Julie Kent

Julie Kent (born Julie Cox, 1969) She became co-artistic director at the Houston Ballet in July 2023.

Early life She was born Julie Cox in Bethesda, Maryland. Her father was a nuclear physicist and her mother, who is from New Zealand, was a ballet dancer and later flight attendant. She started ballet at age eight. She took the stage name Julie Kent at the suggestion of Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Career

Kent joined the American Ballet Theatre in 1985, as an apprentice. The following year, she competed at the Prix de Lausanne, and was the only American to win any medal that year. Later that year, she became a member of the corps de ballet. In 1990, Kent was promoted to soloist. In 1993, she was named principal dancer, she also became the first American to win the Erik Bruhn Prize that year. In 2000, she received the Prix Benois de la Danse, and is the first American to win the prize.

In 2015, Kent retired from dancing. Her farewell performance was Romeo and Juliet, with Roberto Bolle as her Romeo. Having danced with ABT for 29 years, she is the longest-serving principal dancer in the company's history. Following her retirement, she became the artistic director of ABT's summer program, with over 1,000 students training in various locations across the country.

In March 2016, The Washington Ballet announced Kent would assume the role of artistic director, succeeding Septime Webre.

In October 2022, it was announced that Kent was set to leave Washington Ballet at the end of the 2022-23 season. In July 2023, she became an artistic director at the Houston Ballet, alongside current artistic director Stanton Welch.

Selected repertoire Kent's repertoire with the American Ballet Theatre includes:

Awards First place in the regional finals of the National Society of Arts and Letters, 1985 A medal at Prix de Lausanne, 1986 Erik Bruhn Prize, 1993 - first American winner Prix Benois de la Danse, 2000 - first American winner Honorary Doctorate of Performing Arts from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award from Dance Magazine, 2012 Source:

In Nicholas Hytner's 2000 film Center Stage she played principal dancer Kathleen Donahue, with original choreography by Susan Stroman. The film also stars her ABT colleagues Ethan Stiefel and Sascha Radetsky.

Personal life Kent is married to Victor Barbee, former ABT Principal Dancer and Associate Artistic Director, and former Washington Ballet Associate Artistic Director. They have two children, Josephine and William.