Amanda Schull

Mr. Landovsky,

I am forever grateful to you for teaching me how to dance. The steps were secondary, the passion was primary, and my life is immeasurably richer for it.

All my love,

Amanda Schull

Jacquelyn Dowsett

Where would I be without HSB — that is the question!

Mr. Landovsky trains his students to become professional ballet dancers and, even though the training was difficult at times, he always believed in me and pushed me to my limits because he saw a hint of potential, and I am SO grateful to him for never giving up on me!

Mr. Landovsky pushed us all to reach for the stars, and most importantly, he made us all believe that we could reach those stars. He instilled so many useful qualities: dedication to the art, determination, never saying the word "can't," and above all he taught us to discover the mental, physical, and emotional strength within ourselves to accomplish anything.

I would not be where I am today without my excellent training at Hawaii State Ballet! I will forever be grateful and thankful to Mr. Landovsky & Gina! MANY MAHALOS! Love you both!

* Jacquelyn Dowsett began training with Hawaii State Ballet at age seven. After receiving her BFA in Dance Performance from SMU in Dallas, Jacquelyn became a Radio City Rockette. In 2009, Jacquelyn became a back up dancer for Cher at Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas, and doubled for Cher in the feature film, Burlesque. She has also danced on television shows such as the 2010 Oscars, the MTV Video Music Awards, the 2010 finale of America's Got Talent, and as a recurring "Cheerio" on the Fox sitcom, Glee. Other Film/TV credits include Stuck on You, Dance Flick, A Christmas Carol, Eli Stone, The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with the Rockettes, and the upcoming movie, Bolden!

Erica Wong

After thirteen years of training at Hawaii State Ballet, I can still imagine myself running into ballet class in my first pink leotard. For such a shy girl, nothing made me more eager to learn than dance. Everything was taught with such enthusiasm, yet with discipline, that I soon realized the simple joy and work involved in ballet.

When I grew more serious about dancing, I moved into Mr. Landovsky's class, where I was introduced to a whole new level of work. Under Mr. Landovsky's training, my classmates and I were constantly drilled in six classes a week for strength, flexibility, balance, and isolation.

Mr. Landovsky's seemingly impossible combinations and high expectations forced us to put in more than our best effort.

"I want six pirouettes!" He would often demand after assigning a turning combination. "You think you're jumping, but you're just hopping. Touch the ceiling!" and "I want you to get up on balance, stay up there for half an hour, lift your leg higher, smile, and then come down," were also commonly heard from Mr. Landovsky.

There is no doubt in my mind that I would not be where I am today if I'd never obtained the strict discipline and work ethic I was taught at Hawaii State Ballet.

* Erica Wong started dancing at Hawaii State Ballet at age five. In July 2008, she competed in the 23rd International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria. In March 2010, she won the first place prize at the American Ballet Competition in Austin, Texas. She is now a company member at the Ballet Theatre of Maryland, directed by Diana Cuatto.

Jennifer Rowe Phillips

My training at Hawaii State Ballet gave me the ability to have a professional ballet career, but the discipline and work ethic I gained through dancing has shaped me more than any other influence. Being able to approach life with hard-earned skill, self-confidence and artistic passion are the true benefits of a serious and professional ballet education. I thank Hawaii State Ballet for all my successes.

* Jennifer Rowe Phillips danced with Hawaii State Ballet for over 10 years. After graduating from the Junior Company she joined State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara where she is now a principal dancer and the Director of Marketing and Development.

Heather Haar

I will never get the sound of Mr. Landovsky's voice out of my head. Especially when he would say, "You look like a little old lady going shopping with all her bags. Lift up!" Or the look of disappointment and disbelief when Kamakoa and I would run into the studio, soaked from the rain, ten minutes late again, trying to tell him that "it was the bus" that made us late.

He never stopped surprising us with new seemingly impossible steps and combinations that we swore couldn't physically be done, but he wouldn't let us move on until we tried over and over again until impossible somehow became attainable.

I remember one day at the end of class he made us all sit down on the studio floor and he gave us a lecture on what we should do with our futures, being that there were a few of us ready to start thinking about the next step in our lives. I don't know how he did it, but he had us all convinced that we had two options. He said, "You can work really hard, and I mean really hard, and maybe, if you're lucky you will get into a ballet company and then you will know what it feels like to really do something with your life. Or you can go to school and become a bank teller. Do you really want to be a bank teller?"

I thought about it a moment and then decided to take the course less traveled and pursue my dreams of becoming a professional ballet dancer. Thank you Mr. Landovsky!

Kamakoa Page

I will always remember how scared I was when I first met Mr. Landovsky, and how surprisingly funny he was. And also the time when I hid in the bathroom because I forgot my ballet slippers. And who can forget when he would balance quarters on our turned out heels and give us a dollar for every pirouette? He is such an amazing teacher!

The memory that most impacted my life was when I was preparing to dance the Sugar Plum Fairy. His confidence in me blew me away! I remember how hard I practiced and how much time he put into coaching me. Those are the times I cherish the most. He told me to "dance it like no one has ever danced it before." I took that advice to a whole new level and put it towards everything that I do! Do it your very best, like no one else has ever done!

A heartfelt thanks to you, Mr. Landovsky! Hawaii State Ballet was my "safe place" to go growing up, and your training continues to shape who I am today.

Bonnie Hair

Hawaii State Ballet's exceptional training has helped me not only in my dancing career but has also helped instill a strong work ethic to carry out in my professional career as well.

The dedication and attention to detail in John Landovsky and Gina Surles training is one that is very rare to find in the vast world they call "Dance."

Ballet is the foundation to all types of dance, and there is nowhere else you will find better foundation than at HSB.

I received a dance scholarship to Mercyhurst College (listed as one of the top dance colleges according to the Princeton Review), had the opportunity to dance professionally with Lake Erie Ballet (Erie, Pa), am now the Director of Admissions and Marketing of a private high school, and am also currently developing a dance program that will potentially be recognized by the International Baccalaureate Curriculum.

Ryan Camou

Dancing has been my life since I can remember and, at age seven, my first ballet class. HSB taught me it wasn't about throwing my body around, it was about dancing with feeling, grace and imagination. It helped me grow as a dancer and I still use the important tools I was taught at HSB, not only in dance, but also in life.

Go for it, don't hold back, don't be weak, stay strong! HSB gave me a foundation to work with that took me to San Francisco Ballet, Houston Ballet, Smuin Ballet and now residing with State Street Ballet as a principal dancer.

I want to thank HSB for helping this dancing artist grow into a professional, and I only hope I can teach the next generation what you gave me!

Molly Browning

Dear Mr. Landovsky - The first time I took your class in Junior IV, I was scared out of my mind. Since then, I have learned so much and I owe so much of that to you.

The best teachers are the ones who push their students past the limits they've created for themselves. For example, when I was happy after finishing a triple pirouette, you told me that I could do five. Then I would work till I could do five, and you told me I could do seven. At the time, I would get incredibly frustrated, but when I finally achieved those seven turns, or the higher jump, or the perfect position, I was so proud of myself that I forgot how frustrated I was in the beginning.

Even outside of ballet I was inspired to work at 110% for everything I did because I was so used to hard work in class. Because you never accepted mediocre work, it became a habit to strive for perfection. I would like to say thank you so much, and I appreciate all your hard work and dedication.