The Cincinnati Ballet's artistic director is retiring after the '21-22 season. Victoria Morgan has been with the company for 25 years.
"It will be a poignant season for me, as it will also be my last year as artistic director of this beloved company," Morgan said in a video statement. "I have deep gratitude for how the Cincinnati community has steadfastly supported Cincinnati Ballet through these many years."
Standing in Music Hall, where the ballet will soon resume live shows, Morgan recounted some highlights of her career over the last 25 years.
"Some of my favorite moments have been collaborations," she says. "We did a wonderful collaboration with the Contemporary Arts Center where Swoon, who is a street artist, did a whole installation on our stage for one of our New Works series. We had ArtWorks create this beautiful mural and it became the background for a Justin Peck ballet. We had the hip-hop company Elementz come in and they were part of our New Works and they became part of our Nutcracker and audiences loved them. ... And many more. I started to fall in love with this community the more I got to know it."
During her 25-year tenure, Morgan has been more than artistic director. For a time, she also served as artistic director and CEO, a period the ballet credits her for helping to stabilize the company's finances after years of deficits. She was also "instrumental" in the effort to secure funding for the ballet's new facility, scheduled to open this June.
Prior to the Cincinnati Ballet, Morgan was resident choreographer for the San Francisco Opera and a principal dancer for San Francisco Ballet and Ballet West. She was honored as a YWCA Career Woman of Achievement in 2009.
A replacement has not yet been named.
