JoAnn Jansen

JoAnn Jansen is one of the most sought-after creative talents working in the industry today, with a multitude of credits across film, television, commercials, and music videos. She was invited to speak at a TEDx conference, presenting on “Creativity and Passion in Leadership.”

As a choreographer, acting, speaking, and performance coach, as well as a producer, JoAnn has worked with some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Her collaborator list includes actors Johnny Depp, John Travolta, Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Aniston, Rachel McAdams, Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, and Antonio Banderas; producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Lawrence Bender; directors James Cameron, Ang Lee, Gore Verbinski, and Terry Gilliam; and musical artists will.i.am and Michael Bolton.

Highlights of JoAnn’s career include choreographing dance and movement sequences for major motion-capture productions, including James Cameron’s Avatar sequels (Avatar: The Way of Water and Avatar 3) as well as Gore Verbinski’s Academy Award-winning film Rango, starring Johnny Depp. She also served as choreographer on the blockbuster Pirates of the Caribbean franchise.

She produced Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, a film based largely on events from her own life, in which she also performed a featured duet with the legendary Patrick Swayze.

Frequent collaborator John Travolta has said of JoAnn: “She is like a chameleon. She can cross-reference dances throughout history and come up with just the right movement that suits the character and the film. She is brilliant.”

This creativity extends to directing as well. She has directed two short films, as well as a large-scale opera at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo, leading an international ensemble that included the Vienna Symphony, 40 Japanese dancers, and eight opera singers from around the world. JoAnn also directed and choreographed “Dance America” for the USA Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo.

JoAnn is an active member of the Television Academy, the Producers Guild of America (PGA), and SAG-AFTRA.