Sally Harrington (August 2, 1941 – November 28, 2020), known professionally as Sara Leland, was an American ballet dancer and ''
répétiteur
A (from the French verb meaning 'to repeat, to go over, to learn, to rehearse') is an accompanist, tutor or coach of ballet dancers or opera singers. A feminine form, , also appears but is comparatively rare.
Opera
In opera, a is the person ...
''. She started her career with the Joffrey Ballet in 1959, and was recruited to join 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' ...
by
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 ...
in 1960. She was promoted to principal dancer in 1972, and created roles for both Balanchine and
Jerome Robbins
Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television.
Among his nu ...
.
In the mid 1970s, she started staging Balanchine's and Robbins' works in both the U.S. and abroad. In 1981, the New York City Ballet appointed her assistant ballet master, and she retired from performing in 1983, but continued to stage and coach ballets. As a ''répétiteur'', she had worked on more than 30 ballets.
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...
. Sally started ballet at age five, with her sister who needed ballet as physical therapy, though Leland's talent was noticed and she started training with E. Virginia Williams, who founded New England Civic Ballet (now
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. I ...
), while Leland's mother both worked at the company front desk and made costumes, and would become the executive director of Boston Ballet.
Career
In 1959,
Robert Joffrey
Robert Joffrey (December 24, 1930 – March 25, 1988) was an American dancer, teacher, producer, choreographer, and co-founder of the Joffrey Ballet, known for his highly imaginative modern ballets. He was born Anver Bey Abdullah Jaffa Khan in Se ...
invited Leland to join his company, the Joffrey Ballet, after seeing her dance with the New England Civic Ballet. The following year, while Leland was in Boston, she took a class with Williams at the New England Civic Ballet.
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 ...
, an artistic advisor of the company, spotted her and recruited her to join 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' ...
. The same year, she was cast as a lead role in ''Les Biches'',
Francisco Moncion
Francisco Moncion (July 6, 1918 – April 1, 1995) was a charter member of the New York City Ballet. Over the course of his long career, spanning some forty years, he created roles in major works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and others. ...
's new ballet.
Leland was made soloist in 1963, and was chosen to dance lead roles in works by Balanchine,
Jerome Robbins
Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television.
Among his nu ...
and Frederick Ashton. Whilst a soloist, her role creations include Balanchine's "Emeralds" from ''
Jewels
A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, a ...
'', and Robbins' ''
Dances at a Gathering
''Dances at a Gathering'' is a ballet choreographed by Jerome Robbins to music by Frédéric Chopin, with costumes designed by Joe Eula. The ballet premiered on May 22, 1969, at the New York State Theater, performed by the New York City Ballet ...
'' and '' The Goldberg Variations''. For the latter two, Leland also assisted Robbins since she could learn the choreography quickly.
In 1972, she became a principal dancer. The promotion came shortly before the company's Stravinsky Festival, in which she danced Balanchine's ''Lost Sonata'' and '' Symphony in Three Movements''. She went on to create roles in Balanchine's ''
Vienna Waltzes
''Vienna Waltzes'' is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to music by Johann Strauss II, Franz Lehár and Richard Strauss, made as a tribute to Austria. It premiered on June 23, 1977 at the New York State Theater, performed by the N ...
'' and ''
Union Jack
The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...
''. Other ballets she was known for include Balanchine's '' Serenade'', ''
Brahms–Schoenberg Quartet
''Brahms–Schoenberg Quartet'' is a one-act ballet by George Balanchine, to Johannes Brahms's Piano Quartet No. 1, orchestrated by Arnold Schoenberg. The ballet premiered on April 21, 1966 at the New York State Theater, performed by the New ...
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 Tchaiko ...
'' and ''
Don Quixote
is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Wester ...
''. She retired from performing in 1983.
In the mid-1970s, Leland started staging Balanchine and Robbins' works in both the U.S. and abroad, and at Balanchine's request, she also coached principal female roles. She was appointed assistant balletmaster with the New York City Ballet in 1981, whilst an active dancer, and continued to stage and coach ballets after she stopped dancing. In a 1982 interview, she stated she watched Balanchine rehearse closely and as often as possible, in order to learn the ballets so accurately that she would "never forget them and can stage them in the future exactly as he intended". Due to her ability to remember choreography, she was able to teach more than 30 ballets.
Personal life
In 1975, Leland married Arthur Kevorkian, a businessman. The marriage ended in divorce in 1993. In her later life, she lived in New City, New York.
Death
On November 28, 2020, Leland died from
congestive heart failure
Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...