MARGO SAPPINGTON

International choreographer/director, a Texan, began her professional career, hand-picked by Robert Joffrey for his company in New York at the age of 17. She performed on Broadway in shows choreographed by Bob Fosse and Michael Bennett, and then began her choreographic career at age 21 with the show “Oh! Calcutta!” in which she also performed in New York, Los Angeles, London and the film. She has created works for ballet, opera and theater companies throughout the USA and Canada, South America, Europe, China and Kazakhstan.

Always interested in integrating ballet and popular music, her musical collaborators have included Michael Kamen, Prince, Indigo Girls, and even spoken word by William Shatner. The dance companies for which she has created works include, Joffrey Ballet, (New York/Chicago), Pennsylvania Ballet, Houston Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Carolina Ballet, Oklahoma City Ballet, New Jersey Ballet, Cleveland Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and Ballets Jazz de Montreal. Abroad she has created for Ballet du Capitole, Ballet du Nord, Ballet de Bordeaux (France), ATERballetto (Italy), Ballet Nuevo Mundo and Rajatabla Danza (Venezuela), and Nederland Dans Theater. Margo was the first American choreographer to create a new work for the National Ballet of China (Beijing) and an original full-length ballet for the Abai Opera and Ballet Theater, Almaty, Kazakhstan.

From 1995-99 she shared artistic direction of Ballet: The Daring Project with ballerina Valentina Kozlova. The company of 10 elite dancers presented her works across the U.S. and in Italy plus 3 seasons at The Joyce Theater in New York City. Margo has choreographed 4 Broadway shows (Tony and Drama Desk nominations), created the ballets for 3 grand opera simulcasts, “Live from the San Francisco Opera”, and worked on numerous music videos and commercials.

Margo, currently on the faculty of the Joffrey Ballet School in New York teaching contemporary pointe in the pre-professional trainee program, will be a Jury member in VKIBC's newly created Free Style category.