Ilda Morales will Teach A Master Class for Classical Ballet Theatre

HILDA MORALES, former soloist of American Ballet Theatre, and former principal dancer of the Pennsylvania Ballet, will be teaching a master class for the Classical Ballet Theatre in Herndon, Virginia on March 26, 2017.

HILDA MORALES is a native of New York City. Shortly after her birth, her parents returned to their native Puerto Rico. At the age of nine, she began her formal ballet training with Ana Garcia. At the age of twelve, she received a scholarship to study flamenco with Gilda Navarra. Two years later she apprenticed with the Ballets de San Juan. It was during this period that Nicholas Magallanes, principal dancer of the New York City Ballet, auditioned students in San Juan for the Ford Foundation Scholarship. Miss Morales won the Ford Scholarship, moved to New York, and began studies at George Balanchine's School of American Ballet.

Miss Morales began her professional career as a principal dancer with the Pennsylvania Ballet. She joined the company shortly after it was founded. Her repertoire included the Balanchine ballets, Scotch Symphony, Allegro Brillante, Concerto Barocco, Serenade, The Four Temperaments and Symphony in C. John Butler choreographed three ballets for her, Villon, Ceremony and Journeys and she also performed in his Carmina Burana. Peter Gennaro highlighted her sparkling classicism and fiery Latin temperament in his first ballet, Vibrations, which was also televised.

During her tenure with the Pennsylvania Ballet, Miss Morales made an historic appearance with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Eugene Ormandy, dancing the BLACK SWAN Pas de Deux. It was the first time that this prestigious orchestra had accompanied a dancer.

Miss Morales joined American Ballet Theatre as a soloist in 1974 where she performed principal and soloist roles in Swan Lake, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, Les Sylphides and Natalia Makarova's La Bayadere. She has worked with such distinguished contemporary choreographers as George Balanchine (Theme and Variations), Antony Tudor (Pillar of Fire, Undertow, Jardin Aux Lilas, The Leaves Are Fading, and Romeo and Juliet), Agnes De Mille (Three Virgins and a Devil), Jose Limon and Alvin Ailey (The River). Mikhail Baryshnikov cast her in soloist roles in his American Ballet Theatre productions of The Nutcracker and Don Quixote. She also appeared in the world premiere of Lynne Taylor-Corbett's The Great Galloping Gottschalk.

In 1981, Miss Morales was also appointed Assistant Balletmistress at American Ballet Theatre.

Miss Morales has also brought her considerable talents to endeavors aside from the ballet stage. She played the heroine's friend, Sandra, in the acclaimed film, The Turning Point. In addition she starred in the ballet version of Tommy as the Acid Queen, which was produced by Fernand Nault for Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and which was also produced on Broadway.

Miss Morales has lent her organizational skills in presenting gala dance programs and touring ballet concert groups, which resulted in a landmark tour of South Africa. She assembled a company of distinguished dancers performing the works of Antony Tudor, John Butler, George Balanchine and the classics, most of which were seen for the first time on the continent. The company included Violette Verdy, Helgi Tomasson, Marianna Tcherkassky, Kirk Peterson, Charles Maple and Warren Conover.

Upon leaving American Ballet Theatre Miss Morales pursued a successful career as a freeLance Guest artist making frequent guest appearances with regional ballet companies in the United States. She also appeared as a guest artist with the Ballet Hispanico of New York and was a guest faculty member of the Dance Department at the University of Indiana at Bloomington. The Ballet de Puerto Rico named Miss Morales as a member of their Board of Advisors and Miss Morales was on the jury which selected scholarship students for the Ballet de Puerto Rico's professional training program.

Miss Morales had also been appointed Artist-in-Residence with the Colorado Ballet where she danced the roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, David McNaughton's Gypsy and ballets by William Thompson, and being partnered by Edward Myers, Richard Fein, Jeff Satinoff and David McNaughton. Miss Morales appeared with Edward Myers in the International Ballet Celebration gala performances at Brooklyn College dancing Robert Weiss' Awakening and Jeff Jones' Something Between Me as well as choreographing "Piece d'occasion" as a finale piece for these performances.

During the 1985-86 season Miss Morales appeared in the International Ballet Celebration gala performances in Evansville, Indiana with Edward Myers in The Sleeping Beauty and William Thompson's Collectibles.

Miss Morales was appointed a guest faculty member of the Dance Department of Vassar College during the 1984-85 school year. She also choreographed Spanish Dances for Vassar College's Repertory Dance Theatre. Miss Morales also choreographed Chopin Etudes for the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, which was performed at the 1991 Northeast Regional Ballet Festival. Miss Morales has also been a guest faculty member for the Colorado Ballet Center.

Since retiring from the stage Miss Morales has directed her own ballet school. She has also begun giving lectures devoted to preparing young dancers for professional careers in dance, in audience development and describing the production aspects of a ballet from its inspiration to the stage. She is also balletmistress for International Ballet Celebration and is in great demand as a teacher and coach.

In 1998 Miss Morales joined the faculty of the School of the Hartford Ballet where she supervised the Hartford Ballet's student and apprentice programs. In 2002 Miss Morales was appointed Assistant Professor of Dance at the Hartt School of the University of Hartford.

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