Orlando Ballet (Website) has just announced that Artistic Director Robert Hill has resigned.
Hill danced with American Ballet Theatre until he was 41 before taking a year off to be a guest dancer in Monterrey, Mexico, where he was contacted by the board of Orlando Ballet to interview for the position of Artistic Director. He was hired and remained with the company for the past 13 years – you can read more about his history HERE in a previous interview we shared on Bungalower.com.
Hill shared the following statement with staff, donors, and the board which was shared with Bungalower via a prepared press statement.
“Gratitude – a word I use so often is what I express to everyone in the Orlando Ballet family and community. I am incredibly grateful for the 13 wonderful years leading the organization. Creativity and leadership can be exhausting, especially when combined with recovering from a full knee replacement. After 13 years, with the company in such great shape, with incredible artists, faculty, staff and Board, now is the time to take some time off. I look forward to having time to focus on my recovery and to moving forward. Thank you all for your endless love and support.”
– ROBERT HILL, FORMER ARTISTIC DIRECTOR ORLANDO BALLET
Jorden Morris, the current Choreographer-in-Residence, has been appointed as Guest Artistic Director for the current 2021-22 season, an appointment that was apparently unanimously approved by the Orlando Ballet Board of Directors. The Board has already appointed a search committee to conduct a worldwide search to find Hill’s replacement, ideally before they celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2024.
Former Orlando Ballet dancer, Sebastian Serra, who will perform the role of Braulio in Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story,” scheduled for release in December 2021, took to Instagram to share the following messages about the announcement.
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