Company

Parren Ballard is a graduate of the Alabama School of Fine Arts, where he trained with Dame Sonia Arova and Thor Sutowski. He began his professional career at the age of seventeen with Cincinnati Ballet before embarking on an international performing career spanning more than twenty years. As a soloist, he performed leading roles with Basel Ballet, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, English National Ballet, and Houston Ballet.

Following his performing career, Mr. Ballard devoted himself to the training and development of young dancers. As a faculty member of Boston Ballet School, he taught numerous students who went on to join distinguished companies, including Boston Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, English National Ballet, Houston Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada, the Royal Swedish Ballet, Zurich Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Ballet West, Orlando Ballet, Sarasota Ballet, and Kansas City Ballet.

Mr. Ballard has also served as a guest teacher for Atlanta Ballet, Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, and Pittsburgh Ballet. As a private coach, he has prepared prize winners for the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland, the USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, the World Ballet Competition in Orlando, and the International Dance Festival in Berlin.

He later served as Rehearsal Director with Compañía Nacional de Danza in Madrid, Spain, where he taught company class and coached the principal dancers. Most recently, he taught in the Trainee Program at The Washington School of Ballet.

Mr. Ballard is pleased to join Rhode Island Ballet as Artistic Faculty, where he looks forward to sharing the breadth of his professional performance and teaching experience while helping to prepare the next generation of artists.