Carla Stallings Lippert

17 Feb Carla Stallings Lippert

Carla Stallings began her training with Marguerite Phares in Sacramento, CA. As a member of the Theater Ballet Association, a student company directed my Mrs. Phares she attended Regional Dance America’s Pacific Regional Festival for many years. Through the Festival Carla was awarded scholarships to New York City Ballet’s School of American Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre School. She also spent many summers training and working with William Martin Viscount in Fort Worth, TX.

These opportunities led to her joining American Ballet Theatre’s second company and then as an apprentice in the company. She entered the corps de ballet under Jucia Chase with Mikhail Baryshnikov’s Nutcracker. Within a short time she began performing soloist roles such as Competition Girls in Graduation Ball, Salvation Army Lady in Anthony Tudor’s Undertow, Big Swans in Swan Lake and later Dark Elegies, First and Third Variations in Natalia Makarova’s La Bayadere Act II, stand out Corps and Soloist in Hal Landers Etudes, Principal in Balanchine’s Bourrée Fantastique, Mother of the Bride and Groom in Jeremy Robbins’ Les Noces, Myrta in Giselle, Benvolio’s Harlot in Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet, 3rd Movement soloist in his Concerto, Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty and Fairy Godmother in Baryshnikov/Anastos’ Cinderella. She was promoted to soloist by Mikhail Baryshnikov after winning the Bronze Medal at the Jackson International Ballet Competition.

Carla went on to join Boston Ballet as a Principal Dancer. Her repertoire included Odette/Odile in Swan Lake; Giselle and Myrta in Giselle; The Ballerina in Etudes; Sugarplum Fairy, Spanish, Arabian, and Dew Drop in the Nutcracker; The Sylph in La Sylphide; The Maiden in Maurice Bejart’s Sacre du Printemps; The Other Woman in Anthony Tudor’s Jardin Aux Lilas; and many more. She also had the pleasure of working with many up-and-coming choreographers such as Ralph Lemon, Monica Levy, and James Kudelka when they competed in Boston Ballet’s International Choreographers Competition.

During her career Carla had the privilege of touring with Mikhail Baryshnikov, performing Balanchine’s Sylvia Pas de Deux, with Rudolph Nureyev, performing Calliope in Balanchine’s Apollo, and with Fernando Bujones, performing Odette/Odile in Swan Lake.

Having been given so much by ballet, Ms. Stallings feels called to give back to the art form through teaching at schools and summer programs across the nation. She takes special joy in coaching dancers in the classical repertoire and helping them reach their personal best both artistically and technically.

Carla is an American Ballet Theatre Certified Teacher for Pre-Primary through Level VII. She coordinated American Ballet Theatre’s summer intensive program in Tuscaloosa, AL for 12 years (until it stopped due to Covid), where she also taught, set repertoire, and choreographed.

She recently renewed her connection to Regional Dance America, adjudicating the Pacific Northwest Region in 2021/22 and the Northeast Region in 2023. She will also be a Master Teacher for their 2023 Southwest Festival.

She currently lives in Fresno, CA, where she teaches at California Arts Academy and was Co-Artistic Director for the local production Central California Ballet’s Nutcracker for five years.