Today’s Advisory Council is made up of more than 50 members from throughout New York City as well as 15 states and two countries with a shared passion for dance.
Members meet twice annually to ensure and help continue the growth and purpose of SAB while enjoying social and educational activities. In addition to the lifelong friendships formed in the group, members also benefit from an array of behind-the-scenes experiences to engage more deeply in New York City’s rich cultural opportunities.
The commitment of the Council’s members provides needed scholarship support for talented young dancers through the Advisory Council Scholarship Fund. Advisory Council scholarship recipients have come from 7 countries and 25 states, and have gone on to perform at prestigious ballet companies around the world including American Ballet Theatre, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Miami City Ballet, New York City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and many more.
Advisory Council Members
Kellie Johnson Abreu, Co-Chair, CA
Stacey C. Morse, Co-Chair, NY
| Nurit Amdur, NY
Elisabeth M. Armstrong, TX Susan J. Campbell, NY Laura G. Carr, NY Shannon Caspersen, NY Linda Daines, NY Lauren Duff, NY Jacqueline Erdman, WY Uzochi Ndukwe Erlingsson, MA Frances D. Fergusson, FL Maureen Footer, NY Karen Groeger, NY Liz Groeger*, CA Lucy Hardison, NC Christine Hessler, CA Karen Holland, NY Cheryl Huntsman, UT Mary Ellen Hutton, CT Elizabeth Joyce, NJ Susannah A. Kagan, NY Leslie Kavanaugh, FL Linda D. Kofmehl, NY Barbara W. Lehman, NY Elizabeth D. Leykum*, TX Jonna Mackin, NH Nancy S. MacMillan, NJ Heidi Magnussen, NY |
Jennifer Malherbe, UT
Charlene Marsh, TX Lyn M. McHugh, NY Andrea Mendell, NY Pam Miles, IL Susan Frame Millstein, NY Christine Morenz, TX Ellen L. Needham, NY Barbara Netter, CT Sylvia Oberwager, NY Susan C. Orb, CA Bonnie Pope, NY Shari H. Quinney, UT Caro U. Rock, PA Eve S. Rounds*, MA Sally Shreeves, NY Barbara Apple Sullivan, NY Elizabeth Farran Tozer, NY Christine Underwood, TX Mary Van Pelt, RI Lisa J. Walsh, NY Charmaine Waterfield, FL Cecily Waud, NY Regina A. Weingarten, CA Felecia Weiss, NY Barbara Wright, NY *SAB alumna |
In Remembrance: Nancy N. Lassalle
The School of American Ballet pays tribute to founding Advisory Council member, Nancy N. Lassalle. Nancy discovered her lifelong home at age 14 when she enrolled in Lincoln Kirstein and George Balanchine’s fledgling school in 1941 and never left. Instantly impassioned and inspired by Kirstein’s brilliance and Balanchine’s artistic genius, Nancy found her life’s purpose in championing and advancing their dreams for the remainder of her long life; taking on many mantles–author, editor, educator, photographer, curator, fundraiser, philanthropist—in service to their vision for the School and Company.
A founding member of both SAB and New York City Ballet’s boards upon their inceptions in the 1970s, Nancy’s perennial generosity was superseded by her daily engagement with and promotion of our missions. During her longstanding tenure as a board member, Nancy founded the SAB Advisory Council in 1975 to promote national and international awareness of SAB’s achievements and support scholarships for talented students worldwide, continuing as an active member throughout her life.
As a witness to ballet history in the making, Nancy was a champion for dance scholarship–documenting, recording, and preserving NYCB and SAB’s history through work with Dance Index, Ballet Society, Eakins Press, the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, and in numerous exhibits and publications documenting SAB and NYCB history. In the decades following the passings of Balanchine and Kirstein, Nancy served as a guardian of their legacy and ideals, ensuring that those carrying on in their wake would never lose sight of their original vision, and serving as a vital link between past and present. One of Nancy’s many resounding impacts on SAB was as the driving factor in launching the Cultural Program that has enriched the lives of hundreds of students by providing them with a holistic exposure to the cultural landscape of the arts. To honor her many years of dedication to the School, the Board of Directors unanimously voted in October 2020 to rename the program as the Lassalle Cultural Program.
All of us at SAB are grateful for Nancy’s leadership, generosity, and friendship throughout the years and know that her legacy continues through the lives of our students.
Header image © Paul Kolnik; NEW SLEEP choreography by William Forsythe
Group shot and Nancy N. Lassalle by Erin Baiano