BalletFranklin, the ballet conservatory at the Franklin School for the Performing Arts (FSPA), is thrilled to announce Russell Clarke as their new Director. Clarke was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland. He received his ballet training at the Royal Ballet School in London. During his time at the Royal Ballet School he performed with the Royal Ballet Company in productions that included The Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake. Clarke joined Ballet Arizona in 2007 and performed principal roles in Don Quixote, Christopher Wheeldon’s Polyphonia, Twyla Tharp’s The Golden Section, George Balanchine’s Movements for Piano and Orchestra, La Valse, La Sonnambula, The Four Temperaments, and Ib Andersen’s Play, 1052, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Mosaik, Symphonie Classique, and The Nutcracker. Clarke received critical acclaim for the role of the Poet in George Balanchine’s La Sonnambula and was praised by the New York Times for the role of Phlegmatic in Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments. Clarke originated a principal role in Andersen’s Diversions, which was seen on the Kennedy Center Stage in June 2010. In Clarke’s final season with Ballet Arizona he originated the principal role in Ib Andersen’s world premiere of Cinderella, which received critical acclaim. After retiring from Ballet Arizona, Clarke went on to direct the Community Dance Academy at Walnut Hill School for the Arts for four years. He is currently an Associate Professor at The Boston Conservatory at Berklee and Professor of Dance at Dean College. Clarke began teaching at FSPA in 2023. 

Current BalletFranklin Director Cheryl Madeux will assume the role of Artistic Advisor for the ballet conservatory program. Madeux received her training at the Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts. She has enjoyed a long professional career, dancing with such venerable companies as the Joffrey Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and principal dancer with the Hartford Ballet under the direction of Kirk Peterson. Madeux performed extensively throughout the United States and Europe and has been coached by such ballet luminaries as Igor Youskevitch and Eleanor D’Antuono. 

BalletFranklin is proud to incorporate American Ballet Theatre’s National Training Curriculum, a high-quality level-based program with age-appropriate technique backed by a comprehensive approach to child development and dancer health. Introduced in 2010 by Cheryl Madeux, who is currently an ABT examiner, the ballet conservatory at FSPA promotes a positive atmosphere of learning while challenging and preparing each student for their goals in the arts.

For more information, prospective students and families are encouraged to visit balletfranklin.com, call (508) 528-8668, or stop by the studios at FSPA. BalletFranklin is located at the Franklin School for the Performing Arts at 38 Main Street, Franklin MA.  Follow BalletFranklin on Instagram (@balletfranklin) and Facebook.