Christina Salerno '(06), recently retired as soloist of the Royal
Ballet,
is using her Skidmore education to make the transition from ballet dancer
to arts administrator. Christina was recently appointed Director of Development
and Communications at Salt
Creek Ballet, in Westmont, Illinois.
Pursuing her Skidmore studies as she danced professionally, Christina focused
on economics and non-profit administration. Her capstone project examined
the movement toward increased financial and performance accountability
in nonprofits in the US, England and Wales.
Christina relocated to Zurich in the summer of 2001 to dance for the Zurich Ballet. In 2002 she joined the Royal Ballet and was promoted to Soloist, 2003. Her repertory included Princess Florine, Fairy of Temperament and Fairy of Vitality (Sleeping Beauty), La Glace (Les Saisons), Fairy Spring (Cinderella), Blue Girl (Les Patineurs), Calliope (Apollo) and roles in Anastasia, Manon, Raymonda Act III, Danses concertantes, Agon, The Four Temperaments and Swan Lake.
Born in Illinois, she trained at Salt Creek Ballet School and San Francisco Ballet School. She joined Boston Ballet II in 1993. Christina was promoted to corps de ballet in 1994 and to soloist in 1999. Her repertory with Boston Ballet included Sugarplum Fairy, Snow Queen, Columbine, the Chinese variation, Marzipan and Tea (The Nutcracker), Azeli (Abdallah), Helena (A Midsummer Night's Dream), the Fairy of the Golden Vine and Little Red Riding Hood (The Sleeping Beauty), the Peasant Pas de Deux and Giselle's Friend (Giselle), the Spring Fairy in Michael Corder's Cinderella,and various roles in John Cranko's The Taming of The Shrew.
She also has performed Merce Cunningham's Breakers, the duet in Paul Taylor's Company B, French Woman in Daniel Pelzig's An American in Paris, Tango Woman in Twyla Tharp's Waterbaby Bagatelles and the Principal role in the World Premiere of Laszlo Berdo's Four Hands.