Inside Vermont Ballet Theater

Dance is the oldest art form in the history of humankind. The strength, grace, balance and expression of dancers brings to life ancient and modern stories, universal emotion and wisdom. Dancers train with focus and passion.

Artistic Leadership: VBT’s dancers are privileged to train and perform under the direction of President and Artistic Director, Alexander Nagiba, and Associate Director, Kirsten Nagiba.

Alexander Nagiba - Artistic Director
VBT was founded by Alexander Nagiba, its President and Artistic Director. Raised in the former Soviet Union, Alex brings thirty years of superior performance, teaching, choreographic, and production experience to Vermont. He has performed at the Bolshoi, Kirov and Kremlin Opera Houses, and in the U.S. with American Ballet Theater II, and as a soloist with Pittsburgh Ballet Theater. He has performed a wide range of classical and contemporary ballets. Alex’s resume includes soloist and principal roles in Giselle, Swan Lake, Don Quioxte, and Sleeping Beauty, as well as a Balanchine repertoire that included Four Temperaments, Rubies and Symphony in C. Alex was best known for his dramatic, artistic and technically proficient performances most powerfully demonstrated in his portrayals of the title character in Balanchine's Prodigal Son, as Mercutio and Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Puck in A Midsummer's Night Dream and in a role originally created for Baryshnikov, the male lead in Choo San Goh's Configurations. In 1996, Alex won the first annual Excellence in Arts award for dance from Pittsburgh Magazine. Alex was chosen to record Square Dance for the Balanchine video archive, a program established to leave a lasting record of the greatest works of this master choreographer. Alex's goal is to continue the high quality of education at VBT and VBTS, and to lead his students and the company toward a professional standard while teaching them artistry, integrity, and a lifelong love of dance.

Kirsten Quinn Nagiba – Associate Artistic Director
Kirsten Quinn Nagiba was raised and received her ballet training in Boston. She was a member of Boston Ballet II, Omaha Ballet, and Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, dancing a full classical repertoire, performing corps de ballet, soloist, and principal roles. She spent much of her career dancing in the works of George Balanchine including Serenade, Concerto Barocco, Square Dance, Four Temperaments, Theme and Variations, Jewels and many others. Her roles include Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake Pas de Trois, Giselle Peasant Pas, Calliope in Apollo, Bianca from Cranko’s Taming of the Shrew and the Dew Drop and Sugar Plum Fairy from The Nutcracker. Her twenty years of experience dancing diverse roles and styles are an invaluable resource to young dancers. After her retirement, Kirsten earned a degree in interior design from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. In addition to her commitments at VBT and VBTS, she is also the mother of two and is involved with ONE: the campaign to end poverty , where she was instrumental in the Burlington City Council passing a resolution declaring the city of Burlington a city of ONE.

VBT Company: Company dancers have been accepted to the most prestigious schools with full scholarships, including American Ballet Theater, New York City Ballet's School of American Ballet, Houston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet.

Management: VBT is co-managed by Alex Nagiba and Betsy Walkerman, Managing Director, with Alex focused on performances and collaborative relationships and Betsy devoted to the organization’s strategic development.

Betsy J. Walkerman, Managing Director: Betsy Walkerman, founder of Headwaters Strategy, LLC, has extensive background in both entrepreneurship and non-profit development. A lawyer by training, Betsy specializes in entrepreneurial strategy and technology licensing, and has been involved in launching or expanding fifteen companies over the past ten years. From 1981 to 1993, she served as Chief Financial Officer, General Counsel, and Vice President of Strategic Development at Aspen Technology, Inc. Prior to law school, Betsy worked in the public sector, focusing on energy and transportation policy. She has been an officer and board member of several non-profit organizations, most recently co-chairing the successful fund-raising for highly visible land conservation projects for the Jericho Underhill Land Trust. Betsy is a life-long dancer.

Volunteers: VBT’s work would not be possible without the dedication of dozens of volunteers who:

• Design and sew costumes
• Design and build sets
• Provide logistics services
• Handle ticket sales and ushering
• Sell program advertising
• Provide graphics and web site services
• Provide database expertise
• Provide legal and tax expertise

Great appreciation is extended to parents and relatives of VBT dancers for providing their transportation to rehearsals and performances and assisting with the endless logistics. It truly takes a community.