Peter Stark, a long standing figure in the ballet world is leaving his position at Boston Ballet II and heading for The Rock School. This is just another blow to Boston Ballet as Margaret Tracey has left and the company’s long standing roster of powerhouses is dwindling each year. As Boston Ballet has tried to bring in star power players like Michaela DePrince (22k followers) and Derek Dunn (61k followers), and promote strong dancers like Ji Young Chae and Seo Hye Han, one must wonder what the future of Boston Ballet and Boston Ballet School will look like. One thing is for sure, Boston Ballet is really going to need to step up their game to keep up with the times. 

Will Boston Ballet School stay a partner school to YAGP and other major competitions? What will the curriculum look like? What will be the next look for Boston Ballet? Is it time for Nikko to retire? Why does it seem that everyone is leaving Boston?

As many of us knew, The Rock School (the one in Philadelphia, not to be mistaken with the Rock based in Las Vegas), a long-standing institution based in Philadelphia, faced numerous challenges during these troubling times. The Rock School became its own institution under Bo Spassoff in 1992, and immediately grew to a renowned institution. Since then the Rock has employed star power like Mariaelena Ruiz (Outstanding YAGP Finals Teacher) and Natalya Lushina Ziegler. The Rock has also claimed dancers that are held at the highest standards: Issac Hernandez (English National Ballet), his brother Esteban Hernandez (San Francisco Ballet), Michaela DePrince (Boston Ballet), Christine Shevchenko (American Ballet Theatre), Beckanne Sisk (Ballet West), Lawrence Rines (Boston Ballet), and Derek Dunn (Boston Ballet) just to name a few…

Now, the Rock School will be co-directed by Peter Stark and Stephanie Spassoff. 

Stay tuned for more…