Dianna Cuatto became the Artistic Director for Ballet Theatre of Maryland for the 2003/2004 season and continued to lead the company for seventeen seasons. She has choreographed The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, An American Southwest Carmen, Beauty and the Beast, Tango Dramatico, Little Women and Excalibur, among others.

 

Previously, she spent four seasons as the Ballet Mistress with the Richmond Ballet and taught ballet and jazz in their school of dance. She was also Artistic Director/Choreographer/School Director of the Sangre de Cristo Ballet Theatre in Colorado where many alumni went on to pursue professional careers in such companies as San Francisco Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Hubbard Street, San Diego Ballet, Ballet Nouveau and Richmond Ballet. Prior to that, Ms. Cuatto taught classical ballet at San Francisco Ballet, Ballet West, Sacramento Ballet, New Orleans Ballet Theatre and Oklahoma Ballet. In addition, she has taught at the University of Oklahoma, University of Utah, California State University at Sacramento, and at several high schools for the performing arts.

 

Ms. Cuatto began her career as a professional dancer with Ballet West in 1963 where she was promoted to Principal Dancer in 1966. She has also performed as a Principal Dancer with a number of national companies including Sacramento Ballet, Oklahoma Ballet, Berkeley Ballet Theatre and the Sangre de Cristo Ballet Theatre.

 

She has performed a wide range of classical and contemporary roles including Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, Swanhilda in Coppelia, Lizzie in The Rainmaker, Balanchine’s Serenade, Stars and Stripes, Symphony in C, Valse Fantasie and also in contemporary works by Caniparoli, Weiss, Robbins, Orejudas and others. She also had a stint in Hollywood performing for the American Music Awards, A Chorus Line and national television, where she also choreographed The Wonderful World of the Waltz for National PBS.