Santa Barbara Festival Ballet

50 Years of

History

Santa Barbara Festival Ballet - Home of the Santa Barbara Nutcracker Ballet Tradition

In 1964, after professional careers with American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, Eugene Loring’s Dance Players in Hollywood, and performing in Broadway musicals, film, and television, Robert and Carol Hanlin opened the Goleta School of Ballet. The Hanlins had studied with some of the world’s finest teachers including George Balanchine, Muriel Stewart, Anthony Tudor, and Margaret Craske. They recognized the need for elevated training and performance opportunities in Santa Barbara and in 1968, they founded the Goleta Civic Ballet, a pre-professional ballet company. By 1970 the Company was collaborating with the Santa Barbara Symphony at the Arlington Theatre. Collaborations included Peter and the Wolf and the Symphony’s Concerts for Young People, reaching some 8,000 children annually! The largest joint undertaking has been The Nutcracker, started in 1975. That same year, Goleta Civic Ballet, now Santa Barbara Festival Ballet, joined the Pacific Regional Ballet Association (now The Ballet Alliance).

The Hanlins retired in 1991. The present Conservatory Director, Denise Rinaldi, studied under the Hanlins, is a Fellow of Cecchetti USA, an examiner for the organization, as well as its Executive Director. The SBFB Company dancers are privileged to work with Valerie Huston, UCSB Senior Lecturer in the Dept. of Dance, as the company’s Interim Executive Director and resident choreographer.

Most gratifying is the number of children of former dancers we now have studying with us. When the Hanlins were requesting funding for the first production of The Nutcracker they stated, “We hope to establish something children of Santa Barbara can grow up with, on both sides of the footlights.” That, indeed, has come to pass.

Alumni

DancerYears With SBFBAccomplishments
Cady Huffman1973-1982Actor-Broadway, film and television. Won 2001 Tony Award for playing “Ulla” in “The Producers”. Nominated for an Outer Critics’ Circle Award for best featured actress in a play for “The Nance”. Nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for “The Will Rogers Follies”.
Hank Underwood1977-1978Actor- Film and television. Among many character roles- Whit Whitaker in “General Hospital” 1980-1981.
Anne Westwick1972-1976Dancer- Martha Graham Dance Co., Bay Area Repertory Dance, co-founder with Christopher Dolder of “Christopher Dolder and Friends.” Guest Faculty Martha Graham Technique and Repertory.
Jennet Zerbe1984-1986Dancer- American Ballet Theatre, appeared in movies, “The Turning Pointe” and “Dancers.”
Daniel (Dowker) HarrisRetired Principal Dancer- Ballet Florida
Janine (Cherry) Harrisretired Dancer- Ballet Florida, professional dance photographer, teacher- Paris Ballet and Dance, Jupiter, Florida.
Chauncey HildestadPrincipal Dancer, Oregon Ballet Theatre
Katherine UllomDancer, Sarasota Ballet of Florida
Melissa UllomDancer, Parsons Dance Company
Mariko CraneDancer,U.S. “Ballet” postage stamp 1998, first place winner National Margot Fonteyn Competition
Austin McCormickArtistic Director- Company XIV
Marisol CabreraDancer- Company XIV, Education & Outreach Programs Manager,Ballet Hispánico
Faith PilgerJuilliard, Mark Morris Dance Group, Pilobolus Dance Theater
Colby ParsonsDancer, Alberta Ballet Company, currently Principal Dancer
with Oregon Ballet Theater
Maureen KellyFaculty, Boston Ballet
Chelsea CambronTrainee, Louisville Ballet, Cruise Line, and now teaching Barre Method, First Place Winner-Contemporary, Cecchetti International Ballet Competition, Enrico Cecchetti Diploma (fewer than 20 recipients internationally)
Cecily StewartState Street Ballet
Aimee LopezFaculty Santa Barbara Festival Ballet. Qualified Cecchetti USA teacher holding an Associate CUSA, ABT® Certified Teacher in Pre Primary through Level 5 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.

If you are an alumnus of Santa Barbara Festival Ballet or the Goleta Civic Ballet, please email us with your story. We want to include you too!

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