Stella Abrera, Acting Artistic Director of the ABT Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis School and Sascha Radetsky, Artistic Director of ABT Studio Company announced the appointment of Yan Chen to two key roles within the organization.
A former soloist with American Ballet Theater, Chen has been named Principal Teacher for the ABT JKK School Pre-Professional Division and Rehearsal Director for ABT Studio Company. She has held positions at ABT as a faculty member for Summer Intensive and Guest Rehearsal Director for ABT Studio Company.
Says Abrera,
“Yan Chen was a beautiful ballerina and a role model to me early in my ABT career. I am so happy her brilliant teaching and sterling artistry will shape a new generation of lucky young dancers.”
Radetsky adds,
“Yan is a widely admired dance educator and beloved figure in the ABT community. She is a fount of ballerina wisdom with a passion for teaching and an intuitive grasp of individual dancers’ needs. Her excellence and vitality inspire her students and colleagues alike. We are honored to welcome Yan back to our studios.”
Yan Chen's Professional Timeline
- Trained at Shanghai Dance School in China.
- 1986: Selected as one of the first international exchange students to study at San Francisco Ballet School.
- 1987: Awarded the Paris Foundation of Dance Award at the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland and joined The Washington Ballet under the direction of Mary Day.
- 1993: Joined American Ballet Theatre, and six months later, promoted to Soloist.
- 1994: Guest teacher for Orlando Ballet School and the company (then called Southern Ballet Theatre).
- 2009: Ballet Master with Orlando Ballet.
Chen performed many leading roles with ABT including the title role in Cinderella, Swanilda in Coppélia, the Sylphide in La Sylphide, Gulnare in Le Corsaire, Desdemona in Othello, and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. She also danced in roles in works by George Balanchine, John Cranko, Martha Graham, James Kudelka, Jiří Kylián, Lar Lubovitch, John Neumeier, Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, and Antony Tudor. During her performing career, Chen performed as a guest artist throughout the world.
Chen has nearly 30 years of teaching experience, with many of her pre-professional students going on to dance in major companies around the world.
She also has several years of experience as a member of various arts organizations, including as a member of the YoungArts dance panel, a judge and master teacher for Youth America Grand Prix, and a Jury and Selection Panel Member for The American Dance Competition International Ballet Competition.
Featured Photo of Yan Chen by Michael Cairns.
How lucky the young dancers of the ABT JKO school and the ABT Studio Company are to learn from such a stellar artist! 👏👏👏