Artistic Director

A former principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, Robert Hill became Artistic Director of Orlando Ballet in 2009, establishing a vision for the company to make ballet relevant to today’s audiences. His guidance prompted the Florida Sun to state: “Hill has surprised and delighted audiences with his ability to showcase the company’s edgier side.” Shortly after accepting the post, he was voted one of the “100 Most Influential People in Florida” by Florida International Magazine.

Mr. Hill founded Robert Hill Dance in 2000 with the mission to create and perform new works of dance theatre with a particular focus on the classical ballet tradition and vocabulary. His works have been created at American Ballet Theatre (ABT), the ABT Studio Company, Julio Bocca’s Ballet Argentino, Ballet de Monterrey, as well as other companies. Numerous companies have performed his works including Royal Ballet of Flanders, Minnesota Dance Theater, The Royal Ballet School, and, of course, Orlando Ballet.

Mr. Hill was the Artistic Director of Ballet de Monterrey for four years. During that time, he elevated the company from a local school-based entity to an internationally acclaimed company. His choreography for Ballet de Monterrey gave the company a unique artistic identity while serving to raise the artistic and technical level of the performers. The newspaper, El Norte, recognized the company “under the artistic direction of Robert Hill” as “one of the great accomplishments in Monterrey in 2006,” noting a record-breaking, sold out production of Swan Lake as well as the international touring the company undertook for the first time in its 16 year history.

In addition to dancing with ABT, Mr. Hill was a principal dancer with The Royal Ballet and the New York City Ballet. As a guest artist, he appeared with numerous companies including the Scottish Ballet, the San Francisco Ballet, and the Australian Ballet. Mr. Hill’s interpretation of the title role in John Cranko’s Onegin, opposite Julie Kent as Tatiana, presented at the Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Center by ABT, was selected by the New York Times as one of the “Ten Best Moments in Dance” in 2002.

A renowned teacher and coach, Mr. Hill has taught for ABT, Cedar Lake Contemporary Dance, the ABT Studio Company, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, and Orlando Ballet School, among others. He has served as a panelist for the Dance Program of the New York State Council on the Arts.

Mr. Hill is especially grateful to the loving dedication he received in his initial training with Liz Bevilacqua and Al Packard of The Dussich Dance Studio and with Phyllis Papa of the Atlantic Company Ballet Theater.