Sarah Hairston

Sarah Hairston
Charleston, SC
Joined 2001

Sarah Hairston, a native of Charleston, South Carolina, joined Cincinnati Ballet in 2001. Ms. Hairston was promoted to Soloist in 2006 and to Senior Soloist in 2009. In 2010, Ms. Hairston was promoted to Principal Dancer following her success as Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty.

Before joining Cincinnati Ballet she danced with Boston Ballet. Ms. Hairston's ballet training includes Calvert Brodie School of Dance under Ann Brodie, North Carolina School of the Arts under Melissa Hayden and Warren Conover, and Boston Ballet under Tatiana Legat and Devon Carney.

During the summer of 1998, Ms. Hairston was selected to study with the Hungarian National Ballet in Budapest, Hungary.

Some of Ms. Hairston's favorite roles include Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Marie in Val Caniparoli's Nutcracker, the principal role in Val Caniparoli's Lambarena, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Coquette in Balanchine's La Sonnambula, Giselle in Giselle, Emeralds in Balanchine's Jewels, Mina Murray in Dracula, Adam Hougland's Mozart's Requiem, the Principal couple from Theme and Variations, and the Princess in Adam Hougland's Firebird, and the principal couple from Jessica Lang's For Always, Forever.

Every summer, Ms. Hairston enjoys dancing for the Cincinnati Opera. During the summer of 2007, Ms. Hairston was invited to dance the Temple solo in Cincinnati Opera's production of Aida. Ms. Hairston was also invited by Victoria Morgan to dance Winter Fairy from Cinderella with Ballet Hawaii. Ms. Hairston is a teacher in the Otto M. Budig Academy and also a teacher at the Annaliese Von Oettingen School of Ballet.

Ms. Hairston credits her family and teacher Ann Brodie for being an inspiration in her life. When she is not dancing, she enjoys spending time with her dog, Dakota.

“Being a principal is not just about superior facility, technique, natural ability and determination. Sarah has all of that and more: a strong sense of confidence,” says Victoria Morgan, Cincinnati Ballet CEO and Artistic Director. “Watching her dance, you can see her thoughtfulness and consistency. She imbues every movement with value and importance, reaching deeper to perfect her technique.”

2012/2013 Dancer Fellowship Sponsors: Dr. Robert & Suzanne Hasl
The Dancer Fellowship is a fundraising campaign that allows individuals the opportunity to sponsor a company dancer. To learn more, click here.

For more on Sarah, click here

Photo credit: Peter Mueller, The Sleeping Beauty