2022 SAB Year in Review
GUEST TEACHERS
Each year, SAB Intermediate and Advanced students have the opportunity to take class with esteemed guest faculty, giving them crucial experience with new styles and perspectives as well as exposure to potential future employers. Our guest teachers this Winter Term included:
Visiting Faculty Co-Chairs:
Alicia Holloway*, former Dancer, Dance Theatre of Harlem
Leyland Simmons*, Dance Chair, Harlem School of the Arts
Guest Teachers:
Jason Beechey*, Rector, Palucca University of Dance Dresden
Peter Boal*, Artistic Director, Pacific Northwest Ballet
Irina Dvorovenko, former Principal Dancer, American Ballet Theatre
Noah Gelber*, Répétiteur for William Forsythe
Damien Johnson*, Faculty, Washington School of Ballet
Lincoln Jones, Artistic Director, American Contemporary Ballet
Julie Kent*, Artistic Director, The Washington Ballet
Victoria Lyras*, Artistic Director, Indianapolis Ballet
Sascha Radetsky, Artistic Director, ABT Studio Company
Adam Sklute, Artistic Director, Ballet West
Ashley Wheater, Artistic Director, The Joffrey Ballet
*SAB alumna/alumnus
CULTURAL PROGRAMMING
Our Lassalle Cultural Program aims to give students the ability to explore the history of ballet within the larger context of classical and contemporary art, as well as to ensure that they have opportunities to experience New York City’s vast cultural landscape in ways that are educational and enriching for their developing artistry. Students were able to take part in many special opportunities this Winter Term:
SEPTEMBER 2021
“A Historical Perspective on Pink Tights in Ballet” by Dr. Joselli A. Deans
Elise Drew León, SAB’s Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Molly Murray, SAB’s Assistant Director of Student Life for Academic and Cultural Programs, co-hosted an engaging presentation and talkback with Dr. Joselli A. Deans for all levels of students in continued efforts to educate our community about SAB’s dress code expansion to include flesh tone shoes and tights. A former dancer with Dance Theatre of Harlem, Dr. Deans holds her doctorate in dance education from Temple University and is a current member of The Equity Project. The virtual presentation covered the broader history of the use of tights in ballet and explored the relevance of SAB’s evolving dress code.
October 2021
Fire Shut Up in My Bones at The Metropolitan Opera
Advanced students went to The Metropolitan Opera for a live performance of Fire Shut Up in My Bones, composed by Terence Blanchard. The opera follows the story of a young man reflecting on his life’s hardships in relation to themes of loneliness and destiny. Featuring choreography by renowned artist Camille A. Brown and marking The Metropolitan Opera’s first production by a black composer, this momentous work gave SAB students the opportunity to witness history in the making.
November 2021
BalletCollective at Bohemian National Hall
Intermediate and Advanced Division students attended this performance featuring dancers from New York City Ballet and the Martha Graham Dance Company, live music by members of The Knights, and choreography by NYCB company member Troy Schumacher.
December 2021
Juilliard New Dances 2021 Dance Performance
Intermediate and Advanced Division students attended this performance featuring Juilliard’s Dance Division students. The evening showcased student choreography and original works from SAB alumnus and NYCB resident choreographer Justin Peck.
March 2022
Sara Mearns: Piece of Work
This performance of six original works featured NYCB principal dancer Sara Mearns in collaboration with renowned choreographers and artists. Tickets were offered to students participating in the Female Choreography Project and other students in the Intermediate and Advanced Divisions.
Juilliard Spring Dances 2022 Dance Performance
Intermediate and Advanced students attended Juilliard’s showcase featuring dancers from the classes of 2022-2024. The Juilliard students performed Set and Reset/Reset (1983) by Trisha Brown, Shelter (1988) by Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, and return to patience (2015) by Aszure Barton.
May 2022
SIX: The Musical on Broadway
30 Intermediate and Advanced students went to see a performance of SIX: The Musical on Broadway, a re-imagination of Henry VIII’s six wives as a pop group battling for the position of lead vocalist through the retelling of their experiences. The musical examines the importance of the female narrative as the characters reclaim their identities as individuals rather than defining themselves in relation to Henry VIII.
PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES
This Winter Term, SAB students took part in a myriad of exciting performance opportunities. For the first time in SAB history, only students aged 12 or older were cast to perform children’s roles in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® due to COVID safety guidelines requiring all performers to be vaccinated. By early 2022, our younger students were able to perform with New York City Ballet during their winter and spring season in works including Mozartiana, Firebird, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and a special NYCB gala performance of Circus Polka. Advanced students also graced the Koch Theater stage in Scherzo a la Russe as part of New York City Ballet’s spring season. Intermediate students performed a commission from Gilbert Bolden III for SAB’s Winter Ball and participated in SAB’s community-based Beauty of Ballet Lecture-Demonstrations. Students in the Advanced Division choreographed and performed in SAB’s Student Choreography Showing, and six female students presented their choreographic works again in the Virginia B. Toulmin Evening for Female Choreography. And of course, Workshop Performances returned to the Peter Jay Sharp Theater for the first time in two years. Congratulations to all of our students!