Catawba College alumnus Richard Steinert '81, the artistic director of Ballet Pensacola, will be back at his alma mater in late February. He will be accompanied by dancers from Ballet Pensacola and will work with students and faculty in the Catawba Theatre Arts Department in a collaboration entitled, "The Outrageous Dance Project."
Steinert, a theatre major at Catawba, is known for his innovative and collaborative style. He has worked in the repertories of companies across the United States, including the Joffrey Ballet and Bob Fosse.
Since his inaugural season as artistic director at Ballet Pensacola in 2007, he has held the attention of the ballet and arts community through a series of critically acclaimed performances and projects directed at broadening the experience of the dance enthusiast. One of the hallmarks of his innovative and collaborative style is the graceful marriage of theatre and dance.
As the director of Ballet Arkansas, Ballet Theatre in Hartford, Connecticut, and as a founding director of Connecticut Contemporary Ballet Theatre, Steinert has a long creative history with more than 30 original ballets in his repertoire. His full length Nutcracker has been in the national repertoire for more than 20 years, and his productions such as Dracula, Clue, Weisburg Suite, and Quakes continue to receive critical acclaim.
His choreographic works have been sanctioned by such funding organizations as the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Ford Foundation. He has held seats on the Board of Directors of the Midwestern Arts Alliance, SWRBA, the Alcoa National Choreographic awards, and was appointed by President Bill Clinton to a seat on his Arts-In-Education committee.
As a guest instructor at many pre-professional programs, Steinert is a sought after master teacher throughout the United States. He is currently an adjunct faculty member at the University of West Florida and a Scholar-In-Residence at The Bishops School in La Jolla, California. He and wife Christine are parents of two adult daughters, Laine and Paige.
For more details about Steinert and Ballet Pensacola, visit www.balletpensacola.com.
