Master Classes with Robert Barnett and Maria Vegh

February 25th and 26th, 2012

In 1958 Robert Barnett joined the Atlanta Ballet from New York City Ballet as a Principal Dancer and Associate Director. Barnett and received exclusive permission from George Balanchine to use his choreography for The Nutcracker as well as other signature works, making Atlanta Civic Ballet the only company in the country to perform works by Balanchine outside of New York City Ballet for several decades. Dorothy Alexander guided her dance company for more than three decades before hand picking her successor, Robert Barnett, who was named Artistic Director in 1961. In 1967, the Company gained professional status as Atlanta Ballet. In 1994 Robert Barnett retired from his role as Artistic Director. Retired as director but not from ballet, Mr. Barnett is recognized around the world as a great teacher and coach who inspires dancers of all ages.

Ms. Vegh began her teaching career at the National Ballet of New York, then the Harkness House for Ballet Arts where, appointed co-director (with David Howard), she remained for a decade. For the past fifteen years, Ms. Vegh has directed the Maria Vegh Ballet Centre, where she works primarily with young dancers aspiring to a career in dance. Additionally, she travels regularly as a guest master teacher, both in the U.S. and abroad; she has been invited for the last thirteen years to a number of schools in Japan and recently guest taught in Peru.

Authored TO DANCE, a teachers instructional syllabus for the training of

students

- Produced a series of video tapes entitled Sculpting the Ballet Body

- Created a video for teachers, Introducing Ballet to Children, (which led

   to a feature article in Dance Teacher Magazine, and to a presentation at

   Dance Teacher Magazine's annual teacher's conference in NYC, 2005)

- Member, National Advisory Committee of Regional Dance America