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
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Mary LeGere named
Artistic Director Emeritus
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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.

(RALEIGH) –Mary LeGere, Artistic Director, announces the Spring 2015 season of Raleigh Dance Theatre (RDT).  Raleigh Dance Theatre will present its Spring Repertoire Performances on Sunday May 17, 2015 at 2pm and 6pm in Jones Auditorium at Meredith College. General admission tickets for all performances are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. Group rates are also available.  The performances will feature a new collaborative production of Firebird with the Triangle Youth Philharmonic made possible by a grant from the City of Raleigh Arts Commission. RDT and TYP have successfully collaborated several times in productions of Don Quixote, and Robert Ward’s Lady Kate, and Jonathan and the Gingery Snare.  

Both TYP and RDT’s programs fulfill a specific need in the Triangle community.  Serious young dancers and musicians with professional aspirations need not leave home to study at a conservatory in order to receive the training necessary to succeed in very competitive fields. This RDT/TYP project will continue to enhance the dancers’ and musicians’ development as pre-professional artists right here in Raleigh. Dancing to live music creates an opportunity for the dancers to adjust to varied tempos. Musical nuances are felt differently and, thus, danced differently. The orchestra must learn to adjust to the conductor as he observes the dancers.  In addition to the clear benefit to the Raleigh-based artists, the citizens of Raleigh will benefit from the opportunity to see this exciting, collaborative production.

In celebration of RDT’s 30^th Anniversary, directors have chosen three audience favorites to be performed along side the new Firebird. The production will represent the many faces of RDT with Mary LeGere’s Balanchine inspired Vivaldi Pas de Sept, Susan Carlin Galdy’s Fosse inspired This Point in Time, and Megan Marvel’s clever card playing dancers of The Art of Playing Tastefully.

To continue its mission of fostering dance awareness, RDT will present a new outreach program this spring.  In conjunction with the Girl Scouts-NC Coastal Pines, RDT will host the We Can Dance Together workshop on March 15 in which young Daisy and Brownie scouts learn simple dance steps, try their hand at creating their own dance phrases, and get a taste of what it takes to put a production on the stage.

Raleigh Dance Theatre was founded in 1984 by Ann Vorus to provide pre-professional performance training, while promoting and fostering the art of dance in the community. It is an honor member company of Regional Dance America/Southeastern Regional Ballet Association.  RDT’s training program has a proven record of success, with alumni who have gone on to professional careers with American Ballet Theatre, Pennsylvania Ballet, Dayton Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Carolina Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Aspen/Santa Fe Ballet and the New York City Ballet among others.

For more information about the Raleigh Dance Theatre, our Spring Repertoire performances, or our outreach programs, please contact the company offices at (919) 834-1058, or visit its website at www.raleighdance.org.  For more information about the Triangle Youth Philharmonic, please visit their website at www.philharmonic-association.org

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(RALEIGH) – Raleigh Dance Theatre, under the artistic direction of Mary LeGere, will present its popular family-oriented production of Storybook Tales on Saturday, November 8, 2014 at 1:00pm and 5:00pm, and Sunday, November 9, 2014 at 3:00pm.  The program will feature Alice in Wonderland based on the classic fairytale and Fancy Nancy and the Mermaid Ballet based on the popular children’s book by Jane O’Connor and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser.  Ms Glasser will attend performances to sign books, and costumed dancers will come into the lobby after the performances to greet audience members.   Storybook Tales is an enchanting program approximately an hour and a half in length that will be sure to delight even the youngest audience members.  Storybook Tales performances will be held in Fletcher Opera Theater at Raleigh’s Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. General admission tickets for all performances are $15 in advance and $18 at the door. Group rates are also available.  Fall outreach programs encourage literacy by focusing on early childhood reading, and will include visits to local libraries and triangle elementary schools. RDT will also partner with Girl Scouts-NC Coastal Pines in outreach activities designed to introduce children to different types of dance Raleigh Dance Theatre was founded in 1984 by Ann Vorus to provide pre-professional performance training, while promoting and fostering the art of dance in the community. It is an honor member company of Regional Dance America/Southeastern Regional Ballet Association.  RDT’s training program has a proven record of success, with alumnae who have gone on to professional careers with American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, Carolina Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, and Washington Ballet II among others. For more information about the Raleigh Dance Theatre, Storybook Tales, or our outreach programs, please contact the company offices at (919) 834-1058, or visit its website at www.raleighdance.org.

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(RALEIGH) – Mary LeGere, Artistic Director, announces the Spring 2013 season of Raleigh Dance Theatre (RDT).  Raleigh Dance Theatre will present its Spring Repertoire Performances on Saturday April 27, 2013 at 2pm and 7pm in Fletcher Opera Theater at Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts. General admission tickets for all performances are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. Group rates are also available.

The performances will feature the ballet classics Paquita, and Coppelia Act I the comedic story of Frantz and his infatuation with both a village girl, Swanilda, and a doll, Coppelia, with life like qualities.  Also on the program are Lisa Yount’s An Act of Support and RDT Alumnus Amy Greene’s Inadvertent Affliction.

Ms Greene’s piece was created as part of RDT’s continuing work to promote not only quality training for dancers, but also for upcoming choreographers.  Ms Greene is in her first year in the prestigious Dominican University of California/LINES Ballet BFA program. Three RDT student choreographers worked on new pieces in workshops throughout December and January.  Jenny Palmer (16) and Calvin Bittner (17) presented their works along with Ms Greene at the Southeastern Regional Ballet Association Festival Association Adjudication on February 10.  Adjudicator Thom Clower was impressed with the professionalism of the company dancers and the quality of choreography being created by such young choreographers.  He selected Ms. Palmer’s and Ms. Greene’s pieces to be performed on the Emerging Choreographer’s performance.

To continue its mission of fostering dance awareness, RDT will present two outreach programs this spring.  In conjunction with the Girl Scouts-NC Coastal Pines, RDT will host the Make Every Dance Step Count workshop in which scouts learn simple dance steps, try their hand at creating their own dance phrases, and learn what it takes to put a production on the stage. RDT will also be featured at Marbles Kids Museum on Saturday, March 16 from 10am-12pm in their Hurray for Ballet program.  Children will be able to dance along with RDT dancers and see a short performance.

Raleigh Dance Theatre was founded in 1984 by Ann Vorus to provide pre-professional performance training, while promoting and fostering the art of dance in the community. It is an honor member company of Regional Dance America/Southeastern Regional Ballet Association.  RDT’s training program has a proven record of success, with alumni who have gone on to professional careers with Pennsylvania Ballet, Dayton Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Carolina Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Aspen/Santa Fe Ballet and the New York City Ballet among others.

For more information about the Raleigh Dance Theatre, our Spring Repertoire performances, or our outreach programs, please contact the company offices at (919) 834-1058, or visit its website at www.raleighdance.org.

(Raleigh)–Cameron McCune, a 17 year old high school student who trains at The Raleigh School of Ballet (RSB) has accepted an apprentice contract with American Ballet Theatre.

Mr. McCune has trained at The Raleigh School of Ballet since he was 8 years old. Additionally, he trained two summers at Miami City Ballet and one summer at the School of American Ballet in New York City.  For the last three years he has also studied privately with Gyula Pandi, a former Hungarian National Ballet Dancer and recently retired UNCSA dance faculty member.

Mr. McCune, a member of the school’s affiliate performance training company, Raleigh Dance Theatre (RDT) will perform on their Spring Repertoire program April 27, 2013 where he will be featured in Coppelia Act I and Paquita For ticket information please click on “Purchase Tickets.”

Mr. McCune will also perform the male variation from Paquita at Regional Dance America’s /Southeastern Regional Ballet Association Festival (RDA/SERBA).  Festival adjudicator Thom Clower writes, “I predict that he will soon be on the Dancemagazine ’25 to Watch’ list, and I think that SERBA should be proud of what we as teachers and directors in the region are doing, and take this moment to applaud him, and ourselves!”

In April 2012 Cameron was awarded the men’s silver medal at the Youth America Grand Prix. YAGP is the world’s largest student ballet scholarship competition that awards over $250,000 annually in scholarships to leading dance schools worldwide. The competition is held annually around the world and in New York City, and is open to dance students of all nationalities 9-19 years old. For more information please visit: yagp.org.

The Raleigh School of Ballet recently celebrated 30 years as one of the Triangle’s premiere professional ballet training schools.  RSB/RDT alumnae currently dancing with professional ballet companies include Ashley Hathaway (Raleigh), Sarah Newton (Durham), and Lindsay Purrington (Raleigh) with Carolina Ballet; Laura Bowman (Raleigh) with Pennsylvania Ballet; Dylan Giles (Formerly of Raleigh ) with Festival Ballet Providence and Emily Proctor (Raleigh) company member with Aspen-Santa Fe Ballet.  For more information about RSB please visit:  www.raleighballet.com.

(RALEIGH)— Amy Greene, 18 and 16 year old Jenny Palmer of Raleigh have been selected to present new choreography as part of the Emerging Choreographers Performance at the Regional Dance America/Southeastern Regional Ballet Association Festival (RDA/SERBA) to be held in Jackson, MS, May 1-4, 2013.

Raleigh Dance Theatre (RDT) attends this annual festival where hundreds of young dancers from across the region come together for four days to take master classes and perform. Prior to the festival an adjudicator visits each of the 19 member companies to select work to be presented at the festival.  This year’s adjudicator, Thom Clower, came to Raleigh and where Ms. Palmer presented her piece Canon for Nine, set to Pachalbel’s Canon in D, and Ms. Green presented Inadvertent Affliction, which looks at loneliness within and outside of human relationships.  Both pieces will be performed on the Thursday night Emerging Choreographers Performance with Inadvertent Affliction closing the program.  Raleigh Dance Theatre provides aspiring choreographers a venue to create work and this is the third time a company member has had a piece selected for the Emerging Choreographer’s Performance (and Ms. Palmer’s second time).  In addition, Mr Clower selected Artistic Director, Mary LeGere’s Lyric Suite  for the Gala Performance at SERBA.

Raleigh audiences can see Inadvertent Affliction at RDT’s Spring Repertoire performances on April 27 at 2pm and 7pm at Fletcher Theater at Raleigh’s Duke Energy Center for the Performing Arts.  Tickets are $12 in advance and $15 at the door.  Group rates are also available.

Raleigh Dance Theatre was founded in 1984 by Ann Vorus to provide pre-professional performance training, while promoting and fostering the art of dance in the community. It is the only pre-professional company in the Triangle area selected for membership as an honor company in the SERBA. RDT’s training program along with its affiliate school, The Raleigh School of Ballet has a proven record of success, with alumnae who have gone on to professional careers with Carolina Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Washington Ballet II, and New York City Ballet.

For more information about Raleigh Dance Theatre or the Spring Repertoire performances, please contact the company offices at (919) 834-1058, or click on “Purchase Tickets.”

(RALEIGH) – Raleigh Dance Theatre, under the artistic direction of Mary LeGere, will present its popular family-oriented production of Storybook Tales on Saturday, November 3, 2012 at 12:00pm and 4:00pm, and Sunday, November 4, 2012 at 3:00pm.  The program will feature Snow White, Rainbow Fish, based on Marcus Pfister’s beloved children’s book, and Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse, based on the book by Kevin Henkes, and made possible in part by Target.  Storybook Tales is an enchanting program approximately an hour and a half in length that will be sure to delight even the youngest audience members.

Storybook Tales performances will be held in Fletcher Opera Theater at Raleigh’s Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts. General admission tickets for all performances are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. Group rates are also available.

Fall outreach programs, also sponsored in part by Target, encourage literacy by focusing on early childhood reading, and will include visits to local libraries and triangle elementary schools. RDT will also partner with Girl Scouts-NC Coastal Pines in outreach activities designed to introduce children to different types of dance.

Raleigh Dance Theatre was founded in 1984 by Ann Vorus to provide pre-professional performance training, while promoting and fostering the art of dance in the community. It is an honor member company of Regional Dance America/Southeastern Regional Ballet Association.  RDT’s training program has a proven record of success, with alumnae who have gone on to professional careers with Carolina Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Washington Ballet II, and New York City Ballet among others.

For more information about the Raleigh Dance Theatre, Storybook Tales, or our outreach programs, please contact the company offices at (919) 834-1058, or visit its website at www.raleighdance.org.

(RALEIGH) – Mary LeGere, Artistic Director, announces the Spring 2012 season of Raleigh Dance Theatre (RDT).  Raleigh Dance Theatre will present its Spring Repertoire Performance on Wednesday, May 23,  2012 at 7pm in Jones Auditorium at Meredith College. General admission tickets for all performances are $12 in advance and $15 at the door. Group rates are also available.  The performance will feature the classic Sleeping Beauty Act III, excerpts from Jennifer Sommers’ whimsical Alice in Wonderland, and Susan Galdy’s I Never Saw Another Butterfly, based on poems written by children of the Holocaust. The production will also feature performances by RDT alumnae Ashley Hathaway and Sarah Newton (Carolina Ballet); Jessica Higgins (NYC); and Christine Brown (formerly of Carolina Ballet); as well as Cameron McCune, current RDT dancer and recent silver medal winner of the Senior Men’s Division (15-19 year olds) in the prestigious student ballet competition National Youth America Grand Prix 2012.  In conjunction with the performance, RDT celebrates the 30th anniversary of our affiliate school, The Raleigh School of Ballet. Students from The Raleigh School of Ballet will be featured throughout the performance. RDT gratefully acknowledges the gift of office and studio space, and above all, the excellent training RSB has provided Raleigh Dance Theatre dancers over the years.

Raleigh Dance Theatre was founded in 1984 by Ann Vorus to provide pre-professional performance training, while promoting and fostering the art of dance in the community. It is an honor member company of Regional Dance America/Southeastern Regional Ballet Association.  RDT’s training program has a proven record of success, with alumni who have gone on to professional careers with Pennsylvania Ballet, Dayton Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Carolina Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders, Aspen/Santa Fe Ballet and the New York City Ballet among others.

For more information about the Raleigh Dance Theatre, our Spring Repertoire performances, or our outreach programs, please contact the company offices at (919) 834-1058, or visit its website at www.raleighdance.org.