Sterling Manka is from Fishers, Indiana. In 2019 he graduated from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music with a Bachelor of Science in ballet. At IU, he had the privilege to train under Sarah Wroth, Carla Körbes, Kyra Nichols, Michael Vernon, Sasha Janes, Christian Classens, Shawn Stevens, and Violette Verdy. Manka spent the 2019/20 season as a member of the Cincinnati Ballet Second Company, and is currently a company dancer with Eugene Ballet. Some of his favorite ballets and roles he has performed include the Shy Boy in Jerome Robbins’ The Concert (or The Perils of Everybody), the Toto Puppeteer in Septime Webre’s The Wizard of Oz, George Balanchine’s The Steadfast Tin Soldier and Valse Fantaisie, Christopher Wheeldon’s Carousel (A Dance), Mark Morris’ Sandpaper Ballet, Suzanne Haag’s Conduct, and Penny Saunders’ Ghost Light.