Keith Roberts, a former principal dancer with American Ballet Theater, has been named a ballet master, Kevin McKenzie, the theater’s artistic director announced Thursday. The appointment is effective this September.
Mr. Roberts, 43, trained at the North Carolina School of the Arts and the School of American Ballet, and joined American Ballet Theater in 1987 as a member of the corps de ballet. He was promoted to soloist in 1992, becoming principal dancer in 1997. Mr. Roberts appeared in both classical roles and contemporary works with a range of major choreographers, including Mark Morris, Twyla Tharp, Paul Taylor, Lar Lubovitch, Jiri Kylian, John Neumeier, Nacho Duato and Merce Cunningham. Mr. Roberts made his Broadway debut in Matthew Bourne’s 1998 production of “Swan Lake.†Other Broadway appearances include the production of “Fosse†from 2000, and two Tharp works: “Movin’ Out “(2002), which earned him a Tony Award nomination; and “Come Fly Away†(2010).
As a repetiteur, he has staged works at American Ballet Theater, Bolshoi Ballet, Boston Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and Corella Ballet Castilla y Leon, among others. In 2008, Roberts was the assistant choreographer for Ms. Tharp’s “Rabbit and Rogue†at American Ballet Theater. Mr. Roberts was the ballet’s guest ballet master for the 2012-13 season, and has taught at the ballet’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
