Charlotte Ballet is the oldest professional ballet company in North Carolina. It was founded as North Carolina Dance Theatre in Winston-Salem by Robert Lindgren, who was then Dean of Dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, in 1970. It moved to Charlotte in 1990 and rebranded as Charlotte Ballet in 2014. It currently has 26 dancers and is the parent company of the Charlotte Ballet Academy.

Charlotte Ballet
General information
NameCharlotte Ballet
Previous namesNorth Carolina Dance Theatre
Year founded1970
Websitecharlotteballet.org
Artistic staff
Artistic DirectorAlejandro Cerrudo
Other
Associated schoolsCharlotte Ballet Academy
Formation
  • Company
  • Apprentice
  • Trainee

Artistic staff

edit
  • Alejandro Cerrudo - Artistic Director
  • Douglas Singleton - Executive Director
  • Patricia McBride - Associate Artistic Director & Master Teacher
  • Christopher Stuart - Director of Charlotte Ballet II
  • Traci Gilchrest Kubie - Rehearsal Director

Dancers

edit

Company

edit
Name Hometown Seasons With Company Training
Juwan Alston Round Rock, TX 4 University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Raven Barkley Bronx, NY 4 Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School, Dance Theatre of Harlem's Pre-Professional Program, SUNY Purchase
Chelsea Dumas Fort Wayne, IN 6 Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, Charlotte Ballet Apprentice
Colby Foss Fargo, ND 2 University of Arizona, Company member with Ballet Nouveau
Drew Grant Devon, PA 3 School of American Ballet, Company member with Los Angeles Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, BalletMet, Carolina Ballet and Stadt Theater Chemnitz in Germany
Josh Hall Syracuse, NY 7 University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Sarah Hayes Harkins Waynesville, NC 11 University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Ben Ingel Charlotte, NC 5 University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Houston Ballet Academy, Charlotte Ballet Academy, Charlotte Ballet 2
Alessandra Ball James Atlanta, GA 14 Gwinnett Ballet Academy, Company member with Colorado Ballet, Charlotte Ballet 2
James Kopecky Lake Villa, IL 3 Butler University, Company member with Ballet San Jose
Sarah Lapointe Bel Air, MD 4 Rock School for Dance Education, YAGP Finalist, National YoungArts Dance Finalist, Guest artist with the Washington Ballet
Peter Mazuroski Bow, NH 3 Boston Ballet School, Billy in Billy Elliot the Musical on Broadway
Maurice Mouzon Jr Baltimore, MD 3 Baltimore School for the Arts, SUNY Purchase
David Preciado Los Angeles, CA 2 San Francisco Ballet School Trainee, Los Angeles Ballet Academy, YAGP Finalist, Charlotte Ballet 2
Amelia Sturt-Dilley Gypsum, CO 4 Walnut Hill School, Juilliard School
Elizabeth Truell Columbia, SC 5 Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, Charlotte Ballet 2
Shaina Wire Sussex County, NJ 3 University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Joffrey Ballet School
Anson Zwingelberg Myrtle Beach, SC 2 South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities, Juilliard School

Charlotte Ballet II

edit
Name Hometown Seasons With Company Training
Elisabeth Baehman Palm City, FL 1 Dance Academy of Stuart, Charlotte Ballet Apprentice
Elaina da Fonte La Porte, IN 2 University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Jacobs School of Music Ballet
Thomas Donohue Stony Point, NY 1 Boston Ballet School
Victoria Jaenson Guilford, VT 1 Rock School for Dance Education, The Hartt School at the University of Hartford
Humberto Ramazzina São Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brazil 3 The Harid Conservatory
Jared Sutton Charlotte, NC 1 Charlotte Ballet Academy, Charlotte Ballet Pre-Professional Division, University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Andrès Trezevant Las Vegas, NV 1 Hubbard Street Professional Program
Karlee Vadalabene-Donley Marthasville, MO 1 Charlotte Ballet Pre-Professional Division, Saint Louis Ballet
Macyn Vogt Newburgh, IN 1 San Francisco Ballet School, trainee with the Joffrey Ballet

Trainees

edit
Name Hometown Seasons With Company Training
Celeste Borman Charlotte, NC 4 Charlotte Ballet Academy
Erinn Crittenden Fontana, CA 2 Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School
Lilly Fife Zionsville, IN 1 Boston Ballet School
Nicholas Holtz Fort Pierce, FL 1 Chautauqua Institution
Roxy Shackelford Macon, GA 2 Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education
Julia Vinez Stuart, FL 1 Harid Conservatory
Lara Bircak Charlotte, NC 2 Charlotte Ballet Academy
Alexander Carrazzone Ossining, NY 1 Chautauqua Institution, The Hartt School at University of Hartford
Carrington Clark Charlotte, NC 3 Charlotte Ballet Academy
Sarah Clarke Pittsburgh, PA 1 Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet
Gabrielle Cutrona Charlotte, NC 2 Charlotte Ballet Academy
Emerson Dayton Pittsburgh, PA 1 San Francisco Ballet School, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet
Gianna DeMassio New York, NY 1 Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School
Will Giannuzzi Charlotte, NC 1 University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Gabrielle Moore Greenville, SC 2 Charlotte Ballet Academy
Kiera Morgan Redington Beach, FL 2 Sarasota Ballet School
Belle Powell Columbus, OH 1 University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Amelia Snyder Atlanta, GA 2 Gwinnett Ballet Theatre
Olivia Vessillo Cary, NC 1 Cary Ballet Conservatory
Logan Velasquez Chicago, IL 2 Next Generation Ballet

Repertoire

edit

Charlotte Ballet has performed an extensive repertoire over the years. With two of the company's leaders, Patricia McBride and Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux having extensive ties to George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins and major contemporary dance choreographer Dwight Rhoden being the choreographer-in-residence, Charlotte Ballet has become a major hub for neoclassical and contemporary work.

  • The River
  • Night Creature
  • The Groove
  • Spun to The Sky
  • Bop Doo Wah
  • Alleged Dances
  • Artifice
  • Othello
  • Peace Piece
  • Sit In Stand Out
  • Gateways
  • Ballad Unto
  • Broken Fantasy
  • In the middle, somewhat elevated

Sasha Janes

edit
  • Sketches from Grace
  • Lascia la Spina Cogli la Rosa
  • We Danced Through Life
  • Shelter
  • You're So Fine
  • Queen
  • Last Lost Chance
  • Utopia
  • Facsimile
  • The Weight of Darkness
  • At First Sight
  • Rhapsodic Dances
  • The Four Seasons
  • Dangerous Liaisons
  • The Seed and Soil
  • Chaconne
  • Salt
  • Map

Other classics

edit
  • Nutcracker (Choreographed by Salvatore Aiello, then Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux)
  • Cinderella (Choreographed by Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux)
  • Romeo and Juliet (Choreographed by Jean Pierre Bonnefoux)
  • Carmina Burana (Choreographed by Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux)
  • The Little Mermaid (Choreographed by Mark Diamond)
  • Peter Pan (Choreographed by Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux)
  • Wuthering Heights (Choreographed by Sasha Janes)
  • Carmen (Choreographed by Sasha Janes)

Education

edit

Charlotte Ballet is the parent company to the Charlotte Ballet Academy, formerly the North Carolina Dance Theatre School of Dance. The school was founded in September 1993. By 1997, 3 satellite locations had been established to accommodate the then 5 level divisions and an Open Division. The school now offers a conservatory program, developed in 2004, for serious dance students who wishes to incorporate their dance classes with their academics.

References

edit
edit