Karen Russo Burke is entering her tenth season as Artistic Director of Dayton Ballet in the 2021-2022 season. Her emphasis on developing each dancer as an artist as well as a professional athlete, which challenges them to new heights, makes Dayton Ballet a company to recognize.
Karen has created more than 40 works for Dayton Ballet, in both the classical and contemporary genres. She has an affinity for story ballets and has created a few of her own, including A Streetcar Named Desire and Dracula: Bloodlines, both with an original score, The Butterfly Suite, and Sleeping Beauty: The Story of Briar Rose. Capitalizing on the benefits of being a part of the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, Karen created Dracula: Bloodlines with an original libretto, orchestrated score, opera singers, and a film component. Her works No Strings Attached and Fate of Place have included collaborations with contemporary musical composers, such as Dr. Stella Sung.
Karen continues to enjoy the creativity and innovation that has arisen from ongoing production collaborations with Dayton Opera and Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. Her choreography and staging have been seen in many Dayton Opera productions, including Carmina Burana, Aida, Carmen, and The Pearl Fishers. She has also created dance pieces to accompany oratorios such as Verdi’s Requiem and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, in full length presentations with the opera and the philharmonic.
Prior to becoming Artistic Director of Dayton Ballet, Karen served as a teacher with the Dayton Ballet school, Director of Dayton Ballet II for 12 years, and Ballet Master for the company. She was also coordinator of Dayton Ballet’s outreach program, Dance Power, in 1997, directing and teaching at-risk children the art of dance.
In 2017, Karen saw the need to present ballet to many in the community who are unable to attend regular performances. In the 2018-2019 season, Dayton Ballet presented sensory-friendly performances of both The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty: The Story of Briar Rose, a world premiere, at the Schuster Center. These sensory-friendly performances have continued each year.
In 2005, Karen was honored by American Repertory Ballet, her prior professional company, for her commitment and excellence in the field of dance. She was also awarded the Ohio Arts Council Excellence in Individual Creativity Award in 2006, and in 2010, the Dayton Business Journal honored her for her professionalism in the arts community.
Karen has taught ballet at Wright State University, University of Dayton, Stivers School for the Arts, Rutgers University, Cincinnati Conservatory of Music, Princeton Ballet School, and Mason Gross School for the Arts.
