NEW! Around Town | Iain Webb

Photo by Nancy Guth | June 2023

Since taking the helm of The Sarasota Ballet in 2007, you have achieved many goals and received numerous accolades. Which achievement and accolade are most meaningful to you?

It’s honestly hard to choose a single achievement or accolade that has been the most meaningful because there have been so many incredible highlights over the years that to single one out feels almost unfair. I know that’s a bit of a cop out answer and so if I have to come up with something a little more specific, I would choose the amazing touring opportunities we’ve had to perform at some of the most prestigious dance venues in America. Whether it was performing at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, or at the Joyce Theater and City Center in New York, the impact that has had on the profile of the Company has been uncountable. Also, to be able to give our dancers the opportunity to perform on these renowned stages has been a gift to myself, Margaret (Assistant Director & Repetiteur Barbieri), and Joe (Executive Director Volpe).

Which production in the past 10 years has meant the most to you?

Again, this is another hard question! I’m going to try and answer this from my gut and say Sir Frederick Ashton’s Apparitions. We revived it back in March of 2019 and it was a real labor of love for all of us. The ballet is a hugely important part of Ashton’s choreographic lexicon, and it was virtually lost by the time we came to revive it. Not only did we spend two years working with numerous people and organizations like the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, but we also basically rebuilt the all the sets and costumes using the original Cecil Beaton designs and thus have ensured that this ballet will survive for generations of dancers, audiences, and ballet historians.

In the Ballet world, which production by The Sarasota Ballet do you consider the most prestigious?

Without a doubt it would have to be George Balanchine’s full length abstract masterpiece Jewels. It is considered a badge of honor in the ballet world to be given permission to perform this work, and by doing so, a Company puts itself amongst many of the great ballet companies of the world. In fact, in 2016 when we first performed it, the other Companies who included it in their repertoire that same season were New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, The Royal Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet, and the Bolshoi Ballet. Those are undoubtedly the top ballet companies in the world, and we were included amongst them in those allowed to perform Mr. Balanchine’s Jewels. It was a huge honor.

What has been your favorite choreographer collaboration to date?

I’m going to say Sir David Bintley’s world premiere of A Comedy of Errors. We’ve had the opportunity to work with many prestigious choreographers over the years, which has given the Company a great profile and has been a remarkable experience for the dancers. I’ve chosen Sir David’s A Comedy of Errors, because 1) it was and still is the biggest ballet we’ve commissioned with new choreography, new designs and a fully commissioned score and 2) because doing this project shortly after coming through the pandemic, it felt therapeutic for us all to work on such an incredible ballet filled with joy, wit, and humor.

The Sarasota Ballet is also known as a national touring company. How has the Company been received?

As I mentioned before, we’ve been incredibly privileged to have been invited to perform in many of the nation’s most prestigious dance venues and we’ve also been fortunate to have received critical acclaim over the years in many respected publications. A significant reason behind both those elements has been our dedication to the ballets of Sir Frederick Ashton, which has given the Company a very special and unique identity. This has all meant that when we’ve toured, we’ve truly been embraced by audiences across the United States.

The latest news from The Sarasota Ballet announced your first international tour to London at the invitation of The Royal Ballet. Given yours and your wife’s history (Margaret Barbieri) with The Royal Ballet, tell us about this honor and its meaning to you and to Margaret.

It’s an amazing opportunity for our dancers to perform at The Royal Opera House in London and a great honor to have been invited by Kevin O’Hare, the Director of The Royal Ballet, to join in this celebration of the great British Choreographer, Sir Frederick Ashton. The Royal Ballet was our home for many years—Margaret’s 25 years (22 years of which she was principal dancer) and mine for 18 years. We have many incredible memories especially working closely with Dame Ninette de Valois and of course Sir Fred himself. We are excited that now our dancers and our Sarasota family will make their own memories on our first international tour.

During the pandemic, you brought The Sarasota Ballet to not only Sarasotans, but to audiences from 30 countries around the globe. What did having this international stage mean for the Company?

I honestly believe that the digital performances that we produced and were seen by thousands of households across 30 countries on every continent (except the Antarctic!) played an important role in our invitation to London next summer. We had people who had heard about us and read reviews, but never had the chance to see The Sarasota Ballet perform and now they clearly wanted to see the Company live and in person.

How are the educational and outreach programs at The Sarasota Ballet progressing?

Our Education and Community Engagement programs have really expanded at such an exponential rate over the past four years. Christopher Hird, our Education Director, has realty taken The Sarasota Ballet School and the Margaret Barbieri Conservatory to the next level. With the School, we have over 100 students enrolled, not including our Adult Program, and with the Conservatory we’re attracting remarkably talented students from across the United States who have moved to Sarasota to study with us. Our Community Engagement platform, named Dance For All, impacts thousands of members of our community through a variety of programs including Dance – The Next Generation which brings dance into the lives of students in communities that have struggled to have access to the arts, and Joyful Movement Through Parkinson’s which helps people who suffer with the disease to engage their bodies in ways they might not normally be able to do so. We’re incredibly proud of Dance For All, and with Doricha Sales leading the program, I can’t wait to see what we can do next.

Please tell us your short- and long-term plans for The Sarasota Ballet for the next 10 years.

I can’t be giving away trade secrets! How do you expect me to stay employed if I let everyone know the secret plans we have laid out!

Which 2023/2024 production are you most excited about?

I think I’m the most excited about the three new works entering the Company’s repertoire for the first time. We have an exciting world premiere by Gemma Bond which opens the first program. Then continuing our relationship with Jessica Lang, the Company will premiere her ballet Lyric Pieces which she created for Birmingham Royal Ballet.

Additionally, I have been wanting to work with the incredibly talented Edwaard Liang for many years and finally this will come to fruition with his ballet The Art of War which we will performthis coming season.

On a personal note, where can you be seen around town when you are not at The Sarasota Ballet? 

If you see me around town, you’re probably either seeing me at the UTC Selva or the Downtown Selva! It’s been my home away from home since I arrived in 2007! And then if you see me there, I’m probably either having the paella or the New York strip steak and a White Cosmo or two!

Do you have summer travel plans?

I am a bit of a Disney freak, but that’s a story for another time, so I’m sure I’ll be making a couple of trips to Disney World!