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Artistic Directors Jon Cristofori and Kathleen Sinclair
courtesy of Bill Butler
Jon Cristofori began his dance training on Cape Cod with
Jane Gay Stevens. As a high school student, he spent his summers at the
renowned dance festival, Jacob’s Pillow. A recipient of a Ford Foundation
scholarship, Jon traveled to Washington, D.C. to continue his studies at
the National Ballet of Washington, under the direction of Frederick
Franklin. From 1965-69, Jon was a member of the City Center Joffrey
Ballet Company, where he performed major roles in Green Table, Viva
Vivaldi, Con Amore, Cello Concerto and Olympics and many others.
When a major back injury took him out of the NY dance scene,
Jon began concentrating on a teaching career. He has taught at private
studios and several colleges and universities around the U.S., including
Virginia-Intermont College, Birmingham-Southern College and the
University of New Mexico. He has also been resident choreographer for
the Flint Institute of Music and the former Arizona Metropolitan Ballet
Company and over the years has choreographed more than fifty original
ballets. In 1996 his ballet, Romantic Pieces, was given the National
Choreography Award at the Regional Dance America/Pacific Festival in
Provo, Utah. His ballet, Duendes Del Fuego, was performed at the first
ever RDA National Festival in Houston, Texas, in June, 1997, and received
recognition in the December ’97 issue of DanceMagazine. At the Pacific
Festival 2000, in Modesto, California, Jon had two ballets chosen for gala
performance: Pulse, performed by Ballet Yuma and Spirals, performed by
Tucson Regional Ballet.
From 1982-1993, Jon and his wife, Kathleen Sinclair, directed
the Yuma Ballet Theatre, Taking this small performing group to its first
regional ballet festival in 1986 they built it into a Regional Dance America
Honor company by 1990. In the fall of 1993, Jon and Kathleen opened
their own ballet school, Yuma Ballet Academy in Yuma, Arizona and with a
group of dedicated supporters organized Ballet Yuma. Ballet Yuma has
been recognized as an Honor company with Regional Dance America.
Their students have received numerous awards and scholarships and are
dancing in professional companies today, including Amelia Gandara
(Louisville Ballet), Kyndra Ricker (Atlanta Ballet), David Arce (San
Francisco Ballet), Callye Robinson, (Les Grands Ballet de Canadiens de
Montreal), Annali Clevenger (Sacramento Ballet) and Grant Thomas
Spencer Company C), Joseph Jefferies and Crystal Brothers (Ballet
Memphis), Josh Seibel (Houston Ballet) and Jayme Autry (Texas Ballet
Theatre)
Jon has served on the board for Regional Dance
America/Pacific. He has also twice been a grant panelist for the Arizona
Commission for the Arts. In the spring of 2000, Jon served as the
adjudicator for the Mid-States Regional Dance America Festival.
courtesy of Bill Butler
Kathleen Sinclair began her training in Michigan City, Indiana, as a
child performing with the Studio Concert Company. She was a member of
various regional ballet companies including Ballet Etudes, Arizona
Metropolitan Ballet Company, and Theatre Ballet of San Francisco.
From 1982-1993, Jon and his wife, Kathleen Sinclair, directed
the Yuma Ballet Theatre, Taking this small performing group to its first
regional ballet festival in 1986 they built it into a Regional Dance America
Honor company by 1990. In the fall of 1993, Jon and Kathleen opened
their own ballet school, Yuma Ballet Academy in Yuma, Arizona and with a
group of dedicated supporters organized Ballet Yuma. Ballet Yuma has
been recognized as an Honor company with Regional Dance America.
Their students have received numerous awards and scholarships and are
dancing in professional companies today, including Amelia Gandara
(Louisville Ballet), Kyndra Ricker (Atlanta Ballet), David Arce (San
Francisco Ballet), Callye Robinson, (Les Grands Ballet de Canadiens de
Montreal), Annali Clevenger (Sacramento Ballet) and Grant Thomas
Spencer Company C), Joseph Jefferies and Crystal Brothers (Ballet
Memphis), Josh Seibel (Houston Ballet) and Jayme Autry (Texas Ballet
Theatre)
Kathleen has taught for the past twenty years and has
specifically developed a syllabus for the first four years of a child’s ballet
studies. She has now also created a pre-ballet syllabus for 3-6 year olds.
Kathleen has brought ballet to inner-city school children in New Haven,
CT, as well as elementary school children here in Yuma. She worked with
the Crane Elementary School District in their Project Success program for
at-risk 4th graders. Kathleen created the Ballet Bound Project in
conjunction with Yuma School District #1. This out-reach discovery
program has been generously supported by grant from the Arizona
Commission on the Arts and the City of Yuma Arts and Cultural
Commission. Kathleen is on the Executive Board of Directors for Regional
Dance America/Pacific. She is the Coordinator for the Pacific Region and
sits on the National Board of Regional Dance America. She has also
served twice as a grant panelist for the Arizona Commission on the Arts.
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