The Sarasota Ballet’s Principal Danielle Brown to Retire

July 14, 2023 – Sarasota

The Sarasota Ballet announces that Principal Dancer Danielle Brown, having enjoyed a dance career spanning more than a decade and a half with the Company, has retired after the end of the 2022 – 2023 Season. The impact her presence brought to The Sarasota Ballet is indelible and her beauty and elegance gracing the stage will be truly missed.

When asked about Brown first joining the Company, Director Iain Webb said, “When Margaret and I held our first audition for The Sarasota Ballet in New York, we were fortunate to find four incredible dancers, Danielle Brown, Victoria Hulland, Amy Woods and Ricardo Rhodes, who all went on to become Principals with The Sarasota Ballet. And since that first moment when we first spotted Danielle’s talent, it has been an amazing journey for her these last 16 years. It is remarkable to look back and think of all the roles she has danced in her career with us. While her retirement leaves a hole in our hearts, she also leaves a legacy for so many of the young dancers in the Company to aspire to as an artist and as a person.”

Brown began her career with The Sarasota Ballet at the opening of the 2007 – 2008 Season, hired as a corps de ballet dancer. In 2010 she was promoted to the rank of Principal. Throughout her career, she would continue to flourish and dance roles spanning the Company’s vast repertoire, including ballets by Ashton, Balanchine, de Valois, MacMillan, Tharp, Wheeldon, and Wright, as well as roles created on her by Sir David Bintley, Will Tuckett and Resident Choreographer Ricardo Graziano.

Assistant Director Margaret Barbieri – former Principal of The Royal Ballet, says about working with Danielle Brown, “Coaching Danielle has always been a joy. She is an exceptionally intuitive dancer with an innate sense of style and musicality and the unique ability to infuse her essence into every role. I adored working with Danielle, and I know that we will all miss her exquisite dancing and artistry. Waking up every day and pouring your body and heart into this career isn’t easy, so it is important for the young dancers to see true professionals like Danielle approach the work, day in and day out. We will miss Danielle so very much and wish her much success in her future endeavors.”

When asked about her retirement, Danielle Brown says, “I left home 20 years ago to pursue a professional career in ballet. I got my first job a year later and another job two years after that. But when I got my third job with The Sarasota Ballet, I was getting so much more than a job, I was getting a real career. I spent 16 years of my career with The Sarasota Ballet, and in that time, I saw not only my own dreams come true, but I had the honor of being a part of making Iain and Margaret’s dreams for the Company come true. Building with them what you see today was so much more fulfilling than just my own accomplishments. I am forever grateful for my time with The Sarasota Ballet and the lifelong memories I have with all my fellow dancers and friends from over the years. The chosen family I now have, the moments on stage that made me feel alive, the messages from audience members about how I touched them in some way, the younger dancers that I managed to help or inspire, the strength and personal growth I gained that I never knew I had, all have filled my cup so full that I could not ask for more. Saying goodbye to this chapter of my life is not easy, I would dance forever if I could, but I am saying goodbye with no regrets, knowing I left it all on the dance floor, and I gave it everything I had.”

Executive Director Joseph Volpe speaks of Danielle’s impact on The Sarasota Ballet, “While her beauty on stage has been an inspiration, it is also a true gift to have a dancer who can be appreciated as an artist and as someone who can connect with our patrons both on the stage and off. Danielle is a unique breed of dancer that we could always count on to be a part of a dinner with patrons, stay late for an event to greet donors, or be interviewed and share more of herself with our enthusiastic audiences. Iain, Margaret, and I all feel blessed to have supported her during her career and look forward to seeing where her next chapter will take her.”