Richmond Ballet
The State Ballet of Virginia
Erin Freeman
Resident Conductor
Erin Freeman serves in multiple capacities throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia and Washington, DC, and maintains a national, international, and online presence through guest conducting engagements. Freeman is Artistic Director of The City Choir of Washington and Wintergreen Music, Resident Conductor of the Richmond Ballet, and Director of Choral Activities at the Corcoran School of the Arts & Design at George Washington University. Richmond audiences know Freeman from her 15 years with the Richmond Symphony, as Associate Conductor of the Orchestra and Director of the Symphony Chorus. Guest conducting includes the Detroit Symphony, Buffalo Philharmonic, Neglia Ballet, Orchestra Symphonique Bel’Arte, Portland Symphony Orchestra, South Carolina Philharmonic, Savannah Symphony and Philharmonic, Toledo Symphony, Charlottesville Symphony Orchestra, Virginia Symphony Orchestra, and Williamsburg Symphony.
She has conducted at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Boston Symphony Hall, and La Madeleine in Paris, and in 2024 will conduct at Cadogan Hall in London and Vienna’s historic Musikverein. Freeman was named nominee (2021) and finalist (2019) for Performance Today’s Classical Woman of the Year, and has received accolades in Opera News, ClevelandClassical.com, and Musicweb-International.com, among others. Freeman holds degrees from Northwestern University, Boston University, and Peabody Conservatory.
Company Dancers
Our professional company is made up of elite dancers from around the world who have helped earn Richmond Ballet critical acclaim. Dance/USA says Richmond Ballet is “a jewel among U.S. dance companies,” while The Washington Post calls it “a company to which dance fans everywhere ought to pay attention.” We’re proud of all that our company dancers bring to Richmond, and the world.
Cody Beaton
Jackson Calhoun
Courtney Collier
Michael Duncan
Celeste Gaiera
Mikell Graf
Colin Jacob
Khaiyom Khojaev
Jack Miller
Rachel Nash
Eri Nishihara
Zacchaeus Page
Paul Piner
Christian Renforth
Naomi Robinson
Sabrina Sabino
Izabella Tokev
Ira White
Naomi Wood
Studio Company
The Richmond Ballet Studio Company is the highest level of the Pre-Professional Division of School of Richmond Ballet, featuring exceptional student dancers from across the country. The eleven-month program includes a diverse range of performance opportunities such as Lecture Demonstrations, Richmond Ballet Company mainstage performances, and the end-of-season showcase with the Richmond Ballet Trainees.
First Row
Avalon Kirby
Second Row (L-R):
Tekhylon Armour
Katrina May Thomas
Third Row (L-R):
Itay Krasnovsky
Hannah MacLeod
Josiah Lax
Rika Kinoshita
Darius Mealy
Kennady Jackson
Cade Bolz
TRAINEES
Founded in 1993, the nationally recognized Richmond Ballet Trainee Program offers select advanced students a transitional experience to bridge the gap between the academic ballet setting and the world of professional dance. The Richmond Ballet Trainee Program is one of the few in this country that enables aspiring dancers to pursue formal dance training and gain valuable performance experience with a professional company.
First Row (L-R):
Chelsea Hacking
Kate Swales
Genesis Robinson
Second Row (L-R):
Tess Moayedi
Eden Wilson
Isabella Vanik
Gillian Carr
Third Row (L-R):
Oliver Gardner
Alexis Dawson
Bella Ownby
BriAnna Binzak
Sydney Stutzman
Benjamin Piner
Artistic Staff
The Artistic Staff at Richmond Ballet is made up of international professionals who each bring incredible talent, expertise, and credentials to their respective roles. With impressive backgrounds and world experience, they offer a unique perspective that has helped shape our organization over the years. For over 40 years, Stoner Winslett has served as the founding Artistic Director of Richmond Ballet, the first major company of professional dancers in the Commonwealth of Virginia. She is one of the longest tenured artistic directors of a major ballet company and one of the country’s few female artistic directors. In June 2020, acclaimed choreographer Ma Cong joined Richmond Ballet as its first ever Associate Artistic Director.
Stoner Winslett
Artistic Director
Ma Cong
Associate Artistic Director
Judy Jacob
Artistic Associate & Chairman of Faculty
Igor Antonov
Artistic Associate and Studio Company Director
