Across Generations, We Journey Together
Our History & Vision
Manhattan Ballet & Movement Center
Over fifty years ago, Elfriede Merman founded the Manhattan Ballet School. Her protégé, Jennifer Groenke, founded the Manhattan Ballet & Movement Center, continuing Elfriede Merman’s lineage and commitment to dance. Jennifer Goenke’s personal vision has been realized, as MBMC is a community where all forms of movement flourish side by side, creating a collaborative space for artists of all backgrounds.
Guided by the Vaganova and Cecchetti traditions, our faculty of professional dancers build the student’s technical mastery, poise, and self-confidence. We nurture our students with discipline, artistry, and care.
Perfromance opportunites are central to our training. Our students and alumni perform in professional productions as early as four years old.
At MBMC, our vision is to see every child emerge as a confident, creative, and well-rounded individual, carrying with them the inspiration to shape their future, on stage or beyond.
Our Founder & Artistic Director
Jennifer Groenke
At the age of seven, Jennifer Groenke arrived at the doors of The Manhattan Ballet School. Under the careful training of founders Elfriede Merman and Patricia Savoia, she grew into a passionate young artist. The school’s board awarded her a full scholarship and sponsorship, allowing her to immerse herself in the study of ballet every day.
Her artistry deepened, and with Mrs. Merman’s mentorship and enduring friendship, Jennifer transitioned into teaching. She has devoted more than 25 years to guiding students in ballet technique, choreography, and stage performance. She remains committed to preserving the founders’ vision—cultivating an environment where children feel safe, inspired, and free to discover their own artistic voices.
With the founding of MBMC, Jennifer carries forward the legacy of her teachers while expanding opportunities for collaboration across all performing arts, ensuring that each generation of dancers finds both discipline and joy in their creative journey.
Our Mentor
Elfriede Merman
(Elfriede Camilla von Busse)
Founder, The Manhattan Ballet School
Elfriede Merman began her training at the Staats Oper in Munich, where composer Richard Strauss encouraged her early solo roles. She went on to study in Paris with Olga Preobrajenska and Victor Gsovsky before joining Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, touring internationally in leading roles alongside stars such as Alexandra Danilova and Frederic Franklin.
Her career extended beyond ballet into Broadway and film, where she danced and choreographed with Fred Astaire (Daddy Long Legs) and collaborated with Tommy Tune.
In New York, together with Patricia Savoia, she founded The Manhattan Ballet School. For over forty years, she nurtured generations of dancers with a vision that blended classical ballet technique, music, and performance. That legacy continues today through the Manhattan Ballet & Movement Center.