The Sarasota Ballet

About The Company
The Sarasota Ballet has earned national and international recognition for its unique and diverse repertoire and critically acclaimed performances.

Under the leadership of Director Iain Webb and Executive Director Joseph Volpe, the company’s expanded repertoire includes works by world-renowned choreographers such as Sir Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, Sir Matthew Bourne, Dame Ninette de Valois, Michel Fokine, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Rudolf Nureyev, Jerome Robbins, Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, Antony Tudor and Christopher Wheeldon.

The Sarasota Ballet has received national and international recognition for its diverse repertoire of rarely performed ballets, as well as the integrity and artistry of its performances. In the last five years, The Sarasota Ballet has been invited to perform twice at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC and the Fall for Dance Festival at New York City Center, as well as week-long residencies at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and the Joyce Theater in New York. The Company performed in May 2017 at the inaugural National Choreographic Festival in Salt Lake City.

THE 2023 PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

In Rep | 27 – 30 January 2023
FSU Center for the Performing Arts

Frequency Hurtz (World Premiere)
Choreography and Music by Arcadian Broad

Shades of Spring (Sarasota Premiere)
Choreography by Jessica Lang
Music by Joseph Haydn

Façade
Choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton
Music by Sir William Walton

Dance Theatre of Harlem | 24 – 27 February 2023
FSU Center for the Performing Arts

The Sarasota Ballet Presents:
Dance Theatre of Harlem

La Sylphide | 24 – 25 March 2023
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall

La Sylphide (Company Premiere)
Choreography by Johan Kobborg after August Bournonville
Music by Herman Severin Løvenskiold

Tribute to Balanchine | 28 – 29 April 2023
Sarasota Opera House

Divertimento No. 15
Choreography by George Balanchine
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

The Four Temperaments
Choreography by George Balanchine
Music by Paul Hindemith

Western Symphony
Choreography by George Balanchine
Music – American folk tunes arranged by Hershy Kay

Check out the full calendar of events at sarasotaballet.org

In The News

• "The flame of dance inspiration passes from place to place. Today I’m tempted to ask if the torch is passing to Florida. What these Sarasotans are doing for Ashton is comparable to what Miami City Ballet is doing for Balanchine." - The New York Times
• “Webb and his ex-ballerina wife Margaret Barbieri have, in a few years, given this small American company the world’s most extensive active Ashton repertoire, the fruits of their labours proudly shown off during this festival.” - The Financial Times
• "The Sarasota Ballet, ensured its place as the jewel of this year’s Ballet Across America." - The Washington Post
• "In all, it was a sumptuous conclusion to an ambitious season that added some significant works to the company’s repertoire -- including Balanchine’s full-length “Jewels” and this first Robbins’ work." - The Herald Tribune
• "The dancers, sleek in their Ashton designed unitards and headhugging caps, perform a small pool of ballet vocabulary austerely, with exquisite care and severe exactitude." - The Boston Globe
• "If you were one of the fortunate people attending one of the evening performances of The Sarasota Ballet's sold-out, A Tribute to Ashton, (Sir Frederick Ashton), Scènes de ballet and The Two Pigeons, you were fortunate indeed." - Broadway World
• "The whole affair is phantasmagorical, danced in art deco, bordering on Kandinsky settings, design by E. McKnight Kauffer. Sets and costumes from Birmingham Royal Ballet with the kind permission of David Bintley. I loved the whole thing. It showed the company at its absolute best." - Talkin' Broadway