Think You Can Dance."

 

After dancing professionally for 12 years, Mrs. Hansen retired in 2007. She has received numerous awards for her innovative and creative choreography. Her students are always recognized as having a superior level of dance technique, poise, and stage presence. Throughout her years of teaching, Mrs. Hansen’s students have earned national, regional, and state titles. Several of her dance routines have received national recognition for Overall High Scores and Excellence. Mrs. Hansen’s dream of one day owning a dance studio and directing a pre-professional company has become a reality. Jennifer Hansen’s Premier Dance Academy is the official school for the Ensemble Dance Company. She is devoted to assemble a studio of excellence and dedication to the ideal of quality in dance education.