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.
Performance opportunities 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, where she began what would become a lifelong journey in dance. Under the careful guidance of founders Elfriede Merman and Patricia Savoia, she grew from a young student into a dedicated and passionate artist\. Recognizing her talent and commitment, the school’s board awarded Jennifer a full scholarship and sponsorship, allowing her to immerse herself fully in her training.
Jennifer received extensive classical ballet training rooted in both the Vaganova and Cecchetti methods, giving her a strong foundation in musicality, precision, artistry, and classical technique. Her dance education also extended beyond ballet into the work of two of the great pioneers of American modern dance: Lester Horton and Martha Graham, whose techniques broadened her understanding of movement, expression, and the possibilities of the human body.
Under Mrs. Merman’s mentorship, Jennifer’s artistry continued to deepen, and their relationship grew into an enduring friendship. In time, Jennifer transitioned from student to teacher, beginning a career that has now spanned more than 25 years. She has devoted herself to guiding generations of students in ballet technique, choreography, artistry, and stage performance, while creating an environment in which young dancers feel safe, challenged, inspired, and free to discover their own artistic voices.
As Artistic Director of Manhattan Ballet and Movement Center, Jennifer carries forward the legacy and traditions entrusted to her by her teachers while allowing them to evolve for a new generation. Through MBMC, she has expanded that foundation to embrace multiple dance disciplines, artistic collaboration, performance, and community engagement—remaining rooted in the belief that rigorous training and artistic excellence should always exist alongside joy, individuality, and a genuine love of dance.
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.