Please click below to view: Raleigh Dance Theatre’s 2021 – 2022 Season Playbill

The Raleigh School of Ballet celebrates its 40th year!

Please click below to view the 40th Anniversary Souvenir Program:

Storybook Tales
performance dates announced
**
Mary LeGere named
Artistic Director Emeritus
**
The Mary LeGere Company Fund:
A new giving opportunity
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Save the date!
Storybook Tales
December 11, 2021
2pm and 6pm
Featuring
The Dancing Princess
choreographed by RDT Founder Ann Vorus and
Fairy Doll
an old world ballet from the early 20th century new to the RDT repertoire after traditional choreography.
In-Person and Virtual Tickets Available Soon
Call 919-834-1058 or email: [email protected] for more information.

Board of Directors names Mary LeGere Artistic Director Emeritus

From 1994 to July 2021, RDT thrived under the leadership of Mary LeGere as Artistic Director. During her tenure, Ms LeGere guided a company that relied primarily on ticket sales and fundraising to an organization that more than doubled its operating budget by expanding the reach of RDT throughout the Triangle. Obtaining government, corporate, and private financial support, the company broadened its outreach by collaborating with (among others) the Girl Scouts- NC Coastal Pines; establishing the George W. Newton School Performance Initiative that reaches directly into schools; and cultivating the Leaping Readers program that brings literature to life at local libraries, bookstores and school assemblies. All the while, Ms LeGere worked to raise the levels of artistic and performance standards for pre-professional dancers.

We are grateful to Ms LeGere for her continuing support of RDT in her new role as Artistic Director Emeritus.

The Mary LeGere Company Fund
A new opportunity for giving

The Mary LeGere Company Fund was created for contributions that directly serve our dancers. The Fund will be handled in two ways:

To allow donors to contribute to special projects that don’t involve costumes, choreography, or music specifically. The little things that might include special “field trips” when we are at festivals, or a gathering to celebrate a milestone. It might include a set design project or a new curtain to hang in the studio so that we can more formally present or record in-studio.

Secondly, the fund will be a place that donors can choose to deposit funds to support dancers in need. To sponsor a dancer attending a festival or help fulfill their fundraising fees, we can now match sponsors to dancers anonymously and in a way that both sides are accountable.

Over the years, Ms LeGere has been instrumental in finding ways to support dancers in need. We feel that with the creation of this Fund, and with the support of our community, we honor the work Ms LeGere has done in her tenure. Thank you in advance for donating to this very special new RDT fund.

When you make your donation, please be sure to include direction of how you would like your funds distributed.

The Raleigh School of Ballet and Raleigh Dance Theatre Announce the retirement of directors Mary LeGere and Susan Carlin Galdy and the appointments of Hong Yang and Megan Marvel.

Two pillars in ballet training in the Triangle and the nation are experiencing a changing of the guard which becomes effective July 1, 2021.

The Raleigh School of Ballet will be led by Hong Yang, a former soloist with Carolina Ballet. She replaces retiring Directors Susan Carlin Galdy and Mary LeGere. LeGere will also step down from her role as Artistic Director of Raleigh Dance Theatre. Long-time associate director, Megan Marvel will step into her shoes.

RSB has offered classical ballet training since 1981. RSB students who qualify for pre-professional performance training join the affiliated non-profit organization, Raleigh Dance Theatre, performing in two major productions each year and participating in outreach to raise awareness about dance in the community. Students from RSB and RDT have pursued careers in professional companies including Carolina Ballet, New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company, Festival Ballet Providence, Ballet Magnificat and the Royal Danish Ballet. In years leading up to 1997, Raleigh Dance Theatre was the egg that hatched Carolina Ballet. When it became evident that the area was ready for a professional ballet company, Raleigh Dance Theatre transformed into Carolina Ballet-hiring Robert Weiss and professional dancers. RDT then re-established itself as a pre-professional training program for younger dancers.

In the summer of 1990 Mary LeGere, former soloist of Pennsylvania Ballet, joined the RSB faculty. Ms LeGere became artistic director of the affiliate performance company, Raleigh Dance Theatre, in 1994 and led the performance training program through the spring of 2021. In 1991 Susan Carlin Galdy joined the faculty of the school. A student of the Joffrey and Harkness Ballet School, Ms. Galdy, inspired by her mentor, Finis Jhung, received her BFA from SUNY Purchase where she began her studies in pedagogy, composition and modern dance. Ms. Galdy became RSB associate director in 1999 before taking the helm of the school with Ms. LeGere in 2003.

Ms Yang, who will take on directorship of The Raleigh School of Ballet and serve as Artistic Advisor of Raleigh Dance Theatre was born in China and studied at the school of the Beijing Dance Academy, from the age of 11. A young girl chosen from among thousands to live and study hours away from her home. She rose through the ranks to become a principal at the National Ballet of China before traveling abroad to join Singapore Dance Theatre and then Ballet Jörgen Canada in Toronto. In 2002 she joined Carolina Ballet as a soloist and retired in 2011. Ms Yang joined the faculty of RSB in 2014 and in 2019 began working with Raleigh Dance Theatre as a ballet mistress, setting Le Jardin Animé from Le Corsaire, one of RDT’s most spectacular endeavors into the classical repertoire.   
“Since my first day teaching at The Raleigh School of Ballet in 2014, it has felt like home. I’m honored for this new opportunity to be the school’s director and as RDT’s Artistic Advisor. I am grateful that Ms. Galdy and Ms. LeGere trust me to continue the wonderful professional programs they have developed. My goal is to make this transition as smooth and seamless as possible.  I hope to be able to bring my own experiences to the table as I work with the faculty and staff to uphold RSB’ and RDT’s traditions and high standards of quality classical ballet training.” -Hong Yang

Ms Marvel, who will step into the role of Raleigh Dance Theatre artistic director, has served alongside Ms LeGere as associate director of RDT since 2006. From 2000-2006, she was the assistant director of the NCSU Dance Program. Ms Marvel trained at The Raleigh School of Ballet and was a member of Raleigh Dance Theatre in her teen years. She joined the faculty of RSB in 1997. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master of arts from N.C. State University. 
“After growing up in the school and being a part of the RDT and RSB family for most of my life, to take on this role is an honor and feels like a natural step. I have been lucky enough to witness the growth of the school and affiliated performance company from it’s early years, being mentored by Ms Galdy and Ms LeGere along the way. RDT has been a great influence in the community, spreading awareness and sharing the joy of dance. The school continues to set the standard for classical ballet training. To have the opportunity to work for both organizations is a gift that I strive to pay forward as I influence new generations of dancers.” -Megan Marvel

As she reflects on her time with RSB/RDT, Mary LeGere writes: “My experiences working with hundreds of students who went on to careers in dance or out into the world doing many other wonderful things have been so rewarding. At RDT/RSB, we train more than the dancer. I know that the things they have learned – discipline, perseverance, commitment, and the ability to present themselves with grace and assurance – have served them well. I am so proud of the reputation our dancers have for being beautifully trained, conscientious workers in a classroom and rehearsal setting.”

Ms Galdy adds: “I have been told you are lucky if you love what you do, and what a gift it has been to teach RSB students and set my choreography on RDT dancers. It seems all the troubles in the world fade into the backdrop when in the classroom and rehearsal studio. During my time at RSB, it has been so rewarding to watch young students grow and thrive both as dancers and human beings. I also enjoyed teaching adult students, many who never had the opportunity to train as children but approach class with the same desire to improve their technique and artistry.”

Laura Bowman RDT/RSB Alum who went on to dance professionally with Pennsylvania Ballet and now teaches there writes: “RDT and RSB are losing two profound teachers, coaches, and mothers this year. Ms. LeGere is the epitome of professionalism and grace. An inspiration to me and so many others. She leaves no B+ or fifth position uncrossed, and always has time for her students, past and present. Ms. Galdy is a radiant, shining light. Full of energy, passion, thoughtfulness, and spontaneity. I strive to be a mix of these two ladies every time I teach.”

Raleigh Dance Theatre is a not for profit organization and an honor member of the Regional Dance America/Southeast Region. The Raleigh School of Ballet has a current enrollment of 160 students ranging in age from 4 to 18.