VISION
Charlotte Ballet is a Charlotte-based, world-class repertory dance ensemble. It performs classic, contemporary and cutting-edge dance with virtuosity, energy, and artistic excellence for local, statewide and national audiences. Charlotte Ballet’s collective talents provide the opportunity and give us the responsibility to challenge, stimulate, educate, entertain, and thereby enrich our audiences.
ARTISTIC LEADERSHIP
HOPE MUIR
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Hope Muir became artistic director of Charlotte Ballet in 2017. Born in Toronto, Hope was a founding member of Peter Schaufuss’s London Festival Ballet School. Upon graduation she joined the company (now English National Ballet), and in 1994 Hope joined Rambert Dance Company with the appointment of Christopher Bruce CBE and danced a wide variety of repertoire from prolific choreographers, including Ek, Kyli.n, Naharin, Tharp, Tetley, De Frutos, Cunningham and over a dozen Bruce works. After ten years with the award winning RDC, she moved to Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and expanded her repertoire to include Forsythe, Duato and Lubovitch.
After a 20-year performance career, Hope became a sought after guest teacher and rehearsal director, coaching both classical and contemporary technique. She has worked with The National Ballet of Canada, English National Ballet, Rambert Dance Company and Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures Company. Hope has assisted numerous choreographers on setting their works internationally including Christopher Bruce CBE, Javier De Frutos and Helen Pickett. She helped Crystal Pite on her creation Emergence for the National Ballet of Canada in 2009, was invited by Emily Molnar to be guest rehearsal director for Ballet BC and worked as rehearsal assistant for Hofesh Shechter’s creation Untouchable at the Royal Ballet, Covent Garden. Hope joined Scottish Ballet in 2009 and was promoted to assistant artistic director in 2015.
Hope’s first season as artistic director for Charlotte Ballet included the introduction of eight new choreographers to the company, the creation of five new ballets, two ballets making American premieres and the newly established Choreographic Lab.
MARK DIAMOND
CHARLOTTE BALLET II DIRECTOR
Mark Diamond has choreographed and taught in Europe, Japan and the U.S. since retiring from Hamburg Ballet in Germany in 1983. He has choreographed more than 30 ballets for Charlotte Ballet and is program director for Charlotte Ballet II. In the summer, he serves as associate artistic director and resident choreographer for Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux at Chautauqua Institution in New York. Before joining Charlotte Ballet, Mark was resident choreographer for Cincinnati Opera, founded Ballet Artists Cincinnati and received grants from Ohio Arts Council, New England Foundation for the Arts and others. Before dancing in Europe, Mark was a principal dancer with Milwaukee Ballet Company, danced with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Tamburitzans Slavic Folk ensemble. He trained with Edward Caton and studied music, history and dance at Duquesne University and Point Park College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree.
TRACI GILCHREST-KUBIE
REHEARSAL DIRECTOR
Traci Gilchrest-Kubie was born in El Paso, TX and danced professionally for Hartford Ballet, Ballet Arizona, Chautauqua Ballet and Charlotte Ballet. During her 20-year career, she danced many leading roles by George Balanchine, Paul Taylor, William Forsythe, Alonzo King, Mark Diamond and Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux. She has been a guest teacher for Alvin Ailey, The Rock School in Philadelphia and East Carolina University. She retired from Charlotte Ballet in 2011 after a 16-year career to serve as Repetiteur for the Charlotte Ballet and Charlotte Ballet II. She is an instructor with the Charlotte Ballet Academy and in addition stages ballets on Complexions Contemporary Ballet and Carolina Ballet Theatre among others. In 2009 she was celebrated by the Chautauqua Dance Circle for her “extraordinary artistry and contributions to Chautauqua Dance.”
SASHA JANES
RESIDENT CHOREOGRAPHER
Sasha Janes was born in Perth, Australia, and received his formal dance training from the Australian Ballet School. He has danced professionally with the West Australian Ballet, Australian Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, Dayton Ballet and Charlotte Ballet. In 2006, Sasha was commissioned to choreograph his first ballet, Lascia la Spina, Cogli la Rosa, and since has choreographed many ballets for Charlotte Ballet, including Rhapsodic Dances, performed as part of the Kennedy Center’s Ballet Across America series in June 2013. The Washington Post called Sasha “a choreographer to watch.” He was invited to participate in the New York Choreographic Institute’s spring session, where he created Murmuration on the students of the School of American Ballet. In 2013, he created Dominant Curves for Richmond Ballet’s New Works Festival. Sasha was a principal dancer with Charlotte Ballet for eight seasons before being named rehearsal director in 2007 and associate artistic director in 2012, adding the title resident choreographer in 2013. Sasha continues his role as resident choreographer, while also serving as director of contemporary studies for the Chautauqua Institution. Sasha currently serves as an Associate Professor for The Indiana University Jacobs School of Music.
