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

The Carolina Ballet is a famous dance company in America. They perform classic ballets and exciting new dances. The company started professionally in 1998. Its first artistic director was Robert Weiss.

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 performed more than 100 brand-new ballets. In 2018, they even opened their own school, the School of Carolina Ballet.

Since 1998, the Carolina Ballet has grown a lot. They started with 16 dancers and a small budget. Now, they have 38 dancers and a much bigger budget. They perform eight different shows each season, including the popular holiday show, The Nutcracker.

The Story of Carolina Ballet

The Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts is where Carolina Ballet often performs.

The Carolina Ballet began in 1984. It was first called Raleigh Dance Theatre, Inc. Ann Vorus, who owned the Raleigh Dance Theatre school, started it.

At first, it was a student company. It gave dance students a chance to perform on stage. Over time, both the school and the company grew. It became Carolina Ballet Theatre, a pre-professional company. This means dancers were almost ready to be professionals. People started to notice their great performances.

In 1993, a lawyer named Ward Purrington suggested a big idea. He thought the company should become a full professional ballet company. Research showed that people in the Triangle area of North Carolina wanted a professional dance group.

So, in April 1997, Robert Weiss was chosen. He became the first artistic director of the new professional company. Robert Weiss used to be a main dancer with the New York City Ballet. He also directed the Pennsylvania Ballet. This new company was named Carolina Ballet, Inc.

Amazing Ballet Shows

Carolina Ballet has performed many memorable shows. Here are some of their most famous productions:

• Handel's Messiah: This ballet first premiered in 1998. It featured dancing created by Robert Weiss.
• The Kreutzer Sonata: This show came out in 2000. It was based on a famous story by Tolstoy.
• Carl Orff's Carmina Burana: This ballet was first performed in 2001. The dancing was created by Lynne Taylor-Corbett.
• Monet Impressions: This show from 2006 was inspired by famous paintings.
• Tempest Fantasy: This ballet from 2007 was based on William Shakespeare's play, The Tempest.
• Robert Weiss's "Cinderella": This classic fairy tale ballet features music by Karl Moraski.

Meet the Dancers

The Carolina Ballet has many talented dancers. They are grouped by their roles and experience. Here are the dancers as of July 2021:

Main Dancers (Principals)

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

Soloists

Soloists perform important individual dances. They often have special parts in shows.

Group Dancers (Corps de Ballet)

The Corps de Ballet forms the large groups of dancers on stage. They create beautiful patterns and support the main dancers.