Sara Mearns

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Teacher Bio

Sara Mearns is one of today’s most internationally celebrated dancers in classical ballet. As a principal dancer with New York City Ballet, Ms. Mearns has performed featured roles in beloved ballets such as Symphony in C, Jewels (Emeralds and Diamonds), Serenade, Mozartiana, and Walpurgisnacht Ballet. Her signature role, for which she has received repeated critical acclaim, is the well-known swan queen in Swan Lake. New York ...read more

Sara Mearns is one of today’s most internationally celebrated dancers in classical ballet. As a principal dancer with New York City Ballet, Ms. Mearns has performed featured roles in beloved ballets such as Symphony in C, Jewels (Emeralds and Diamonds), Serenade, Mozartiana, and Walpurgisnacht Ballet. Her signature role, for which she has received repeated critical acclaim, is the well-known swan queen in Swan Lake. New York City Ballet Artistic Director Peter Martins first chose her to perform the role while she was still in the corps de ballet at the age of 19.

Ms. Mearns has originated roles in pieces by world-renowned choreographers including Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon, Peter Martins, Justin Peck, Karole Armitage, Benjamin Millipied, Liam Scarlett, Richard Tanner, Susan Stroman, and Emmy Award winning choreographer Joshua Bergasse. She starred in a full night production, A Dancers Dream, at the New York Philharmonic conducted by Alan Gilbert and has guested with the Isadora Duncan Foundation at The Joyce Theater, The Ashley Bouder Project, company Wang/Ramirez from Germany at the Jacobs Pillow Gala, and Tony-nominated Broadway revival, On The Town. She debuted in Matthew Bourne’s production of The Red Shoes at New York City Center.

She was nominated for the “Benois de la dance” award for best female performance of the year in 2012 for her role in Paul McCartney’s “Ocean’s Kingdom” and was also nominated for a Bessie award for outstanding performance in 2014. She is featured on AOL’s series City.Ballet’s first and second season, executive produced by Sarah Jessica Parker, and recently joined Youtube’s DanceOn as a partner. She is an advisory board member of DanceNYC, artists committee of the Joyce theatre, as well as an ambassador to the Dizzy Feet Foundation with Nigel Lythgoe.

In addition to Ms. Mearns’ busy career, she is committed to educating young people to the wonders of classical ballet, from fitness and health to developing discipline and a love for the arts. Ms. Mearns is proud of her ability to touch young people with a positive message, with the hope that they too will pursue their dreams to the fullest.

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Class Descriptions

ADV BALLET

My platform for teaching comes from years of Balanchine training starting at the School of American Ballet at age 12 to joining the New York City Ballet at age 17. I’ve been working and performing under the umbrella of the Balanchine esthetic, musicality, and, technique, therefore it is what I hope to instill and pass on to students in my classes. I have had the privilege of being taught by many great Balanchine ballerinas, as well as many other profound teachers from all over the world, and to this day I am still working on my technique in hopes of achieving my best self. Every class is a different experience for me; I want to see the students open up and dance bigger than they ever have before.