Birmingham News November 1, 2012

Former Alabama Ballet director Wes Chapman lands artistic position at Ballet San Jose

By Michael Huebner | mhuebner@al.com 
on November 01, 2012 at 9:46 AM, updated November 01, 2012 at 10:07 AM

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Wes Chapman

Former Alabama Balletartistic director Wes Chapman will fill the position of artistic consultant for Ballet San Jose in California, according to a San Francisco Chronicle story.

Chapman, who led the Birmingham-based company from 1996 to 2006, is from Union Springs and graduated from Alabama School of Fine Arts. He joined the corps de ballet of American Ballet Theatre in 1984 and was promoted to soloist and principal dancer, where he danced in works by George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, Fredrick Ashton, Twyla Tharp, Mark Morris, Merce Cunningham, Antony Tudor and others. He also created roles in Clark Tippet’s "Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1" and Tharp’s "The Elements."

At Alabama Ballet, Chapman grew the company from 16 to 44 apprentices and professional dancers and established the Alabama Ballet School. During his tenure, he established ties with the George Balanchine Trust, and the company became one of six companies licensed to perform Balanchine's "The Nutcracker," the version still perform every year. He returned to American Ballet Theatre in 2006 to become artistic director of ABT II (later called ABT Studio Company), a company of 12 young dancers in training for the main company or other ballet companies.

In 2009, Chapman became an artistic adviser for the animated PBS program, "Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps," based on children's books by Katharine Holabird and Helen Craig.

Wes Chapman dances with Deidre Carberry in a 1989 American Ballet Theatre performance of Frederick Ashton's "Les Rendezvous."

''It's charming and creative,'' Chapman told the Birmingham News in 2010. ''All of the story lines have a good message, about friendship, doing the right thing, or something that's important in a kid's development.''

Starting with February productions, Chapman will guide "Don Quixote," and programs featuring the work of Frederick Ashton, Merce Cunningham and Jessica Lang.

"I want to give the company a new identity by performing different choreographers," Chapman told the San Francisco Chronicle. "Ashton is one of them."