In a career spanning six decades, ballet legend Finis Jhung has left his mark on Broadway, in film, and on stages across the world. While still a dancer, he studied with the greats—Valentina Pereyaslavec, Vera Volkova, Stanley Williams, Erik Bruhn, Rosella Hightower, and David Howard—and danced in the San Francisco Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, and the Harkness Ballet. He danced for presidents and dignitaries and eventually founded and choreographed for his own ballet company. Now in the second phase of his career as a renowned and beloved dance instructor, Finis has taught everyone from prima ballerinas and Broadway stars to adult beginners. His goal is to make ballet accessible to everyone, to create innovative ways of teaching, and to inspire present and future generations of dancers. Not content with life in the studio, he has created more than 50 instructional dance videos, produced 18 music CDs, and authored The Finis Jhung Ballet Technique: A Guide for Teachers & Students—all so that aspiring dancers of every level can learn his techniques, without ever leaving home. In Ballet for Life: A Pictorial Memoir, he shares his own story for the first time, starting from humble roots in World War II Hawaii.

Still actively teaching at the age of 81, his greatest joy is helping students find their “inner dancer.”

Finis in the News

Finis was featured on the television show CBS This Morning! He discussed dancing well beyond retirement age and how he inspires dancers of every age. Watch the Video
A Dance Enthusiast’s A to Z: J is for Finis Jhung and Amy Jordan Finis sits down for a Q&A with the noted dance blog. Read the interview	“Leads by Example at 80—at the ballet barre”Read the article
Nothing Can Stop Finis Jhung From Teaching–Not Even His Recent Hip Replacement Surgery: “19 days after surgery, almost no swelling. No pain. No discomfort.” Read the post	Why Finis Jhung Thinks Teaching Ballet is Like Being a Great Cook: “Practice the correct mechanics of movement…Like following a good recipe when you cook, if you follow it to the letter, you are a great cook!” Read the post
“…I felt so good about going onstage because he made sure I was using my body correctly. When I finally retired in ’69, I didn’t have any regrets. With all that information and feedback from him, I was dancing at a high level.”—Finis Jhung on his teacher David Howard Read the post	Finis speaks to ConsumerMOJO about working with adult beginners: “They are people who love ballet. They have always wanted to learn and they work so hard. And they start to change.”Read the blogWatch the Video
“In Absolute Beginner Ballet there were no big moves across the floor but for a full 90 minutes, I felt graceful…”Read the blog	Christmastime Ballet: Finis Jhung on The Nutcracker and News at Paris Opera Ballet. Finis offers his insights and opinions on Bastille Opera Ballet Nutcracker and other Parisian ballet news.Read the article online
An interview in two parts with Emmy Award winning producer Christian Cudnik. First, Finis discusses his life and career. Then, in part two, he talks about his teaching philosophy.Listen to the interviews online	“Finis Jhung was one of many teachers with whom I studied back in the day. The place: New York. The time: the early 70s, which would have made him a relatively young man somewhere in his mid-thirties. He was phenomenal even then, having committed the single most astonishing physical feat I’ve ever seen a dance teacher perform.”Read the article online
“DanceMogulMagazine is proud to present a true Dance Mogul, Finis Jhung. He has been blessed with the gift of the dance and he has been giving back that gift almost his entire life, helping to empower others that come across his path. Not only is he a true Dance Mogul he also serves as an example of a real Dance Teacher. “Read the article online	“The dance instructor Finis Jhung puts prospective Billys through their paces in New York.” Read more in the New York Times’ article on Finis JhungView PDFView Video
“Congratulations to January’s winner for DTVideo of the Month, Finis Jhung. The excerpt from Jhung’s 1999 instructional video, ‘Partnering Techniques:The Nutcracker,’ features Griff Braun and Johanna Snyder…” Read more in Dance Teacher’s Magazine’s article on Finis JhungView PDF	“Three Billys, One Master. Finis Jhung coaches the newest crop of boys to play Billy Elliot.” Read more in Dance Studio Life’s interview with Finis Jhung.View PDF
“The Chicago Billys underwent intense training three days a week for six weeks with the New York-based coach and ballet master Finis Jhung, a former soloist with the San Francisco, Joffry, and Harkness ballet companies.” Read more in Chicago Magazine’s article on Billy Elliot.View PDF	“After a morning of acting, dialect and vocal tutoring, the three new boys cast to star in Billy Elliot: The Musical tumble into the studio, all smiles, testing out their turns. At the helm of coaching these new Billys is master teacher Finis Jhung.” Read more in Dance Teacher Magazine’s interview with Finis Jhung.View PDF
“I was born and raised in Hawaii and am of Korean-Scottish-English descent. I started dancing at the age of six, as I liked the wonderful old black-and-white Hollywood musical movies that we used to see…” Read more in Ballet-Dance Magazine’s interview with Finis Jhung.View PDF	“Fast and precise, Finis Jhung has a highly personal rubato that he weaves into the fabric of his movement.” Read more in Dance Magazine‘s feature on the Harkness Ballet.View PDF
“Whatever I teach is just a clarification and explanation of what dancing is—understanding the anatomical structure, the placement, identifying the center you start with. Then you must establish ideas.” Read more in Dance Scope‘s interview with Finis Jhung.View PDF	“I think from the inside out. Western philosophy places man against nature. Eastern philosophy sees man and nature as one. Life is energy. Energy flows. Everything has life.” Read more in Dance Pages‘ feature on Finis Jhung.View PDF
“What makes Jhung so special is that everything he does is original and, at the same time, based on strong traditions.” Read more in Ballet News‘ feature on Finis Jhung.View PDF	“Giving dancers the tools to move with strength and ease.” Read more in Dance Magazine‘s feature on Finis Jhung.View PDF
“Get legs like Natalie Portman.” Read more in Time Out New York‘s feature on Finis Jhung’s class.View PDF	“I always emphasize the need to make ballet appetizing and doable, because it remains one of the best training systems for all styles of dance.” Read more in Dance Teacher Magazine‘s feature on Finis Jhung. View PDF
“I’ve loved ballet since I was six years old … I tell my students, I only have twenty more years to teach, you know.” Read more in the December 2012 issue of Movement Matters, published by the SERCCA.View PDF	“Nothing stills the dreams of dancers. … Some of the most fortunate, or discerning, begin to study with Finis Jhung.” — Connoisseur Magazine, May 1986 View PDF