Ryan Martin (born June 28, 1973, in

Alameda, California Alameda ( ; ; Spanish for "Avenue (landscape), tree-lined path") is a city in Alameda County, California, United States, located in the East Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), East Bay region of the Bay Area. The city is built on an informal archipe ...

) is an American ballet dancer, ballet teacher and artistic director. He was the first American male to study at the

Vaganova Academy The Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet is a school of classical ballet in St Petersburg, Russia. Established in 1738 during the reign of Empress Anna, the academy was known as the Imperial Ballet School until the Soviet era, when, after a brief hi ...

in St. Petersburg, Russia, and the first male American student to receive a scholarship to train there.

Career

After graduating from the Vaganova Academy, Martin danced with the Yacobsen Ballet/Choreographic Miniatures in St. Petersburg Russia. He danced with the Semper Opera Ballet in

Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

for five years. He was a principal dancer with the

Tulsa Ballet Tulsa Ballet is a professional American ballet company located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The artistic mission of Tulsa Ballet is "To preserve the tradition of classical ballet, promote the appreciation of contemporary dance, create works of superior and ...

, and

Milwaukee Ballet The Milwaukee Ballet is a professional ballet company founded by Roberta Boorse of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. It is located in Milwaukee, and is currently run by Michael Pink, the artistic director. History The Milwaukee Ballet was fou ...

. He retired from the Milwaukee Ballet in 2015. Ryan Martin currently teaches and choreographs. He received his teaching certification from Janet L. Springer, a ballet pedagogue and executive director of Classical Dance Alliance.

Early life

In his early years, Ryan Martin received his ballet training at Old Dominion University Ballet under Istvan Ament. As a teen, he studied with the

National Ballet School Canada's National Ballet School, also commonly known as the National Ballet School of Canada, is a classical ballet school located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Along with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, it is a provider of professional ballet t ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, before attending the

. Martin graduated from the Vaganova Academy in 1993.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Ryan 20th-century American ballet dancers Living people American ballet teachers American artistic directors 1973 births 21st-century American ballet dancers People from Alameda, California