Principal Rehearsal Director Anna Donovan of Texas Ballet Theater to Step Down

Principal Rehearsal Director Anna Donovan of Texas Ballet Theater will be stepping down from her role at the end of the season. Donovan has been in North Texas since joining Ballet Dallas in 1991.

A native of Ireland, Donovan's dance career began at age 10 when she won a scholarship to train at the Royal Ballet School in England. From there, she continued her training in Surrey, England, at Elmhurst Ballet School. After graduating, she performed in continental Europe for four years before joining the Irish National Ballet (INB) in 1973 where she was rapidly promoted to Principal Dancer. After 17 years with INB, Donovan joined the staff of Ballet Dallas in 1991, serving as Principal Ballet Mistress and Repetiteur and instructor for the Dallas Conservatory of Ballet. She taught ballet at Dallas's Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts for a number of years and is included in The Who's Who of Teachers in America 2000, 2001, and 2005. Donovan officially joined the artistic staff at TBT as Principal Ballet Master in 2000.

Donovan said, "I have made the decision to step aside from my current position as Principal Rehearsal Director at the end of this 2024-2025 season. I am so grateful to those Artistic Directors who have given me the opportunity to learn and grow in this position, led by Ben Houk, Bruce Marks, Bruce Simpson, Ben Stevenson, and Tim O'Keefe. It has been quite a journey, and through all of you I have experienced the best. And, to all the dancers that I have had the privilege of working with, thank you for the chance to be a small part of your careers. I will look forward to teaching in the DFW area as well as at the TBT schools in Dallas. Thank you for 25 extraordinary years."

Donovan will continue in her current role through the spring and summer, including teaching in TBT's 2025 Summer Intensive.

Artistic Director Tim O'Keefe said, "I've worked with Anna since I arrived at TBT in 2002. She is a phenomenal teacher, coach, and stager, and an integral part of the artistic team. I appreciate her artistic sensibility, which has guided not only me but the company for these many years."