Sonia Orrante

Sonia is a Columbus native and a graduate of BalletMet’s original pre- professional program under the direction of Don Eryck. She received additional training on full scholarship at the Boston Ballet and San Francisco Ballet Schools. In 1991 she became an Arts and Letters Awardee and a Presidential Scholar in the Arts, dancing at the Kennedy Center for the President. She joined BalletMet in 1991 and during her 15 years with the company danced leading roles in ballets like Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, The Sleeping Beauty, Dracula, Giselle, Dangerous Liaisons and Carmina Burana. She also originated title roles by choreographers David Nixon, John McFall, Birgit Scherzer, Dwight Rhoden and Julia Adam to name a few. She has guested with National Ballet of Zimbabwe, Northern Ballet Theatre in Leeds, England and the Cincinnati Ballet. During a 10 year affiliation with the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp she danced, taught and ultimately co-directed their International Program touring throughout Germany and France with 35 students. She retired from BalletMet as a dancer with the second of her three children in 2006 and has been teaching and coaching exclusively since. She is excited to be part of New Albany Ballet Company!