ABT Master Class – Nov 18th
Yuma Ballet Theatre is proud to host Amanda McKerrow and John Gardner, former American Ballet Theater principal dancers and now master teachers, for a 2-hour master class this coming Saturday, Nov. 19th, 9 to 11 a.m. at the Dancer’s Workshop studios, 3140 S. 4th Ave, Suite D – please call (928) 341-1925 if you are interested in attending! Space is limited! This is an incredible opportunity to take class with a pair of ballet legends!
The cost is $25 per dancer for the full 2-hour Master Class. All dancers should come dressed in black leotards, pink tights, and hair in a bun, ready to dance!
John Gardner
John Gardner was born in Lafayette, Louisiana, and began his ballet training at age 12 with Gwen Ashton in Lafayette, and subsequently trained at the National Academy of Arts in Champagne, lllinois, under the direction of Michael Maule.
He received a scholarship to the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) at the age of 16 and joined ABT’s second company three months thereafter, in 1977. In 1978 he joined ABT’s main company and was promoted to the rank of soloist in 1984. Mr. Gardner’s diverse repertoire included many soloist and principal roles, representing an extensive range of styles and giving him the opportunity to work with some of the great ballet choreographers of the 20th century, including Antony Tudor, Jerome Robbins, Agnes DeMille, and George Balanchine.
Amanda McKerrow
One of America’s most acclaimed ballerinas, Amanda McKerrow has the honor of being the first American to receive a gold medal at the International Ballet Competition in Moscow in 1981. Since then, she has been a recipient of numerous other awards, including the Princess Grace Foundation Dance Fellowship.
Ms. McKerrow began her ballet training at the age of seven at the Twinbrook School of Ballet in Rockville, Maryland. She later studied with Mary Day at the Washington School of Ballet, where she danced with the company for two years and toured extensively throughout the U.S. and Europe. Ms. McKerrow joined the American Ballet Theatre under the direction of Mikhail Baryshnikov in 1982, was appointed a soloist in 1983, and became a principal dancer in 1987. Her repertoire includes the leading roles in Cinderella, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, Manon, La Bayadere, Coppelia, Don Quixote, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, La Sylphide, and The Nutcracker.
