School of American Ballet(USA)

Calvert-Brodie School of Dance(USA)

Principal

2008

Mae L. Wien Award for Outstanding Promise 2003, Princess Grace Award nominee 2003, Benois de la Dance Award for Best Female Performance of the Year nominee 2012, Bessie Award for Outstanding Performance in a Large Venue 2014

Sara Mearns was born in Columbia, South Carolina, and began her dance training at the age of three with Ann Brodie at the Calvert-Brodie School of Dance, also in Columbia. At the age of 13, Ms. Mearns trained with Patricia McBride at Dance Place, the School of North Carolina Dance Theatre, in Charlotte. She continued her studies at age 14 with Stanislav Issaev at the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts and Humanities in Greenville. Ms. Mearns entered the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet, full time in the fall of 2001. In the fall of 2003 Ms. Mearns became an apprentice with New York City Ballet. As an apprentice, Ms. Mearns danced a featured role in Michel Fokine's Chopiniana, performed by SAB as part of New York City Ballet's 2004 winter season. In June of 2004, Ms. Mearns joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet. In March of 2006 she was promoted to soloist and in June 2008, Ms. Mearns was promoted to principal dancer. Learn more about Sara at her website, saramearns.com. Ms. Mearns has performed at the Fall for Dance Festival at New York City Center in 2013, 2014, and 2017, in works that she commissioned. She also starred in A Dancer's Dream, a New York Philharmonic production choreographed by Karole Armitage and conducted by Alan Gilbert, which was broadcast nationally. Recently, she made her Broadway debut in the “Lonely Town" pas de deux from the Tony-nominated musical On the Town, choreographed by Joshua Bergasse. Ms. Mearns is a 2003 recipient of the Mae L. Wien Award for Outstanding Promise and a 2003 nominee for the Princess Grace Award. She was also nominated for the Benois de la Dance award for best female performance of the year in 2012 for her role in Ocean’s Kingdom, and was nominated for a Bessie Award for outstanding performance in a large venue in 2014.