Los Angeles Ballet

I met Catherine Kanner, the Design Director of the Los Angeles Ballet, in 2000 while teaching Online Application at the Otis Institute of Art. We would go on to collaborate on several website design and development projects for several Los Angeles creatives for the next two decades. 

In 2005, I proudly accepted Catherine's invitation to be the web developer/webmaster for the newly founded Los Angeles Ballet. This collaboration has been one of my career's greatest achievements. Not only in the acquisition but also in the maintenance of a lasting relationship, even in dire times. 

Founded in 2004 by Artistic Directors Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary, and Executive Director Emerita Julie Whittaker, Los Angeles Ballet is known for its superb stagings of the Balanchine repertory, stylistically meticulous classical ballets, and its commitment to new works. LAB is recognized as a world-class ballet company.

Welcoming the New Artistic Director of the LAB

Melissa Barak is a choreographer and former professional dancer with the New York City Ballet (NYCB) and Los Angeles Ballet. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Barak began her ballet training at the age of eight at Westside School of Ballet in Santa Monica, California under the direction of Yvonne Mounsey and Rosemary Valaire. Her training continued in New York City at the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of NYCB. In 1998, Barak was invited to join NYCB where she performed in numerous works by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins as well as originating roles in new ballets by Christopher Wheeldon, Elliot Feld, and Robert Garland among others.