Beth Bartholomew

Beth Bartholomew began her classical ballet training at the prestigious Enid Knapp
Botsford School of Dance in Rochester, NY, where she studied from ages 8–17, many
of those years on scholarship. She trained under world-renowned artists including
David Gayle (Royal Ballet), Lorenzo Monreal (Cuban National Ballet), Jurgen Schneider
(American Ballet Theatre Ballet Master and coach to Mikhail Baryshnikov and Natalia
Makarova), Luba Gulyaeva (Kirov Ballet), Woytec Lowski (Boston Ballet), Suzanne
Nash, and Dianne Lewis. Guest faculty included Madame Pereyaslavec, Patricia Wilde,
Fernando Bujones, and Mikhail Baryshnikov, as well as modern dance luminaries in
Graham and Horton techniques such as Miguel Lopez.

During some of these formative years, the Botsford School served as a satellite school
for American Ballet Theatre, under the Direction of Leon Danielian
(ABT school Director) and ABT Directors Lucia Chase and later Mikhail Baryshnikov,
while also maintaining connections with Boston Ballet under E. Virginia Williams.
Students regularly performed children’s roles in Boston Ballet’s Nutcracker at
Rochester’s Eastman Theater and shared the stage with ABT soloists and principals
who served as guest artists in Botsford School productions.

Beth continued her training at The Pennsylvania Ballet School under Barbara
Weisberger and Benjamin Harkarvy, studying extensively with the acclaimed Lupé
Serrano—whom she later worked with professionally at The Washington Ballet.
At age 18, she began her professional career in New York City with the Joffrey II
Dancers under Maria Grandy and Sally Bliss, quickly earning promotion to The Joffrey
Ballet. Over five seasons, she performed works by Robert Joffrey, Gerald Arpino, John
Cranko, Paul Taylor, Frederick Ashton, Anthony Tudor, Agnes de Mille, Vaslav Nijinsky,
James Kudelka, and Mark Morris.

Beth then joined The Washington Ballet under Mary Day and later Kevin McKenzie,
where she danced soloist and principal roles in works by George Balanchine, Choo
San Goh, Nils Christie, Ray Barra, Bronislava Nijinska, and Kevin McKenzie.
For the next ten seasons, Beth expanded her artistry at Scapino Ballet Rotterdam in
the Netherlands, performing innovative works by Georg Reischl, Anthony Rizzi, Inma
Rubio Tomas, Ederson Rodrigues Xavier, Ed Wubbe, Krisztina de Châtel, Thom Stuart,
Rinus Sprong, and LeineRoebana.

While teaching intermittently throughout her performing career, Beth formally
transitioned to dance education upon retiring from the stage. Returning to Rochester in
2004, she joined the faculty of the Timothy M. Draper Center for Dance Education and
was soon appointed Ballet Master for Rochester City Ballet under Jamey Leverett,
serving as Rehearsal Director for 19 years (2004–2023).
She has taught at Draper Center for over 21 years, leading classes in ballet, pointe,
variations, and conditioning, while coaching students in classical and contemporary
variations and solos for national and international competitions. She also stages and rehearses choreography for Draper’s Professional Trainee Program and Draper Center
students.

In higher education, Beth is currently an Adjunct Professor of Dance at Nazareth
University and has previously served in the same role at the University at Buffalo.
During her time in Europe, she earned her Gyrotonic Expansion System teaching
diploma and participated in freelance projects and choreographic festivals in both
Europe and the U.S., including the Laguna Dance Festival, Corbin Dances, and Conny
Janssen Danst.

Her guest teaching credits include Codarts (Rotterdam Academy, Netherlands), Neglia
Ballet Artists (Buffalo, NY), The Ballet Alliance Festival (Seattle, WA), New Albany Ballet
(Ohio), and the Otto M. Budig Academy of Cincinnati Ballet.