Daniel Duell, Artistic Director - Ballet Chicago

Founder and artistic director of Ballet Chicago, Daniel Duell is passionate about the pursuit of classicism in its purest form.  As a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet from 1979-1987, he performed a wide-ranging repertoire, dancing leading roles in the ballets of George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins, and Jacques d’Amboise, among others.  A Ford Foundation Scholarship recipient from the age of 13, he went on to train at the School of American Ballet at 16, and was invited to join NYCB at 19.  In addition to his fifteen years at NYCB, he was a featured guest artist for numerous companies nationwide and performed for several PBS Dance in America public television programs.  Duell has been choreographing since 1980 and has created works for Ballet Chicago, Ballet Hispanico of New York, Dayton Ballet, Harkness Dance Theatre, the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and the School of American Ballet.  He also collaborated with WTTW, Channel 11 in Chicago, to design two programs; the first, an Emmy Award winning special (outstanding cultural programming) on Ballet Chicago featuring two of Duell’s works, and the second entitled “Love in Four Acts”, a program showcasing four Chicago choreographers selected by Duell.

Duell conducts master classes and guest teaches in both the United States and Europe.  He is a frequent lecturer on ballet, music, and the arts and serves on several not-for-profit boards and advisory boards.  He was awarded the 2000 Ruth Page Award from the Chicago Dance Community for Artistic Direction of the Ballet Chicago Studio Company. In addition to staging Balanchine works for Ballet Chicago, Mr. Duell has staged Apollo for the Milwaukee Ballet, Concerto Barocco and Valse-Fantaisie for Gem City Ballet in Dayton, Ohio, and Apollo and Valse- Fantaisie for the Channel Islands Ballet in Ventura, California. Most recently, Mr. Duell completed a special guest teaching engagement at the School of American Ballet in January 2007.

Patricia Blair, Director of The School of Ballet Chicago

Patricia Blair was born in New York City, began studying ballet at the age of 7 and began her performing career at 17. Having always had a great love for teaching, she initially started by working with young children when she was only 15 years old.   In 1979 she joined the Eglevsky Ballet, under the direction of Edward Villella and then Michael Vernon.  In 1984, while still dancing full time with the company, she became one of the company’s Ballet Mistresses, and began rehearsing repertoire and teaching company classes. Throughout her years at Eglevsky Ballet she remained an active teacher in NY, teaching at the Harkness House for Ballet Arts, and at Steps.  She also sought to diversify her performing experiences.  During company off seasons, she was a guest artist for many NY choreographers, danced in musical theatre productions across the US and on Broadway, and briefly entered the LA movie world with Pavanne for a Dying Princess, a solo dance film created especially for her. She came to Chicago in 1987 upon the recommendation of Balanchine repetiteur Victoria Simon.  She staged several ballets for the company’s fall season, after which Artistic Director Daniel Duell invited her to move to Chicago and join his artistic team.  She was the Ballet Mistress for Chicago City Ballet, then Ballet Chicago until 1995 when she was appointed Director of the School of Ballet Chicago.

Ms. Blair is highly committed to the training and artistic education of dancers.  In addition to her work with the School of Ballet Chicago and the Ballet Chicago Studio Company, she gives master classes throughout the region and has been a guest teacher for Pacific Northwest Ballet School in Seattle, Washington and Gem City Ballet in Dayton, Ohio.  Ms. Blair has a lifelong love for the ballets of George Balanchine.  She deeply appreciates both the privilege of having performed his ballets and the joy of passing them on to younger dancers. She has been responsible for a large body of repertoire at Ballet Chicago, and in early Spring 2007 she staged Mr. Balanchine’s Serenade for the St. Louis Ballet.  In May 2007 Ms. Blair had the honor of guest teaching at the School of American Ballet.