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
Debra Austin (dancer) was hired by her former fellow dancer at New York City Ballet, Robert Weiss, then the artistic director of the Pennsylvania Ballet, to be a principal dancer for the company, making her the first African-American woman to reach the rank of principal dancer in a major American ballet company. This was eight years before Lauren Anderson became a principal dancer for the Houston Ballet, even though she is commonly incorrectly accredited as being the first. At the Pennsylvania Ballet, Austin danced in "Swan Lake", "Coppélia", "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "Apollo", "Symphony in C", "Giselle", and "La Sylphide". She danced at