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.

2025-2026 Season

Program One
Intrinsic | October 24 – 26, 2025
FSU Center for the Performing Arts

Les Sylphides | Choreography by Michel Fokine | Music by Frédéric Chopin | Designs by Alexandre Benois

World Premiere | Choreography by Jessica Lang | Music to be Announced | Designs by Jillian Lewis

Changing Light | Choreography by Will Tuckett | Music by Jeremy Holland-Smith

Program Two
Written Motion | November 21 – 22, 2025
Sarasota Opera House

Accompanied by the Sarasota Orchestra

World Premiere | Choreography by Ashley Page | Music to be Announced

Illuminations | Choreography by Sir Frederick Ashton | Music by Benjamin Britten | Designs by Cecil Beaton

The Letter V | Choreography by Mark Morris | Music by Joseph Haydn | Designs by Maile Okamura

Dance Extra
The Nutcracker in Venice | December 12 – 13, 2025
Venice Performing Arts Center

Live Music Accompaniment by The Venice Symphony

The Nutcracker in Sarasota | December 21 – 23, 2025
Sarasota Opera House

The Nutcracker features The Sarasota Ballet Studio Company, plus students from The Sarasota Ballet School and The Sarasota Ballet’s Margaret Barbieri Conservatory

Program Three
Masters of Movement | December 19 – 20, 2025
Sarasota Opera House

Accompanied by the Sarasota Orchestra

Divertimento No. 15 | Choreography by George Balanchine | Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Designs by Peter Farmer

Mozartiana (Company Premiere) | Choreography by George Balanchine | Music by Peter Ilyitch Tschaikovsky

Jazz Calendar | Choreography by Sir Frederick Ashton | Music by Sir Richard Rodney Bennett | Designs by Derek Jarman

Program Four
Notes Unspoken | January 30th – February 2, 2026
FSU Center for the Performing Arts

World Premiere | Choreography by Gemma Bond | Music to be Announced

Lilac Garden | Choreography by Antony Tudor | Music by Ernest Chausson

Valsinhas | Choreography by Ricardo Graziano | Music by Franz Schubert

Program Five
February 27 – March 2, 2026
FSU Center for the Performing Arts

The Sarasota Ballet Presents Martha Graham Dance Company

Program Six
Life & Liberty | March 27 – 28, 2026
Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall

Accompanied by the Sarasota Orchestra

Stars & Stripes | Choreography by George Balanchine | Music by John Philip Sousa | Designs by Karinska

‘Still Life’ at the Penguin Café | Choreography by Sir David Bintley | Music by Simon Jeffes | Designs by Hayden Griffin

Program Seven
Foundations of Royalty | May 1 – 2, 2026
Sarasota Opera House

Accompanied by the Sarasota Orchestra

Birthday Offering | Choreography by Sir Frederick Ashton | Music by Alexander Glazunov | Designs by Andre Levasseur

Checkmate | Choreography by Dame Ninette de Valois | Music by Sir Arthur Bliss | Designs by E. Mcknight Kauffer

Summertide | Choreography by Sir Peter Wright | Music by Felix Mendelssohn | Designs by Dick Bird

Dance Extra
Images of Dance | May 5, 2026
Sarasota Opera House

The Images of Dance showcase features dancers from The Sarasota Ballet Studio Company and the Margaret Barbieri Conservatory

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