Birmingham, AL (February 17, 2023) – Alabama Ballet is announcing the retirement of their Artistic Director & CEO Tracey Alvey following the conclusion of their 22-23 Season. After sixteen years as Artistic Director, Alvey will retire following Alabama Ballet’s final season production, Coppélia, in June of this year.
Tracey Alvey joined the Alabama Ballet artistic team as Ballet Mistress in 2005 and, in 2007, was named Artistic Director. She has proved to be the driving force behind the exceptional quality of the company’s dancers and has been committed to the continuing excellence of the company and school. As Artistic Director & CEO Alvey introduced major works to the company such as Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room, Jiri Kylian’s Sechs Tänze, Dennis Nahat’s Blue Suede Shoes, Christopher Bruce’s Rooster, and Agnes De Mille’s Rodeo, and has continued to bring classical ballets such as Giselle, Swan Lake, and Don Quixote to the stage.
Under her direction, Alvey has continued a long-standing relationship with The Balanchine Trust® to stage George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® for twenty consecutive years. Each year, Alvey works with Balanchine Trust Repetiteur, Darla Hoover, to stage the holiday classic and to keep the production up to the Balanchine standard. With a community cast of over 100 children, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker® is unique to other Nutcracker productions and loved by many. The company is one of only eight companies in the world to have gained license to perform George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®. Alvey’s directorship has played an essential role in the long-term continuation of Alabama Ballet’s holiday production and relationship with the trust.
Alvey also served as Director of the Alabama Ballet School where she introduced the prestigious Royal Academy of Dance syllabus to the school and attended extensive R.A.D. training workshops to gain the school certification. The R.A.D. is a London-based world leader in dance education and training. For over 100 years, they have forged an international network of dance teachers and a community of more than 400,000 students in more than 80 countries. Under the Direction of Tracey Alvey, the Alabama Ballet School follows the Royal Academy of Dance curriculum. Each Spring Semester, Alabama Ballet Students undergo R.A.D. Exams in which a representative from the organization will assess their training. The acquisition of this program has immensely improved the quality of training at Alabama Ballet School. They are currently the only R.A.D. accredited ballet school in the state of Alabama.
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