Carolina Ballet facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Carolina Ballet
General information
Name	Carolina Ballet
Local name	Carolina Ballet
Previous names	Raleigh Dance Theatre Carolina Ballet Theatre
Year founded	1997
Principal venue	Martin Marietta Center for the Performing Arts Raleigh, North Carolina United States
Artistic staff
Artistic Director	Zalman Raffael (current) Robert Weiss (founding)
Ballet Master	Debra Austin, Marin Boieru, Melissa Podcasy, Pablo Javier Perez, Dameon Nagel
Other
Formation	Principal Soloist Corps de Ballet Apprentice

Carolina Ballet is a well-known dance company in America. They perform classic ballet shows and also new dances created by modern choreographers. The company officially started as a professional group in 1998. Robert Weiss was its first artistic director. In 2019, Zalman Raffael became the artistic director and CEO. Michele Weathers joined as the executive director.

For over 20 years, Carolina Ballet has received great reviews from around the world. They have also created more than 100 brand-new ballets. In 2018, they opened their own school, the School of Carolina Ballet. Since its first season in 1998, the company has grown a lot. They started with 16 dancers and a budget of $1.2 million. Now, they have 38 dancers and a budget of $6 million. They perform eight different shows each year, including the popular holiday tradition, The Nutcracker.

The Story of Carolina Ballet

Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts, where Carolina Ballet performs.

Carolina Ballet, Inc. began in 1984 as Raleigh Dance Theatre, Inc. Ann Vorus, who owned the Raleigh Dance Theatre, founded it. At first, it was a student company. Its goal was to give dance students chances to perform on stage. Over several years, both the school and the company grew. It became Carolina Ballet Theatre, a pre-professional regional company. Mary LeGere took over as artistic director after Ms. Vorus. The company's performances started to get good attention from dance critics in the area.

In 1993, a lawyer named Ward Purrington suggested that the company aim to become a professional group. Research showed that a professional dance company was needed and wanted in the Triangle region. In April 1997, Robert Weiss was chosen as the founding artistic director. He was a former main dancer with New York City Ballet. He had also been the artistic director of Pennsylvania Ballet. The new professional company was named Carolina Ballet, Inc.

Amazing Performances

Carolina Ballet has put on many memorable shows. Here are some of their notable productions:

• Handel's Messiah: This ballet had choreography by Robert Weiss. It first premiered in 1998.
• Beethoven, Janáček, J. Mark Scearce The Kreutzer Sonata: This ballet was based on a famous story by Tolstoy. It was performed in 2000.
• Carl Orff, Carmina Burana: This show featured choreography by Lynne Taylor-Corbett. It was first performed in 2001.
• Poulenc, Debussy, Chausson Monet Impressions: This production was staged in 2006.
• Paul Moravec, Tempest Fantasy: This ballet was based on William Shakespeare's play The Tempest. It premiered in 2007.
• Robert Weiss, "Cinderella": This classic fairy tale ballet featured music by Karl Moraski.

Meet the Dancers

Here are the dancers of the Carolina Ballet, as of July 2021:

Principal Dancers

These are the lead dancers in the company. They often perform the main roles in ballets.

Soloist Dancers

Soloists perform important individual parts in ballets. They often dance alone or with a few other dancers.

Corps de Ballet Dancers

The Corps de Ballet is the large group of dancers who perform together. They create beautiful patterns and backgrounds for the main dancers.