New York City Ballet announced today that eight guest artists will join the Company on Wednesday, January 14, for a special one-time-only performance celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the School of American Ballet. The guest artists, all alumni of SAB, will perform principal roles alongside members of NYCB in Serenade, The Four Temperaments, and Tarantella. The final ballet on the all-Balanchine program, Vienna Waltzes, will be performed entirely by NYCB’s dancers.

As the official academy of New York City Ballet, SAB has historically recruited and trained almost all of the Company’s dancers. Ninety-five of the 101 current company members trained at SAB, and since NYCB’s inception in 1948, 90 percent of its members have come from the School.

The Company’s celebration of the School’s milestone birthday will recognize not only SAB’s special significance to NYCB but also the School’s longstanding success in training dancers for other companies around the U.S. and abroad. Celebrating their SAB heritage alongside NYCB’s dancers will be representatives from eight of the companies where multiple SAB alumni currently perform. The guest artists are Patricia Delgado (Miami City Ballet, Principal); Julie Diana (Pennsylvania Ballet, Principal), Paloma Herrera (American Ballet Theater, Principal); Misa Kuranaga (Boston Ballet, Soloist); Lucien Postlewaite (Pacific Northwest Ballet, Principal); Margaret Severin-Hansen (Carolina Ballet, Principal); Damian Smith (San Francisco Ballet, Principal); and Amy Watson (Royal Danish Ballet, Principal).

The School of American Ballet was founded in January 1934 by George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein as the crucial first step in their quest to create an American ballet company. Students at the Manhattan-based school were exposed to the highest standards of classical training, facilitating the development of dancers capable of performing Balanchine’s challenging and innovative choreography. Fourteen years after SAB’s creation, New York City Ballet was established with a roster of notable SAB-trained dancers including Tanaquil LeClercq, Marie-Jeanne, Maria Tallchief, and Francisco Moncion. Over the past 75 years, the School has enrolled some 17,000 students, with over 2,000 having become professional dancers at New York City Ballet and countless other companies around the U.S. and abroad. Today, SAB-trained dancers appear on the rosters of over 65 U.S. and one dozen international companies. Peter Martins is the artistic director and chairman of faculty of the School.

Patricia Delgado began studying at the Miami City Ballet School at age 12. In 1997 and 1998 she attended the Summer Course at the School of American Ballet. She joined the Miami City Ballet as an apprentice in 2000, and was named a principal dancer in 2007.

Julie Diana, a New Jersey native, studied at the School of American Ballet for four years, beginning at age 12, and danced featured roles in the 1993 SAB Workshop Performance. In 1993 she joined San Francisco Ballet, where she was named a principal dancer in 2000. In 2004, Ms. Diana joined the Pennsylvania Ballet as a principal dancer.

Paloma Herrera was born in Buenos Aires, where she began studying ballet at age 7. Ms. Herrera enrolled at the School of American Ballet for the 1990-91 winter term and danced the leading role in Raymonda Variations at the 1991 SAB Workshop Performance. Ms. Herrera joined American Ballet Theatre as a member of the corps de ballet in June of 1991 and was promoted to principal dancer in 1995.

Misa Kuranaga was born in Japan, where she began her ballet training. She won gold medals at several international ballet competitions before entering the summer program of the School of American Ballet in 2002, after which she was invited to attend the 2002-2003 winter term. In 2003 she joined the Boston Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet, and was promoted to soloist in 2007.

Lucien Postlewaite, a California native, attended three summer sessions at the School of American Ballet before enrolling as a full-time student in 2000. After further training at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School, he joined the Pacific Northwest Ballet in 2003 as an apprentice and was promoted to principal dancer in 2008.

Margaret Severin-Hansen, a native of Huntington, Long Island, spent five years training at the School of American Ballet, beginning at age 13. In 1998 she became a founding member of the Carolina Ballet where she quickly rose through the ranks and is now a principal dancer.

Damian Smith was born in New South Wales, Australia. He began his ballet training in Sydney, before enrolling at the School of American Ballet as a full-time student in 1990. After first dancing with Ballet du Nord, Mr. Smith joined the San Francisco Ballet in 1996, and was named a principal dancer in 2001.

Amy Watson, a California native, attended the School of American Ballet summer course in 1996 and began four years of full-time training at SAB that fall. Ms. Watson performed with the Suzanne Farrell Ballet before joining the Royal Danish Ballet in 2000. She was named a principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet in 2007.

 New York City Ballet’s 2009 winter repertory season opens on Tuesday, January 6, and continues through Sunday, March 1.  For information on any New York City Ballet performance call 212-870-5570, or visit www.nycballet.com.