Announcing the 2025 Alumni of Distinction Award Recipient

SAB’s Annual Alumni of Distinction Award launched in 2024 alongside our 90th Anniversary celebrations with the mission to elevate alumni accomplishments and broadcast the enormous influence that this community’s members have in their professional, artistic, and civic lives. The award also allows us to explore how a foundation in classical ballet training at SAB contributes to broadly defined success, on stage and in life.

We are excited to announce that the recipient of the 2025 SAB Alumni of Distinction Award will be Debra Austin.

Debra Austin is a trailblazing icon of American ballet. She began dancing at age 8 and was awarded a scholarship to the School of American Ballet at age 12. When George Balanchine invited her to join the New York City Ballet, at age 16 in 1971, she made history as its first Black female dancer. During her time at NYCB, she left her mark on some of American ballet’s most esteemed works, originating roles in both Balanchine and Robbins choreography. In 1980, she joined Zurich Ballet and toured the stages of Europe, before making history again in 1982, when she became a Principal dancer with the Pennsylvania Ballet. She was one of the first Black women to hold that title in a major American company.

Although she retired from dancing in 1990, Ms. Austin’s dedication to the art of ballet, and the generations of artists behind her, has remained steadfast. She became a Founding Member of Carolina Ballet in 1997 and has served the organization as a ballet mistress for nearly three decades, sharing her expertise and exuberance with countless dancers. As a founding member of SAB’s Alumni Advisory Committee since 2015, Ms. Austin continues to inspire future ballet dancers and their ambitions for professional ballet careers.

Please join us as we honor Debra, and the significance of this entire community, at this year’s Annual Alumni Celebration on Friday, June 6, 2025, in person at SAB. All alumni and their guests (21 years of age and older) are invited to attend.