PH-born Stella Abrera named artistic director of American Ballet Theatre school

American Ballet Theatre’s Stella Abrera. ABT

NEW YORK – Stella Abrera, former principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, has been named Acting Artistic Director of the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, effective August 22.

Kevin McKenzie, artistic director of American Ballet Theatre, announced Abrera’s appointment. Abrera has served as artistic director of Kaatsbaan Cultural Park in Tivoli, New York since June 2020, following a 24-year performing career with ABT.

As acting artistic director of the ABT JKO School for the 2022-23 academic year, Abrera will oversee all artistic aspects of the school’s Children’s Division, Pre-Professional Division, and National Training Curriculum.

“It is an honor to succeed Cynthia Harvey, whose illustrious career as a ballerina, educator, and leader I have long admired,” said Abrera. “I look forward to bringing to this post my passion for nurturing new generations of dancers and my understanding of ABT’s rich history and new imperatives. Through a robust and well-rounded curriculum, world-class instruction, and an environment in which students can explore their own artistic voices, I will aim to advance the school’s tradition of excellence.”

Stella Abrera was the company’s first Filipina principal ballerina. In 1996 Abrera joined ABT at the age of 17 as an apprentice. ABT

Abrera was the company’s first Filipina principal ballerina. In 1996 Abrera joined ABT at the age of 17 as an apprentice. She was promoted into the Corps de Ballet three months later. She was promoted to Soloist in 2001.

The youngest of five children, Abrera was born in Manila. Shortly after her birth, her family moved back to the United States. Abrera began dancing at the age of five at a local school in Pasadena. Due to her father’s job as a civil engineer, her childhood was spent living all over the world in far-flung locations including Australia. In Sydney, she trained in the Royal Academy of Dance method at the Halliday Dance Centre.

In 1995, she traveled to London to compete at the Royal Academy of Dance’s Adeline Genée Awards, where she was awarded the Gold medal. There she was seen by Ross Stretton who offered her the opportunity to audition for American Ballet Theatre in New York.

In August 2015, she was appointed Principal Dancer. Her repertoire with ABT included leading and title roles in the major classical ballets and in works by leading choreographers of the 20th and 21st centuries, including George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Martha Graham, Lar Lubovitch, Mark Morris, Alexei Ratmansky, Jerome Robbins, Twyla Tharp, and Antony Tudor. She retired from performing in 2020.