Join us for drinks, a meet and greet with James Sofranko, and an opportunity to win ballet tickets on April 24 at 6pm.
James Sofranko assumed the position of Artistic Director of Grand Rapids Ballet for the 2018/2019 season after an 18-year career as a soloist with the San Francisco Ballet.
He is originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, and received his dance training at The Harid Conservatory in Florida and later at The Juilliard School in New York City, where he received his BFA in dance.
At San Francisco Ballet, he danced in numerous works and world premieres by choreographers such as Helgi Tomasson, Val Caniparoli, William Forsythe, Liam Scarlett, Justin Peck, Alexi Ratmansky, Edwaard Liang, Lar Lubovitch, Wayne Macgregor, Mark Morris, Julia Adam, Yuri Possokhov, Christopher Wheeldon, Paul Taylor, Arthur Pita, Stanton Welch, Jorma Elo, Hans Van Manen, Jiri Kylian, John Neumeier, James Kudelka, Lila York, Kenneth Macmillan, George Balanchine, and Jerome Robbins. Some of his favorite roles include ‘Mercutio’ in Tomasson’s “Romeo and Juliet,” ‘Eros’ in Mark Morris’ “Sylvia,” ‘Bugle Boy’ in Taylor’s “Company B,” and the second sailor in Robbins’ “Fancy Free.”
He received an Isadora Duncan award (“Izzie”) for best performance in 2011 in Yuri Possokhov’s “Classical Symphony.”
James starred in the principal role of ‘Eddie’ in the Broadway touring company of “Movin’ Out,” a musical choreographed by Twyla Tharp to the songs of Billy Joel.
In 2012 he co-founded DanceFAR (Dance For A Reason), an annual benefit performance and after-party that brings the Bay Area dance community together to support the work of the Cancer Prevention Institute of California (CPIC). In 2014 he received the Inspiration Award from CPIC.
In 2014, he formed a new contemporary repertory company in San Francisco, SFDanceworks. The company has presented works by Alejandro Cerrudo, Lar Lubovitch, José Limón, Nacho Duato, Christopher Bruce, and world premieres by Penny Saunders, James Graham, Danielle Rowe, Dana Genshaft, and Sofranko himself.
He has created many original choreographic works, including three for the San Francisco Ballet School Trainee program (Rendezvous, Means to an End, Mozart Symphony), SFDanceworks (Z, Homing), Long Beach Ballet (Brandenberg), and Marin Dance Theater (The Beaten Path). James also works as a repetiteur for Yuri Possokhov, resident choreographer for San Francisco Ballet, and has staged his ballets on Cincinnati Ballet, Colorado Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet.
He is excited to bring his knowledge and experience to the dancers and audiences of the Grand Rapids Ballet, and we are thrilled to have him.
RSVP HERE to join us on Wednesday!