THE BOULDER BALLET’S NEW ARTISTIC DIRECTOR HAS A VISION TO BRING DIVERSITY OF MOVEMENT TO THE STAGE.
Lance Hardin, in motion. PHOTO BY VAN MILLER
LANCE HARDIN was named artistic director of the Boulder Ballet in the middle of the pandemic, so a return to the stage is especially meaningful. “Performing in front of live audiences is such a gift,” Hardin says.
A native of Chicago, Hardin trained at Ruth Page School of Dance and has since performed principal roles with companies nationally, including Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Milwaukee Ballet and Charlotte Ballet. Hardin danced with the Boulder Ballet in the late 2000s before heading to Grand Rapids, Minn., where he and his wife, Amy Earnest, served as co-directors at the Reif Performing Arts Center. The couple returned to Boulder in 2015 to take on leadership roles at Boulder Ballet, with Hardin taking the reins in 2020.
“My vision for the company is to establish us as a leader not only in the diversity of people but in the diversity of movement,” Hardin says. “Dancers who are hungry to branch out and cross genres will speak to our country’s diverse makeup.” Though Hardin is helming the company, he continues to dance. Feb. 24 to 27, he’ll join prestigious Black choreographers Gregory Dawson and Sidra Bell for Black Voices of Dance, an evening premiering three original works at the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder.
“Dance is a shared dialogue,” Hardin says. “You can use that language to communicate different viewpoints.” Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder, boulderballet.org
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