Anthony Jones has been named the new school director for The School of Ballet Arizona, according to a press release issued by Ballet Arizona on Wednesday, January 3.
The School of Ballet Arizona is the official school for Ballet Arizona, which was founded in 1986. Ib Andersen serves as artistic director. Four of 29 dancers in the 2017-18 company completed some or all of their training at The School.
The school is housed at Ballet Arizona's Phoenix facility, located at Washington and 29th streets. Tuition varies by level and number of classes taken. A six-week summer intensive, for example, costed $2,256 for upper-division students 11 and older in 2017.
Jones will be responsible for the school’s full range of classical ballet training, which includes school-year and summer programs, as well as the Studio company comprising pre-professional dancers. Currently, the school has 250 students and 23 teaching faculty.
He replaces Carlos Valcárcel, who served as school director for six years before joining the English National Ballet School in London as director of dance. He left The School of Ballet Arizona on October 31, 2017. Under Valcárcel's leadership, the school created the Studio Company and became one of a select group of American schools authorized to accept international students.
Previously, Jones was school director for the Oregon Ballet Theatre School. He was also a member of the classical faculty for Palucca University for Dance in Dresden, Germany, as well as Ridgefield Conservatory for Dance in Connecticut.
Jones began his dance training at the school for Minnesota Dance Theatre in Minneapolis, then progressed to professional training with the National Ballet School in Toronto and the School of American Ballet.
The School of American Ballet is affiliated with the New York City Ballet. While there, Jones studied under Stanley Williams, Andrei Kramarevsky, and Richard Rapp.
Jones danced professionally with Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle from 2000 to 2006, where he rose to the rank of soloist.
Jones will start his new role at The School of Ballet Arizona on February 12.