Directors
Mary Barton
Ballet - Pointe - Coaching - Choreography
Mary Barton is widely recognized for her special blend of technical brilliance and artistic expression as a performing artist, and as a teacher and coach she continues to bring those special qualities to her students in class. During her early training, she was privileged to be on stage performing young dancer roles at the Kennedy Center and Wolf Trap with New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater and the Joffrey Ballet among others. This invaluable early exposure and experience as a young ballet dancer set Ms. Barton on course to become a unique dancer and teacher. She received her dance training at The Washington School of Ballet under the direction of world-renowned teacher Mary Day, during which time she also participated in summer courses at the School of American Ballet and Joffrey Ballet School. Her professional experience began at age 16 while she was still a student at The Washington Ballet School, when she performed with the professional company as a soloist in Balanchine’s Scotch Symphony and the following year she performed in the principal pas de deux in Tom Paczik’s Tzigane. At 18, she was the principal guest artist at the Oldenburg Staat Ballet in Germany where the principal role of Mme. de Rênal was created on her for the world premiere of Ingred Collet and Gerhard Markson’s Ballet recreation of Stendhal’s The Red and The Black.
In 1982, Ms. Barton joined the Dayton Ballet, performing as a principal dancer for three seasons in many of the company’s leading roles under the direction of Stuart Sebastian. In 1986, she joined the Joffrey Ballet NY/LA where she performed a variety of roles in the great ballets of the 20th century. Robert Joffrey created the role of Clara on her for the world premiere of his new Nutcracker. She was an original cast member of Joffrey Ballet’s historic recreation of Nijinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps and she appeared in the PBS presentation of “Dance in America’s”, “The Making of Nijinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps“.
From 1993–2004, Ms. Barton was a principal dancer with American Repertory Ballet (ARB) where notable roles include the Sugar Plum Fairy, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, the lead in Cinderella, Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Emily in Our Town, as well as leads in Balanchine’s Four Temperaments, Rubies, Concerto Barocco and Serenade.
Ms. Barton taught on the faculty of the Princeton Ballet School from 1994 until 2019, during which time she also was a senior faculty teacher and choreographer for the demanding Summer Intensive program, and choreographing more than two dozen works for Princeton Ballet School’s spring full-length ballets and Summer Intensive.
In addition, from 2010 to 2019, Ms Barton served as Resident Choreographer and Ballet Master for ARB. Her original works include Straight Up with a Twist, Five Men and a Concerto, Faerie Tyme, Fantasy Baroque, Shades of Time, A Shepherd Singing (And I Still Heard Nothing), Scarlet Sonata and her newest work Trois Voix. Ms Barton was also co-choreographer on Douglas Martin’s Nutcracker, which was presented to high acclaim for nine seasons throughout New Jersey by ARB.
Mary Barton has been a ballet faculty member at Princeton University and is currently an adjunct professor with the Rider University Music Theater Department.
Douglas Martin
Ballet - Coaching - Partnering - Choreography
Douglas Martin was among the last dancers of the Joffrey Ballet to spend the majority of his career in the company working under founder Robert Joffrey. This now extremely rare direct access to one of the most renowned ballet choreographers and teachers of the 20th century provided Mr. Martin with a uniquely valuable dance foundation that he has built upon for decades in his own career and can now pass on to students.
Mr. Martin began his ballet training at 16 with Francesca and Dimitri Romanoff at the San Jose Ballet School, after breaking his ankle playing in a high school football game. At 18, he was one of only six young male dancers selected to study at the newly formed Mikhail Baryshnikov program at the American Ballet Theatre School studying with Patricia Wilde, John Prinz and Valentina Periaslavic. In 1982 he joined the Joffrey II dancers, touring extensively throughout the US, under the direction of Sally Brayley Bliss and Maria Grandy. He was invited to join the Joffrey Ballet NY/LA in 1984, where, as a principal dancer, he performed roles in ballets by Ashton, Arpino, Balanchine, Cranko, Forsythe, Goh, Joffrey, Kudelka, Loring, Massine, Pendleton, Taylor and many other great 20th century choreographers. Mr. Martin was featured in performances of “Dance in America” on PBS and was an original cast member of the historic recreation of Nijinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps.
In 1991 Douglas Martin joined the Cleveland Ballet and danced an array of principal roles, including the Minister in Agnes de Mille’s Fall River Legend. In 1993, Mr. Martin was invited to join the American Repertory Ballet (ARB). As leading dancer and Ballet Master for ARB, he collaborated with several ARB directors in creating ballets, including productions as the original cast lead in Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, The Dream and The Nutcracker. Mr. Martin continued to be a principal dancer in the company, as well as Ballet Master for ARB and ARBW and a Principal Faculty member at Princeton Ballet School, until his retirement from performing in 2002.
Mr. Martin then greatly expanded his teaching, production and choreographic work. He was an integral part of the teaching staff at the Princeton Ballet School, Rutgers University and Westminster Choir College, and also served as the Music Director and ARB Ballet Master. He staged full-length ballet on several companies including Septime Webre’s Romeo and Juliet, Fluctuating Hemlines and Philip Jerry’s Our Town.
In 2010, Mr. Martin became Artistic Director of American Repertory Ballet. During that time he choreographed several new works including Ephemeral Possessions, Rite of Spring, Firebird, and full-length works including Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Coppelia and the world premiere of his full-length Jane Austen-inspired Pride and Prejudice.
During Mr. Martin’s tenure, ARB produced and commissioned 27 premieres, including 19 world premieres. Additionally, he annually staged and directed one of four Princeton Ballet School spring productions, including Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Don Quixote and Coppelia.
Principal dancer, company director, respected choreographer and successful teacher, Douglas Martin is dedicated to dance and to bringing out the full potential of dancers at all levels. Students guided by him and by Mary Barton are currently performing with New York City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Ballet West, Pittsburgh Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Ballet Met and many other companies across US and Europe.
