“Trainer extraordinaire, he teaches ballet dancers why they do what they do." -The New York Times
Since 1972, Finis has been a mainstay of the New York dance scene. While running his own studio until 1987, he was the founder, artistic director and choreographer for Chamber Ballet USA. He has taught at all the major New York studios as well as at various festivals, workshops, and Ballet Competitions throughout the USA and Europe. Finis danced in the Broadway, National and film versions of Flower Drum Song, was a Soloist with The San Francisco and Joffrey Ballet Companies, and a Principal Dancer with The Harkness Ballet of New York. His teachers were Willam F. Christensen, Valentina Pereyaslavec, Vera Volkova, Stanley Williams, Erik Bruhn, Rosella Hightower, and David Howard.
Finis Jhung has been the subject of numerous articles in national publications and was featured as a “ballet virtuoso” on Lifetime TV. His life-long love of theatre and dance has led him to re-evaluate ballet teaching and to develop innovative teaching methods which make ballet easier to understand and more enjoyable to learn, while preserving the essential qualities that make ballet a great performing art.
Jhung had the surgery because he wanted to keep working. The octogenarian was one a member of the San Francisco Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet and a principal dancer for the Harkness Ballet. He now teaches five days a week at the Ailey Extension in Midtown West.
Finis Jhung's career as a professional dancer began in 1960 in the Broadway and national companies of Flower Drum Song. The Korean-Scottish-English Hawaii native then went on to dance with San Francisco Ballet and the Joffrey Ballet, found his own company, Chamber Ballet USA, and teach his unique classical ballet style to professionals and amateurs all over the world.
Bad Habits, they're enough to drive any dance teacher batty. Seeping into a student's technique, their routine, almost involuntary nature makes them extremely difficult to break. Dance Teacher asked Finis Jhung, Irene Dowd, Sheila Barker, and Pamela Pietro for their advice on conquering common bad habits they see in class.
