Win a virtual Q&A with celebrated stars of the ballet world, Stella Abrera, Gillian Murphy, Sascha Radetsky, and Ethan Stiefel. Join these power couples of the stage and screen in a 30-minute zoom chat about topics related to ballet, creativity and seizing the moment as a performer. Ask questions of your own or hear their seasoned advice on dance education philosophy, commissioning new work, a 21st century approach to coaching and directing, and more.

Stella Abrera is Artistic Director of Kaatsbaan Cultural Park in Tivoli, NY- home of Kaatsbaan Summer Festival. She recently retired as a Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre (ABT) after a 24-year career with the company. She has also spearheaded charity efforts to fundraise for organizations that help children gain access to education, namely:

Steps Forward for the Philippines- this initiative helped rebuild and supply an elementary school after the devastating Super Typhoon Haiyan 2013.

CENTEX- Center for Excellence- co-producing fundraising ballet galas which resulted in the building of the "Stella Abrera Dance and Music Hall" at a CENTEX school for gifted yet economically disadvantaged children in the Philippine province of Batangas.

Gillian Murphy is currently a Principal ballerina at American Ballet Theatre. She graduated summa cum laude with Bachelor of Arts from Saint Mary's College of California and holds an honorary doctorate of performing arts from UNCSA. She is a certified teacher in pre-primary to Level 5 of ABT National Training Curriculum, and has served as a guest artist for companies worldwide, including the Mariinsky Ballet and Australian Ballet.

Sascha Radetsky is Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre (ABT) Studio Company. He joined ABT in 1996 and retired as a Soloist in 2014. He also danced as a Principal or Guest Principal with the Dutch National Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, the Berlin Staatsballett, and several other international companies. He served as Director of the ABT/NYU Master's in Ballet Pedagogy Program from 2016-2018. He has taught for institutions such as the Royal Ballet School, Youth America Grand Prix, and Dance Theatre of Harlem. He has lectured at Woodburne Correctional Facility, UCSB, and AMDA College and Conservatory. He has choreographed for the Julliard School, Bucknell University, and Under Armour athletic wear. He has written for Vogue, Newsweek, Playbill, Dance Magazine, Pointe, and Dance Spirit. He starred in the films Center Stage and Center Stage 3, in Mandy Moore's music video I Wanna Be With You, the Starz television series Flesh and Bone, and Hallmark Channel's A Nutcracker Christmas. He studied at LIU and St. Mary's College, and was a fall 2015 artistic fellow at NYU's Center for Ballet and the Arts.

Ethan Stiefel was a Principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre 1997-2012. Before his tenure with ABT, Ethan performed with Zurich Ballet and was a Principal dancer with New York City Ballet. He has performed as a guest artist with the Royal Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet, and around the world. He also starred in the 2000 film Center Stage. Ethan was formerly the Director at the Royal New Zealand Ballet and Dean of Dance at University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He is a Dance Magazine award winner, international choreographer, coach and teacher, and is currently acting as Principal Guest Instructor at ABT's Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School.

Portrait photos of Gillian Murphy and Ethan Stiefel by Rosalie O'Connor.

This is a virtual experience and will be conducted via Zoom. Experience date must be agreed upon by all parties at least one month is advance of meeting time. Experience cannot be resold or re-auctioned. Expires on October 21, 2021.