History
In 1987, The Sarasota Ballet was founded by Jean Weidner Goldstein as a presenting organization with the goal of becoming a full resident ballet company, which was achieved in 1990 with the appointment of the Company's first Director. However, it wasn't until January 2007 that her dream was fully realized--and far exceeded--when The Sarasota Ballet announced the appointment of the new Director, Iain Webb. Mr. Webb's background, experience and close personal relationships with some of the biggest names in the dance world have taken The Sarasota Ballet to a higher level of national and international recognition.
Specialties
Director Iain Webb and his wife Margaret Barbieri, Assistant Director and former principal of The Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet, have revolutionized the Company's repertoire, introducing an innumerable amount of new ballets into the Organization. This new repertoire has included works by some of the greatest choreographers in the dance world, such as Sir Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, Matthew Bourne, Christopher Wheeldon and Johan Kobborg, to name only a few. Several of these ballets have received their American premieres with The Sarasota Ballet and the Company has been integral in bringing rarely seen ballets to today's audiences. In addition, The Sarasota Ballet has also continued to push the art form forward through commissioning new works, both from budding choreographers from within the Company and established choreographers from around the globe. This repertoire, coupled with the athleticism and artistry of the Company's dancers, all of whom live and contribute in Sarasota, has pushed the company into not only the national eye, but also the international eye. Having received rave reviews in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Dance Europe, Dancing Times as well as numerous other publications, The Sarasota Ballet has been invited to perform in Washington DC, New York and the Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival.