LORI BARBER
BALLET
Lori Barber grew up dancing primarily at International Ballet Rotaru in Atlanta, Georgia, being trained in the Vaganova style. Even at a young age she realized having diversity to her dance education was important, and she supplemented her training with classes at both Atlanta Ballet School and Terpsichore (run by former NYCB dancer Patsy Bromley), both of which were Balanchine based at the time.
In 1992, at the age of 13, she received a special “age exception” to be the youngest competitor at the international ballet competition in Varna, Bulgaria, where she performed variations from Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and original contemporary pieces.
From the age of nine, Ms. Lori went away to many summer intensives, including Ballet West, Aspen/Santa Fe Ballet, Joffrey San Antonio and New York City, Ballet Met, and San Francisco Ballet. At the end of her summer program at SFB, she was asked to return for the fall.
Ms. Lori began performing with San Francisco Ballet in 1997, with a contract coming the following year. During her time with the company, she performed well-known ballets choreographed by George Balanchine, Harald Lander, Jerome Robbins, A. Bournonville, Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov and William Forsythe, among others. She also worked with many renowned modern-day choreographers such as Mark Morris, Lar Lubovitch, and Helgi Tomasson on both established works as well as original pieces. She had the joy of performing in numerous programs during the San Francisco Ballet home seasons, but also had the honor of participating in numerous domestic and international tours, including visits to City Center (New York), Hollywood Bowl (California), Wolf Trap (Virginia), Sadler’s Wells Theatre (London), The Edinburgh Festival (Scotland), and The Tivoli Festival (Denmark).
“While I am extremely grateful for my dance career, I have come out of it recognizing the need for more compassion to the young students pursuing a life in ballet. While technique is the foundation of ballet, there should also be a joy in the dance studio. Too often the fear of not reaching perfection is stunting the artistic aspect of dance. I strive to teach students that the more you enjoy what you are doing, the more the audience will enjoy what you are doing. Ballet class should be a safe space to try new things and be allowed to fail without shame. It should be a place where you can be unique in both style and physique and not have to look a certain way to be appreciated. It should be a place where we foster a supportive community not a divisive one. While the discipline and hard work will always be there, the joy also should have a place in the studio.”
Ms. Lori has previously been a guest performer and substitute teacher/rehearsal assistant for Emerald Ballet Theatre. This year, she will teach ballet and repertory classes to our older students, as well as assisting with rehearsals and performances.
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