Artistic Staff

adamsage

Adam Sage - Founder/Artistic Director

Adam Sage has enjoyed a three-decade performing, teaching, coaching and choreographic career that spanned four continents.

Mr. Sage most recently served as Artistic Director of Virginia School of the Arts after directing the School of Nashville Ballet for more than seven years, where he also served as Ballet Master and Company Teacher.

He began his twenty years on stage at the age of seventeen with the California Ballet in his hometown of San Diego, before moving on to dance with Ballet West, Ballet Memphis and as Guest Artist with Nashville Ballet. Internationally, he has danced with such companies as Hong Kong Ballet, Ballet Philippines, N.A.P.A.C. Dance Company and the National Dance Company of Bophuthatswana in South Africa.

Mr. Sage has performed principal roles in all the great classics, including Romeo & Juliet, Swan Lake, Giselle, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, La Bayadere, and Cinderella, and in works by dance luminaries such as John Cranko, Kenneth McMillan, George Balanchine, Ninnette de Valois and Frederick Ashton. He has had the honor of dancing at some of the most prestigious theatres in the world including the Opera House at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., The Hong Kong Cultural Center and in command performances at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Mr. Sage has coached dancers who have participated in the prestigious “Prix de Lausanne International Ballet Competition” in Switzerland as well as the “American Ballet Competition” in Miami, for which he served on the jury panel for the 2007 and 2008 competition. He was inducted into the “Who’s who among America’s Teachers” in 2005 and 2006 and the “National Honor Roll’s Outstanding American Teachers” in 2006 for his exemplary teaching and dedication to the youth of America.

Robert Philander Valentine ARAD, CMT - Ballet Master/Resident Choreographer

Mr. Philander began his formal training in Cape Town South Africa at the University Of Cape Town Ballet School under full scholarship. Upon early graduation he had completed his RAD exams and was taken into CAPAB Ballet under the direction of David Poole, rising to the status of Senior Artist.

Mr. Philander has been a Soloist with the NAPAC Dance Company in Durban South Africa, Hong Ballet, The National Dance Company of Bophuthatswana and Ballet Memphis. Over the span of his 18-year professional career he has performed on 3 continents in the classics as well as works by John Cranko, George Balanchine, Sir Fredrick Ashton, Kenneth McMillan, Val Caniparoli and Andre Prokovsky.

Mr. Philander has choreographed works for the Nashville Ballet, National Dance Company of Bophuthatswana, Nashville Ballet II, Springfield Ballet Company, Ballet Memphis, Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet, and School of Nashville Ballet, Virginia School of the Arts, Memphis Concert Ballet School and Douglas Anderson School of the Arts.

His most recent new work for Nashville Ballet, “Sunday Sunday”, was in collaboration with the gospel group, The Princely Players. This work was made possible by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and had its world premier at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

Robert served on the faculty of the School of Nashville Ballet for 8 years teaching in the upper/pre professional division. His guest teaching credits include the Washington State Ballet, Virginia School of the Arts, Springfield Ballet Company, Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet, Ballet Tyler, Memphis Classical Ballet, Memphis Concert Ballet School, Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, Randolph Macon College and Vanderbilt University.

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