Biography: Darlene Williams

Ballet

Darlene J. Williams is an artist with diverse abilities as a director, choreographer, and teacher. Upon relocation to Saskatoon, Darlene founded Saskatchewan’s only professional ballet company, White Birch Ballet Company. The Company provides professional and emerging professional ballet dancers performing and other artistic growth opportunities while staying within the province.

Ms. Williams has spent over twenty years working with dancers in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. She served for nine years as Ballet Mistress for the Youth Ballet Company of Saskatchewan in Regina. During her tenure with the YBCS, Darlene introduced and nurtured programming for the company that has set the high standard of excellence in ballet performance the Company is known for today. Her choreographed works for the YBCS are comprised of both classical and neo-classical ballets. Recent ballets include The Little Match Girl (with original music by Elizabeth Raum), Crazy Eights, Scenes de Massenet (in celebration of YBCS 20th Anniversary Celebration) and Exultant Faith.

As repetiteur, she has worked on both classical and modern works, including those of Owen Montague, Emily Molnar, Patti Caplette, Joe Laughlin, Constance Cooke, Gioconda Barbuto and classical staging by Ross Brierton.

Ms. Williams enjoys working with both classical ballet and modern dancers. She worked as choreographer and teacher for the Professional and General Programs of the School of Contemporary Dancers in Winnipeg, Manitoba for eleven years, where she also directed the administration of the General Program. She has served as a guest teacher for New Dance Horizons in Regina, and for the Quinte Ballet School of Canada. Darlene trained and performed with the Fort Wayne Ballet Company in Indiana.

Ms. Williams is a registered teacher with the Royal Academy of Dance.

Long active in the arts community, Ms. Williams has served as President of the board of directors for Dance Manitoba and for Community Arts Manitoba. She has also served on the executive of the Performing Arts Consortium of Winnipeg and was previously the Regina Representative for Dance Saskatchewan