Executive Director | Washington Ballet

BACKGROUND

Now in its 80th year as an organization, The Washington Ballet (TWB) grew out of the success of The Washington School of Ballet (TWSB), founded and directed for years by legendary dance pioneer Mary Day and her mentor Lisa Gardiner. In the  season, TWB is poised to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the performing company from a place of financial stability and compelling artistry.

The mission of TWB is threefold:

• To bring the joy and artistry of dance to the nation’s capital and the world’s stage through the professional presentation of the best in classic and contemporary ballet;
• To provide the highest caliber of dance training through a preeminent school of ballet;
• To serve and involve the entire community through extensive dance education and community engagement programs.

TWB has a proud history as a major force both in the dance world and DC's artistic community. Alumni of the school include DC-native Virginia Johnson, principal ballerina with and first woman artistic director of Dance Theatre of Harlem;
Kevin McKenzie, principal dancer with and longest-serving artistic director of American Ballet Theatre; and Amanda McKerrow, who at 17 was the first American to win a gold medal at the Moscow International Ballet Competition. Mary Day founded the performing company in 1974 and invited Choo San Goh, an up-and-coming star from the Dutch National Ballet, to join TWB as resident choreographer and later associate artistic director.

The 19 works he created on the company before his untimely death established both Mr. Goh and TWB on the international stage.

Septime Webre succeeded Ms. Day as Artistic Director in 1999 and during his 17-year tenure he showcased the works of rising choreographers such as Dwight Rhoden, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Edwaard Liang. He created the partnership between TWB and the renowned community project of Building Bridges Across the River’s THEARC. Importantly, he also staged TWB’s first full-length Swan Lake with Misty Copeland in the role of Odette-Odile and TWB’s Brooklyn Mack as Siegfried.

As the first professional performance of Swan Lake with two African Americans dancing the principal roles, it was a watershed event soon followed by Ms. Copeland becoming the first Black principal at American Ballet Theatre.

International star Julie Kent was TWB’s third Artistic Director from . She received acclaim for elevating the technical and artistic prowess of the company and for attracting exciting new choreographic talent such as Jessica Lang and Silas Farley.

TWB’s current Artistic Director Edwaard Liang has made a mark with the breadth and depth of his choreographic programming as well as his ability to attract top talent to complement that of TWB dancers and students. He has outlined a bold new direction for TWB’s artistic vision that strives to reach all members of the broader Washington, D.C. community and expands the ballet canon and company’s strengths through new repertory goals.

For the school, Edwaard added the position of School Director to the existing Managing Director position. Edwaard also embraced a strong collaborative partnership with TWB’s Interim Executive Director and together they have: established a balanced budget that eliminated a $2 million deficit; established a $1 million cash reserve; implemented strong internal procedural controls; hired a new Development Director and fully staffed the development team.

With these changes, TWB is poised to direct its future with strength.

TWB has long nurtured dancers that reflect and amplify the rich culture of its hometown. Company members are among the most culturally and geographically diverse in the nation. Its breakthrough partnership with THEARC, a multi-use facility that delivers first-rate programs and services of culture, health, recreation and human development to underserved communities, includes an additional training location of TWSB. TWB's program at THEARC has served over 70,000 children and thousands of adults.

TWB’s community engagement programs and partnerships are spread throughout the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia area. Among the many annual offerings…