Richmond Ballet
The State Ballet of Virginia
Naomi Robinson
Company Dancer
Naomi Robinson was born in Cincinnati, OH. She began her ballet training at the age of five at Ballet Tech of Ohio, under the direction of Claudia Rudolf Barrett. She also trained at Cincinnati Ballet’s Otto M. Budig Academy. Naomi graduated cum laude from Butler University with a degree in Dance and Arts Administration in 2020. While studying abroad, she performed in Warsaw, Poznań, Kraków and Bratislava. Naomi joined RBII for the 20/21 season and was promoted the following year. She has had the pleasure of performing in Val Caniparoli’s What’s Going On, Jennifer Archibald’s Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, Ma Cong’s Glare, and Stoner Winslett’s The Nutcracker.
Education & Training
Butler University BS- Dance and Arts Administration Cum Laude, Ballet tech of Ohio, Cincinnati Ballet, The Rock School for Dance Education
Professional Experience / Career Highlights
Richmond Ballet II- Balanchine’s Who Cares?, Levi Marsman World Premier some kind of peace, Val Caniparoli’s Violin, and Paquita, Stoner Winslett’s Windows II
What inspired you to become a professional dancer?
Ballet has been a constant source of joy for me since I was about 4 years old. Dancing makes me feel graceful, free, and strong. I’ve spent my whole life amongst the dance community and I couldn’t imagine a better career path.
What is your favorite role that you’ve performed with Richmond Ballet?
I loved dancing in Violin.
What brought you to Richmond Ballet?
I was pulled to the city of Richmond because my family has a long history here. The Richmond Ballet interested me because the repertoire is diverse. When I auditioned, the dancers and staff were incredibly welcoming and warm. I immediately felt like Richmond Ballet was a great place to be.
What do you like about living in Richmond?
I think Richmond has an incredible landscape. The river and parks are very accessible. I wasn’t very involved with outdoor activities until moving here!
What hobbies or activities do you enjoy doing off-stage?
I enjoy baking, yoga, and watching stand up comedy.
A photo gallery of Naomi's artistry
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
Sabrina Sabino
Izabella Tokev
Ira White
Naomi Wood
Studio Company
The Richmond Ballet Studio Company is the highest level 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
Lauren Fagone
Artistic Associate
