John Welch is the Founding Artistic Director and Ballet Master of The JohnC Art Ballet.  He is the creator of the Step in the Dark Dance Program for blind and visually impaired children, which was initiated with the cooperation of the Braille Institute of Orange County.  From 2006 – 2014 he was the Artistic Director of the Box Dance Studio, which offered classes in ballet, body-conditioning, pointe, jazz, hip hop, and Bollywood.

Under the direction of Maria Lewis, he was a soloist at the Pacific Ballet Theatre (Vancouver, BC).  He began ballet at the late age of 22.  After only three years of intensive training, he was accepted to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, sight unseen, due to RAD and ISTD standing, and recommendations from John Marshall and Yvonne Cusack.   He was also accepted to the Saskatchewan Dance Theatre under the direction of Lucia Pavlychenko and the Alberta Ballet under the direction of Arnold Sphor,

Mr. Welch was an Associate Professor on the Dance Faculty of Scripps College in Claremont, California, where he, along with Gary Bates, established the degree program in dance and developed a technique for Beginning Ballet through Level IV. While at the university he also taught Pedagogy and choreography, choreographed for university concerts and fundraisers, and oversaw Senior Thesis projects.

From 1980-1982, Mr. Welch was Director of the Dancer’s Mind School of Dance Arts in Santa Barbara, CA.  He conducted private coaching with soloists from the Valerie Houston Dance Company and the Santa Barbara Ballet Company.  He also worked with body alignment and awareness on patients referred by local medical doctors, with athletes and weight trainers to prevent injuries, and conducted choreography for body builders.

Mr. Welch is a Member (Advanced Standing) of the Royal Academy of Dancing (RAD) where he studied with Peggy Carr, Lucia Pavlychenko, Zena Urman, Yvonne Cusack, Elizabeth Thompson, and others.  Also he is a Member of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance (ISTD) where he studied with John Marshall, Georgina McManus, Joan Hardy and Peggy Carr.  He studied at the National Ballet of Canada, San Francisco Ballet School, South Coast Repertory Summer Program, UCLA Extension Theatre Arts Program, Saskatchewan Dance Theatre (Lucia Pavlychenko), and the Alberta Ballet (Arnold Sphor).

Credentials

• Member of the Royal Academy of Dancing (RAD), Advanced Standing.
• Member of the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dance (ISTD).
• Studied with Robert Gladstien and Maria Vulmar at the San Francisco Ballet School.
• Assistant Professor (Phase II) Scripps College 1978-1981.
• Director of the Dancers Mind School of Dance Arts.
• Soloist with the Pacific Ballet Theatre (PBT) under the direction of Maria Lewis, Vancouver, British Columbia.
• Accepted to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet through Recommendation alone.
• Accepted to the Saskatchewan Dance Theatre under the direction of Lucia Pavlychenko.
• Artistic Director/Ballet Master, The JohnC Art Ballet.
• Director, The Box Dance Studio
• Executive Director, The Hartfel Foundation