The School of American Ballet (SAB) is the most renowned ballet school in the United States. School of American Ballet is the associate school of the
New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company ...
, a ballet company based at the
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 milli ...
in New York City. The school trains students from the age of six, with professional vocational ballet training for students aged 11–18. Graduates of the school achieve employment with leading ballet companies worldwide, and in the United States with
New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company ...
,
American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant, it is recognized as one of the world's leading classical ballet companies. Through 2019, it had an annual ei ...
,
Boston Ballet
The Boston Ballet is an American professional classical ballet company based in Boston, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1963 by E. Virginia Williams and Sydney Leonard, and was the first professional repertory ballet company in New England. ...
,
San Francisco Ballet
San Francisco Ballet is the oldest ballet company in the United States, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet under the leadership of ballet master Adolph Bolm. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Fra ...
,
Miami City Ballet
Miami City Ballet is an American ballet company based in Miami Beach, Florida, led by artistic director Lourdes Lopez. MCB was founded in 1985 by Toby Lerner Ansin, a Miami philanthropist. Ansin and the founding board hired Edward Villella, ...
,
Pacific Northwest Ballet
Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) is a ballet company based in Seattle, Washington, in the United States. It is said to have the highest per capita attendance in the United States, with 11,000 subscribers in 2004.
The company consists of 49 dan ...
and
Houston Ballet
Houston Ballet, operated by Houston Ballet Foundation, is a professional ballet company based in Houston, Texas. The company, consisting of 59 dancers, produces over 85 performances per year.
History
Tatiana Semenova (1955–1967)
Houston d ...
.
History
The school was founded by the renowned Russo-Georgian-born
choreographer
Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who c ...
George Balanchine
George Balanchine (;
Various sources:
*
*
*
* born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze; ka, გიორგი მელიტონის ძე ბალანჩივაძე; January 22, 1904 (O. S. January 9) – April 30, 1983) was ...
, and philanthropists
Lincoln Kirstein
Lincoln Edward Kirstein (May 4, 1907 – January 5, 1996) was an American writer, impresario, art connoisseur, philanthropist, and cultural figure in New York City, noted especially as co-founder of the New York City Ballet. He developed and s ...
and
Edward Warburg
Edward Mortimer Morris Warburg (June 5, 1908 – September 1992) was an American philanthropist and patron of the arts from New York City. He taught Modern Art at Bryn Mawr College and he was vice director for public affairs of the Metropolitan M ...
in 1934.
Balanchine's self- prescribed edict, "But first, a school", is indicative of his adherence to the ideals of the training that was fostered by the
Imperial Ballet School where he received his training. He realized that most great dance companies were fed by an academy closely associated with it. This practice afforded scores of dancers, well versed in the specifics of his technique and choreographic style. Among the teachers there were many Russian emigres who fled the
Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government ...
:
Pierre Vladimiroff,
Felia Doubrovska
Felia Doubrovska (russian: link=no, Фелия Дубровская (real name Фелицата Леонтьевна Длужневская); born as ''Felizata Dlouzhnevska'' in St Petersburg, February 13, 1896 – d. Manhattan, September 18, ...
, Anatole Oboukhoff,
Hélène Dudin,
Ludmilla Schollar
Ludmilla Schollar (March 15, 1888 – July 10, 1978) was a Russian-born dancer and educator.
Biography
Born Lyudmila Frantzevna Shollar in Saint Petersburg, Schollar attended the Imperial Theatre School there. She studied with Enrico Cecchet ...
,
Antonina Tumkovsky, and Alexandra Danilova. Their intention was to establish a major classical ballet company in America, which would lead to the formation of today's New York City Ballet. The school was formed to train and feed dancers into the company. It opened at 637 Madison Avenue with 32 students on January 2, 1934, and the students first performed that June. Seventy-five years later, the School was awarded the
National Medal of Arts
The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and arts patrons ...
by President
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Obama was the first Af ...
.
Program
Students are chosen through audition. Children's division auditions for the 2007–08 school year included six-year-olds for the first time; previously, the youngest students were required to turn eight in the year they began their studies. Children in the younger divisions are able to perform in various ballets with the company including George Balanchine's famous ''
The Nutcracker
''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaik ...
'', ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream
''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict a ...
'',
Peter Martins's ''
Swan Lake
''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...
'', and ''
The Sleeping Beauty''. The most advanced students perform in a workshop at the end of each year where the heads of many prestigious ballet companies choose several of them to join their companies, including
New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company ...
. This started in 1965, when
Alexandra Danilova
Aleksandra Dionisyevna Danilova (''Russian'': Александра Дионисьевна Данилова; November 20, 1903 – July 13, 1997) was a Russian-born prima ballerina, who became an American citizen. In 1989, she was recognized f ...
sought and received approval from Balanchine to produce a spring workshop performance for the students. These workshops have become an important preview for many outstanding dancers.
The school also hosts a summer program, where it selects about 200 dance students from across the country to train for five weeks. This summer program is one of the most selective ballet summer programs in the country. During the summer program, students are divided into seven girls' classes and two boys' classes:
Girls' classes:
* I
* II
* III
* IV
* V
* VI
* VII
Boys' classes:
* intermediate men
* advanced men
A small group of students from the summer program may be invited to enroll in SAB's winter term.
During the winter term, students are divided into levels based on their age.
Girls' classes:
* Girls preparatory division
* Children's division (Girls I-V)
* Intermediate division (B1 and B2)
* Advanced division (C1, C2 and D)
Boys' classes:
* Boys preparatory division
* Children's division (Boys I-IV)
* Intermediate men
* Advanced men
Boys typically spend two years in each level.
Faculty
As of August 2020, the faculty of School of American Ballet includes
Jonathan Stafford (artistic director),
Kay Mazzo
Kay Mazzo (born January 17, 1946) is an American former ballet dancer and educator. In 1961, she joined Jerome Robbins' company, Ballets USA. The following year, she joined the New York City Ballet, and was promoted to principal dancer in 1969. S ...
(chairman of faculty),
Dena Abergel
New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company's fi ...
,
Marika Anderson,
Aesha Ash
Aesha Ash (born December 30, 1977) is an American ballet dancer and teacher. She danced numerous leading roles as a member of New York City Ballet's corps de ballet and as a soloist with Béjart Ballet and Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and Morphoses/T ...
,
Megan Fairchild
Megan Fairchild (born October 23, 1984) is an American ballet dancer. She is currently a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet.
Early life
Fairchild was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and began her dance training at the age of four, stu ...
,
Gonzalo Garcia,
Craig Hall,
Arch Higgins, Anthony Huxley,
Sterling Hyltin
Sterling Hyltin is an American ballet dancer. She is currently a principal dancer at the New York City Ballet.
Early life and training
Hyltin was born in Amarillo, Texas. She wanted to be an ice skater, and would train before school started. Howe ...
, Megan Johnson,
Katrina Killian,
Meagan Mann,
Allen Peiffer,
Susan Pilarre,
Andrew Scordato,
Suki Schorer
Suki Schorer is an American ballet dancer, ballet mistress, teacher, and writer.
She danced with George Balanchine's New York City Ballet from 1959 to 1972.
Suki Schorer teaches at the School of American Ballet, the official school of the New Y ...
,
Abi Stafford
Abi Stafford is an American ballet dancer. She joined the New York City Ballet in 2000 and was promoted to principal dancer in 2007. She retired in 2021.
Early life
Stafford was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. She started ballet when she was six. ...
,
Sheryl Ware
The School of American Ballet (SAB) is the most renowned ballet school in the United States. School of American Ballet is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New ...
.
Alumni
According to SAB, alumni of the School of American Ballet make up over 90% of New York City Ballet, all but two of the company at present. Some alumni include
Mary Ellen Moylan
Mary Ellen Moylan (August 24, 1925 – April 28, 2020) was an American ballet dancer. She was one of the first students of George Balanchine's School of American Ballet, and made her New York stage debut in 1942. She had danced with Ballet Russe ...
,
Maria Tallchief
Elizabeth Marie Tallchief ( Osage family name: , Osage script: ; January 24, 1925 – April 11, 2013) was an American ballerina. She was considered America's first major prima ballerina. She was the first Native American (Osage Nation) to ...
,
Tanaquil LeClercq,
Francisco Moncion, John Clifford,
Nicholas Magallanes,
Nicholas Magallanes Biography in oxfordreference.com
/ref> Jacques d'Amboise, Debra Austin, Jillana Jillana (born 1934) is an American ballet dancer and instructor, and a former principal dancer with New York City Ballet.
Early life and education
Jillana was born Jill Zimmerman in Hackensack, New Jersey. She took lessons in tap and ballet dancing ...
, Allegra Kent
Allegra Kent (born August 11, 1937) is an American ballet dancer, actress, children's book author and columnist.
Life and career
Iris Margo Cohen was born to Jewish parents, Harry Herschel and Shirley (née Weissman) Cohen, and later changed her n ...
, Arthur Mitchell, Patricia McBride
Patricia McBride (born August 23, 1942 in Teaneck, New Jersey) is a ballerina who spent nearly 30 years dancing with the New York City Ballet. McBride joined the New York City Ballet in 1959. She became a principal in 1961, becoming the company's ...
, Paul Frame
Paul E. Frame (born April 16, 1957) is a retired American ballet dancer and practicing chiropractor. Frame danced as a member of the corps de ballet at New York City Ballet for ten years before retiring from the stage. He is currently the reside ...
, Peter Frame
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a sur ...
, Edward Villella
Edward Villella (born October 1, 1936) is an American ballet dancer and choreographer. He is frequently cited as America's most celebrated male dancer of ballet at the time. He has won numerous awards, including the Daytime Emmy Award for Out ...
, Suzanne Farrell
Suzanne Farrell (born August 16, 1945) is an American ballerina and the founder of the Suzanne Farrell Ballet at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Farrell began her ballet training at the age of eight. In 1960, she received a scholarship ...
, Kay Mazzo
Kay Mazzo (born January 17, 1946) is an American former ballet dancer and educator. In 1961, she joined Jerome Robbins' company, Ballets USA. The following year, she joined the New York City Ballet, and was promoted to principal dancer in 1969. S ...
, Kathryn Morgan
Kathryn Elizabeth Morgan (born August 17, 1988) is an American ballet dancer. She joined New York City Ballet in 2006 and was promoted to the rank of soloist in 2009. Morgan left New York City Ballet in 2012 due to health complications related t ...
, Garielle Whittle, Helgi Tomasson, Fernando Bujones
Fernando Bujones (March 9, 1955 – November 10, 2005) was an American dancer.
Born in Miami, Florida to Cuban parents, Bujones is regarded as one of the finest male dancers of the 20th century and hailed as one of the greatest American male dan ...
, Gelsey Kirkland
Gelsey Kirkland (born December 29, 1952) is an American ballerina. She received early ballet training at the School of American Ballet. Kirkland joined the New York City Ballet in 1968 at age 15, at the invitation of George Balanchine. She was ...
, Heather Watts
Heather Watts (born Linda Heather Watts; September 27, 1953) is a ballet dancer, most known for her time with the New York City Ballet.
Biography
Born in Long Beach, California, her dream as a little girl was to be an actress. An acting coa ...
, Merrill Ashley
Linda Michelle Merrill (born December 2, 1950), known professionally as Merrill Ashley, is an American former ballet dancer and '' répétiteur''. She joined the New York City Ballet in 1967, was promoted to principal dancer in 1977, and retired ...
, Lourdes Lopez
Lourdes Lopez (born 1958) is a Cuban-American ballet company artistic director of Miami City Ballet and former principal dancer of New York City Ballet. She is also a member of the board of trustees of the Ford Foundation.
Miami City Ballet is th ...
, Jock Soto
Jock Soto (born 1965)Kisselgoff, Anna. "Not Only a Partner, a Dynamic Interpreter", ''The New York Times'', June 18, 2005. p. B7. is a former American ballet dancer and current ballet instructor.
Career
Jock Soto danced featured roles in over 40 ...
, Peter Boal Peter Boal is artistic director of Pacific Northwest Ballet and director of its affiliated school in Seattle, Washington. He was born in Bedford, New York, in 1965 and began studies at the School of American Ballet (SAB) at age nine.
Boal assume ...
, Olivia Boisson, Alexandra Waterbury
Alexandra Waterbury is an American ballet dancer and fashion model. In September 2018 she began a lawsuit against her former boyfriend and his employer—principal dancer Chase Finlay and New York City Ballet—and several other parties, alleging ...
, Victoria Rowell
Victoria Lynn Rowell (born May 10, 1959) is an American actress. She began her career as a ballet dancer and model before making her acting debut in the 1987 comedy film ''Leonard Part 6''. In 1990, Rowell joined the cast of the CBS daytime soa ...
, Kyra Nichols
Kyra Nichols (born July 2, 1958) is an American retired ballet dancer and teacher. She joined the New York City Ballet in 1974 and was promoted to principal dancer in 1979. She is one of the last dancers to have worked with George Balanchine, a ...
, Darci Kistler
Darci Kistler (born June 4, 1964) is an American ballerina. She is often said to be the last muse for choreographer George Balanchine.
Early life
Kistler was born in Riverside, California, the fifth child (with four older brothers) of a medic ...
, Patrick Bissell, Damian Woetzel, Ethan Stiefel
Ethan Stiefel (born February 13, 1973) is an American dancer, choreographer, and director. He was a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre (ABT) from 1997 until July 2012. He was the artistic director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet fro ...
, Wendy Whelan
Wendy Whelan (; born May 7, 1967) is an American ballet dancer. She was principal dancer with the New York City Ballet and performed with the company for 30 years, and toured in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Whelan has also been an influential gue ...
, Alan Bergman, Llanchie Stevenson
Aminah L. Ahmad (born Rosemary Llanchie Stevenson), formerly known professionally as Llanchie Stevenson, is an American ballet dancer who was the first African-American dancer at Radio City Music Hall, Radio City Music Hall Ballet Company, the f ...
, Sarah Hay
Sarah Hay (born September 16, 1987) is an American actress and ballerina. She is best known for her role as Claire Robbins in the Starz mini-series ''Flesh and Bone'', she was nominated for a Golden Globe, a Satellite Award and a Critics' Choi ...
, Arlene Shuler
Arlene Shuler is an American arts administrator and former ballet dancer. She is the president and chief executive of the New York City Center.
Biography
Shuler grew up in Cleveland playing ballet. She began her training at age six under Margue ...
, and Paloma Herrera as well as celebrities Sean Young
Mary Sean Young (born November 20, 1959) is an American actress. She is particularly known for working in sci-fi films, although she has performed roles in a variety of genres.
Young's early roles include the independent romance '' Jane Aust ...
, Ashlee Simpson
Ashley Nicolle Ross ( Simpson; born October 3, 1984), known professionally as Ashlee Simpson, is an American singer and actress. The younger sister of singer and actress Jessica Simpson, she began her career as a back-up dancer for her sister ...
, Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Macaulay Culkin Culkin (born Macaulay Carson Culkin; ) is an American actor. Often regarded as one of the most successful child actors of the 1990s, he was placed 2nd on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Kid-Stars". Culkin rose to prom ...
, Lawrence Leritz
Lawrence Leritz (born September 26, 1962) is an American actor, dancer, singer, producer, director, fitness expert and choreographer.
Life and career
Born in Alton, Illinois, Leritz made his stage debut in the children's chorus of the world st ...
, Vanessa Carlton
Vanessa Lee Carlton (born August 16, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter and pianist. Upon completion of her education at the School of American Ballet, Carlton chose to pursue singing instead, performing in New York City bars and clubs while ...
, Megan Mullally, Alex Westerman
Alexander Westerman is an American creative director based in Los Angeles.
He began his career as an art director in 1991. Where he studied at Ithaca College and New York University.
He is an executive creative director at OpusLA In 2016.
Ca ...
, and Madeleine Martin
Madeleine Elizabeth Martin (born April 15, 1993) is an American actress, known for her role as the character Rebecca "Becca" Moody on Showtime comedy-drama ''Californication''.
Early life
Martin grew up in New York City, United States. As her ...
.
Mae L. Wien Awards
Lawrence A. Wien, his daughters and their families founded the Mae L. Wien Awards in their mother's name. SAB students are chosen each year on the basis of their outstanding promise and a faculty member is honored for distinguished service. New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company ...
chief balletmaster Jonathan Stafford may give a third award to a young choreographer at his discretion.
In popular culture
School of American Ballet is featured in the 2020 Disney+
Disney+ is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned and operated by the Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. The service primarily distributes films and television se ...
documentary ''On Pointe'', showing the lives of several students during a year at the school.
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
United States National Medal of Arts recipients
Ballet schools in the United States
Dance in New York City
1934 establishments in New York City