Roanoke, VA – May 7, 2025. Southwest Virginia Ballet is pleased to announce Laurence Blake as the Company’s next artistic director following long-time Artistic Director Pedro Szalay’s retirement at the end of the current season.
Laurence Blake (Educator/Choreographer), a native of Southwest Virginia, is a graduate of the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem, NC. He has danced professionally with the Agnes DeMille Heritage Dance Theater, the North Carolina Dance Theater, The Joffrey II Dancers, and The Joffrey Ballet. He has taught both nationally and internationally with the most notable at the BalletKadiem in Stockholm, Sweden; Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA; University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ; Governors Magnet School of the Arts, Norfolk, VA; Orange County High School of the Arts, Los Alamitos, CA; Regional Dance America/ Pacific Festival, Bremerton, WA; the Conservatory of Performing Arts, Pasadena, CA; Nevada Ballet Theater; Island Moving Company, Newport, Rhode Island; and at CalArts, Valencia, CA, where he served as Assistant, Associate and Interim Dean of the Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance. While Resident Choreographer for the Los Angeles Chamber Ballet, he received nominations for the Lester Horton Award for Outstanding Choreography for his ballets “TUNNEL”, “BLACK ANGELS” and “THE NUTCRACKER”. Laurence also served as Associate Artistic Director of the Pasadena Dance Theater where his ballet “HOLBERG SUITE” was awarded the National Choreography Plan Award ‘97. Following his retirement, Laurence chose to move back home to Virginia’s Blue Ridge where he has continued his involvement in the arts through his classes at Star City School of Ballet.
Southwest Virginia Ballet is a regional, pre-professional youth ballet company, celebrating 34 years in the Roanoke Valley. Recognized locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally for excellence in classical dance, costuming, and instruction, Southwest Virginia Ballet continues to “Move Stories Beyond Words” leaving audiences in awe of the amazing talent showcased by the youth of Southwest Virginia. Over the years more than 115,000 people have enjoyed SVB performances of The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Romeo and Juliet, Coppelia, Firebird, Snowmaiden, Graduation Ball, Paquita, Peter and the Wolf, TIES and other original works. SVB dancers perform in full-length productions, community fairs and festivals, corporate and private events, and educational programs. Today their alumni are dancing professionally across the United States and Europe.