Julie Kent (dancer) Ballet Theatre II summer school and the School of American Ballet. She took the stage name Julie Kent at the suggestion of Mikhail Baryshnikov. Kent joined American Ballet Theatre as an apprentice in 1985, became a member of the company's corps de ballet in 1986, was promoted to soloist in 1990, and to principal dancer in 1993. She is known as a skilled dramatic dancer. She was often partnered with ABT Principal Ethan Stiefel, even co-starring with him in the film Center Stage. Her roles with the Company include the Girl in "Afternoon of a Faun", the title role in
Lauren Anderson (dancer) Lauren Anderson (dancer) Lauren Anderson (born February 19, 1965) is an American ballet dancer and a former principal dancer with the Houston Ballet. In 1990, she was one of the first African-American ballerinas to become a principal for a major dance company, an important milestone in American ballet. Lauren is the only child of Lawrence Anderson, a school administrator, and Doris Parker-Morales, a classical piano teacher. From the age of seven she trained at Houston Ballet's Ben Stevenson Academy. She is a Houston native and graduated from Lamar High School in 1982. Anderson joined the Houston Ballet in 1983 and