Susan Jaffe Wants to Build a New Era at American Ballet Theater

Jaffe, who was born in Washington D.C. and danced for 22 years with Ballet Theater, worked as a choreographer and educator after retiring from the stage in 2002. She served as dean of dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts from 2012 to 2020, before she was named artistic director of Pittsburgh Ballet Theater.

At American Ballet Theater, she took over from the artistic director Kevin McKenzie, who led the company for three decades. McKenzie, too, inherited a company in trouble, which he helped put back on a healthy financial path.

Critics argued that the company, with a budget of about $51 million, had grown artistically staid, with some exceptions, like Ratmansky. But Ballet Theater has maintained an impressive slate of dancers, including stars like Boylston, Misty Copeland, Herman Cornejo and James Whiteside, even as it moves away from importing the big-name dancers who for so long gave the company its glamorous profile.

When Jaffe joined, the company was still reeling from the pandemic, which forced the cancellation of two seasons and cost the company millions of dollars in anticipated ticket revenue and touring fees. Ballet Theater’s subscriber base, which has traditionally been an important source of income, was also eroding; it fell to 2,516 in the most recent season, from 6,251 in 2018-19.

Not long into Jaffe’s tenure, Rollé, Ballet Theater’s chief executive and executive director, resigned after just 17 months on the job. Her departure, coming a week before the start of the summer season, left Ballet Theater scrambling. But Jaffe helped bring stability.

“The company rallied around her, emotionally, spiritually and financially,” said Andrew F. Barth, chairman of Ballet Theater’s board. “We’re ready for the new era.”