Zena Rommett (born Angelina Buttignol; May 19, 1920 – November 10, 2010) was an Italian-born American dancer, teacher, and originator of the Zena Rommett Floor-Barre and Ballet Technique. Early life Zena Rommett was born Angelina Buttignol on May 19, 1920 in the Veneto Region, Italy and immigrated to America with her mother in 1925. Zena's father, Antonio, had immigrated to America two years earlier. The family settled together in Elmsford, New York. Rommett studied ballet with leading ballet teachers in New York City, including Anatole Vilzak, Chester Hale, Ludmilla Schollar, and Elisabeth Anderson-Ivantzova. Professional dance career Rommett began her professional career as a member of an adagio dance trio. She performed with the U.S.O. during World War II. She made her Broadway debut in December 1944 in the original cast of Billy Rose's "Seven Lively Arts" with major ballet numbers choreographed by Anton Dolin. She danced in Broadway musicals "Song of Norway," choreographed by George Balanchine, and "Paint Your Wagon," choreographed by Agnes de Mille. Rommett's aspirations soon turned to pedagogy and she was invited by Robert Joffrey to teach at his American Ballet Center in New York City in 1965. Her combined teaching experience and professional dance background inspired her to create her unique Floor-Barre method for training and rehabilitating dancers. Dance school In 1968, Zena Rommett Dance Association, aka Zena Rommett Floor-Barre Foundation, was founded by Rommett and founding board members Robert Joffrey and Howard Squadron, and Rommett founded her own school which was located at 70 West Third Street, in New York City. The school became Rommett's laboratory for developing the Floor-Barre, as she helped ballet, modern, jazz and musical theatre performers to overcome injuries and develop and refine their technique. Rommett discovered that working with the legs in a parallel position was an effective way to train and correct a dancer's placement. Rommett explained that "one day to experiment I had the students bring their legs into parallel. Then and there I discovered the beautiful secret of my technique. By working in parallel, I could correct the body alignment for a perfect turnout." Rommett later said that "when you work in parallel on the floor, the connection of the ankle to knee to hip is so correct that the leg remains aligned when you turn out again" and cautioned that "it must be done meticulously to be effective." Floor-Barre technique Rommett conceived and developed her technique