The Chambersburg Ballet announces Brian Grant as the new Artistic Director of the Chambersburg Ballet Theatre School and its affiliated dance company. Grant will succeed Lavinia Reid, the founder and Artistic Director of the ballet for 24 years and will start his new role on August 1st, 2023.
Grant has been the Assistant Artistic Director and Artist-in-Residence of Movement on Main Center for Dance in Zanesville, Ohio since 2018 and the Artistic Director of Midwest Repertory Ballet, a professional ballet company he founded in 2021. He has been a professional dancer, ballet master, choreographer and instructor for the past 18 years.
“I’m really excited to take the skills I’ve learned during my career and build on the solid foundation that Lavinia has built in providing high quality classical ballet instruction and performance art to the greater Chambersburg community,” Grant said.
Grant’s ballet career began after graduating from Northern Illinois University in 2005 with a BFA in Theater Arts with an emphasis in Dance Performance. He danced with the Louisville Ballet for seven years and with the Dayton Ballet for two years. During his career, Grant has seen the artform adapt to societal changes and become more accessible to more people. “Classical ballet has a reputation for being exclusive and about pink tutus and tiaras. But it’s really a sport as much as it is a traditional artform that anyone can participate in. The Chambersburg Ballet has done a great job of creating an inclusive program with students and performers from diverse backgrounds,” said Grant.
Grant will expand the Chambersburg Ballet offerings this fall to include boys ballet classes (age 6 to 8), mommy / daddy and me classes and contemporary dance classes.
Grant is teaching a one-week summer intensive July 31 – August 4 which is still accepting registrations. The community can meet Grant at the Chambersburg Ballet’s Annual Open House, which features a free public performance on Friday, August 4th at 6:30pm in the Wood Center at the Capitol Theatre. Registration for the fall will open in mid-July. Learn more at www.chambersburgballet.org.
The Next Generation of the Chambersburg Ballet
The Chambersburg Ballet Guild, the non-profit affiliate of the Chambersburg Ballet Theatre School, is purchasing the ballet school from Lavinia Reid and will operate it. Reid founded the ballet in 1999 after being recruited by the local chamber of commerce and council for the arts to be a part of the downtown revitalization process. At that time the Capitol Theatre had undergone an extensive renovation and since then it has been the home of the Chambersburg Ballet. During the last 24 years, Reid has taught over 600 ballet students and thousands of people have seen various productions including the holiday classic The Nutcracker. “We’re honored to carry forward Lavinia’s legacy and are grateful to her for bringing the artform of classical ballet to our community,” said Noel Purdy, president of the Chambersburg Ballet Guild board of directors. To learn more about the capital campaign, email info@chambersburgballet.org.
