Former Ballerina Susan Jaffe to Lead American Ballet Theatre

Dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, right, performs with Susan Jaffe during a gala performance in honor of the great Soviet ballerina Maya Plisetskaya, at the Wang Center in Boston on March 28, 1988. American Ballet Theatre has named Jaffe its new artistic director (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

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By Associated Press

May 9, 2022 at 5:29 PM UTC

Updated on

May 10, 2022 at 1:02 AM UTC

New York (AP) -- When she was 18, she was handpicked by Mikhail Baryshnikov to dance a high-profile role at American Ballet Theatre, launching a celebrated career as one of the world's top ballerinas. Now, 40 years later, Susan Jaffe has been named to lead the company.

Jaffe takes over in December as artistic director at ABT, succeeding Kevin McKenzie as the first new director in 30 years. Jaffe says her goals include making the overwhelmingly white ballet world more accessible and inclusive.