The artistic director of Dayton Ballet will:
- Provide inspirational leadership, creating a clear artistic vision that respects the legacy of ballet and DPAA’s history while imagining an exciting future in the evolving world of dance.
- Ensure ballet programming is integrated with that of Dayton Opera and Dayton Philharmonic.
- Fulfill DPAA’s shared purpose, nurture loyal audiences, and appeal to new lovers of ballet.
- Be the public face of Dayton Ballet, engage with audiences, donors, funders, students, the media, and other community members, amplifying the company’s reputation and brand locally, nationally, and internationally.
- Make ballet accessible to people from all backgrounds; the artistic director will be at the forefront of equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts, ensuring that Dayton Ballet is a place where everyone feels welcome and has a sense of belonging.
- Serve artistic and pedagogical presence for Dayton Ballet School to actualize the school’s potential and inspire students at all levels to pursue their love of dance as far as their interests and ability take them.
Credit: DAYTON BALLET
Credit: DAYTON BALLET
The artistic director will succeed Karen Russo Burke, who will conclude her 10-year tenure at the end of the 2022-2023 season. As artistic director, Burke led the Dayton Ballet through the merger with Dayton Philharmonic and Dayton Opera, culminating in Dayton Performing Arts Alliance. During her time as artistic director, attendance at Dayton Ballet performances increased by 35 percent. Before she was appointed artistic director, Burke spent 20 years in significant roles at Dayton Ballet, including ballet master and director of DBII Jr. and Sr. Companies (Dayton Ballet’s second companies).
The search committee to identify a new artistic director will be led by DPAA board member Rodney Veal, an independent choreographer and interdisciplinary artist. He currently serves as president of Ohio Dance and is an adjunct faculty member at Stivers School for the Arts and Sinclair Community College.
For more information, visit daytonperformingarts.org.
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