Experience
Lisa Sanborn began her dance training in New Jersey at the Princeton Ballet School. After moving to Illinois, Ms. Sanborn trained at the Ruth Page Foundation in Chicago with Larry Long, Dolores Lipinski, and Warren Conover. She later studied with many other notable teachers, including Elisabeth Carroll and Felix Smith.
Ms. Sanborn danced as a member of the Clinton Contemporary Ballet and Quad Cities Civic Ballet companies in Iowa, performed for several years in the Chicago Tribune Charities production of The Nutcracker at the Arie Crown Theater, and appeared with the Royal Danish Ballet at the Auditorium Theater in Napoli, a ballet created by famed choreographer and ballet master August Bournonville.
In addition to the Snow Queen and several soloist roles in New Haven Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker at the historic Shubert Theater, Ms. Sanborn also performed in corps and solo variations from ballets such as La Bayadère, Pas de Quatres, Swan Lake, Giselle, Paquita, and Les Patineurs, as well as neoclassical and contemporary/lyrical works choreographed by Phillip Otto and Bronwen MacArthur.
Prior to her appointment as Artistic Director at New Haven Ballet in April 2014, Ms. Sanborn, who was brought to NHB by former artistic director Phillip Otto in 2001, acted as NHB’s Interim Artistic Director (2013-2014), was a distinguished teacher at the Ballet, and during her tenure taught ballet technique, variations, and pointe to both children and adults. She also choreographed and staged several works for NHB. Her students have pursued professional careers in dance and been accepted into many elite summer programs, including School of American Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, the Rock School (Pennsylvania Ballet), Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet Academy, Joffrey Ballet, Boston Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, and the Nutmeg Conservatory.
In addition to ballet, Ms. Sanborn taught Pilates at Sarah Aldrich Pilates in New Haven. She gained exposure to traditional mat Pilates during her time as a ballet dancer and teacher, and is classically trained and certified in mat and all apparatus.
Ms. Sanborn holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics from Skidmore College, where she minored in dance. She received a Juris Doctorate from Albany Law School of Union University and served as corporate counsel for the Southern Connecticut Gas Company and Connecticut Natural Gas Corporation until the birth of her son in 2009. In 2015, Yale University appointed Ms. Sanborn an Associate Fellow of Pierson College. Ms. Sanborn is also a member of the Arts Industry Coalition and serves on the Board of Directors for the Connecticut Dance Alliance.