History

Greensboro Ballet was established in 1967 by a group of dance enthusiasts to provide a performing outlet for area dance students. Students from a variety of dancing schools worked under a volunteer artistic director and presented one performance a year. At that time, the organization was called Greensboro Civic Ballet.

In 1980, the Civic Ballet Guild, who had several former dancers as members decided that a school should be developed that would offer classical ballet training and performance opportunities for dedicated ballet students. Maryhelen Mayfield was hired as the Artistic and Executive Director and the School was opened with 123 students in one small studio in the Greensboro Cultural Center. The School reputation blossomed as students from the School were accepted at prestigious training programs such as those offered at University of North Carolina School of the Arts, Atlanta Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, and School of American Ballet. The School continues to train serious students and several have moved on to professional dance careers on Broadway and in Modern and Classical Ballet Companies including Cincinnati Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theatre II, New York City Ballet, Ballet Oklahoma, and Augusta Ballet. One former student, Kate Digby, is now artistic director of her own company in New York, Digby Dance.

At the same time the School was being developed the Company was also coming into prominence. While starting out as a pre-professional Company with all performers coming from the School, Greensboro Ballet immediately began presenting performances of high caliber. With support from the community, local corporations and individual contributors, the Company has presented many of the classics including its annual production of THE NUTRCRACKER. Other traditional ballets such as COPPELIA, SWAN LAKE, SLEEPING BEAUTY, FIREBIRD, AND GISELLE have all been presented to excellent reviews. In addition to these classics, Greensboro Ballet has also worked with contemporary choreographers who have created original works for the Company including Rick McCullough, Thom Clower, Leslie Jane Pessemier, Jill Eathorne Bahr, and Emery LeCrone. The George Balanchine Trust has also given permission to perform 2 Balanchine ballets, including the first movement of the famed SERENADE and WALTZ FANTASIE.

In 1997, professional dancers were added to the Company. Though few in number (7 plus 2 apprentices), the dancers brought the level of performances to a new high as they often performed the leading roles in the performances that were offered. These dancers were also instrumental in developing our Dance in the Schools program which served elementary schools in the Guilford County area. The dancers also taught in the School adding their artistry and inspiration to the experience enjoyed by students of the School.

Finances necessitated the suspension of the professional Company for a period of time, but in 2008, dancers were once again hired. Currently, a quartet of exquisitely trained dancers are employed and the goal is to employ 10 dancers by 2012.

Greensboro Ballet recognizes that there are already two established large size ballet companies in the state, namely North Carolina Dance Theatre in Charlotte and Carolina Ballet in Raleigh. It is not GB goal to support another large ballet company, but rather to form a more portable and affordable Company of 10 dancers who can efficiently and affordably offer superior dance performances to our own community and to others across the Triad.

Our Vision

Our Vision is inspired by our Artistic Director, Maryhelen Mayfield who strives to establish and maintain a professional ballet company and ballet school on par with any found anywhere. The art of Classical Ballet is an international art form influenced by its historical roots in European courts, but it is also an art form that is influenced by all international cultures. Ballet is yesterday, today and tomorrow!

Our Mission

The Mission of the Greensboro Ballet is to inspire, invigorate and excite our audiences and our artists through the exciting, ever evolving art of Classical Ballet.

Our Path to Achieving our Mission

Our path to success starts by invigorating Greensboro understanding of professional ballet standards for artistic excellence in our art form. This will be accomplished by attracting the most talented dancers, choreographers, and staff to our organization. We will build our financial foundation to ensure funded growth. We will educate and develop dance artists in our school under the direction of the best faculty we can attract to Greensboro. We will educate and entice new audiences through our community outreach and in-school education programs.

The passion of the Artistic Director is the driving force that unites the dancers, students and community in bringing extraordinary classical and contemporary ballet programming to this area.