Jaime Santoro began her ballet training at the age of six at both The Rock School of the Pennsylvania Ballet and the Philadelphia Dance Conservatory. She went on to perform as a member of the Philadelphia Ballet before joining Orlando Ballet in 1996, where she enjoyed a distinguished fourteen-season career. In the summer of 2001, Ms. Santoro was awarded a Professional Fellowship and invited to perform as a guest artist with the Rome Festival, touring and performing throughout Italy.
While with Orlando Ballet, Ms. Santoro performed numerous soloist and principal roles in both classical and contemporary works. Her classical repertoire includes The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Her Balanchine repertoire includes Symphony in C (First and Fourth Movements), Who Cares?, Concerto Barocco, Valse Fantaisie, Serenade, and Agon. She also performed in contemporary masterpieces such as Twyla Tharp’s Nine Sinatra Songs and The Upper Room, as well as Val Caniparoli’s Going for Baroque.
The transition from principal and soloist dancer to choreographer and teacher was a natural evolution for Ms. Santoro and provided her the opportunity to contribute artistically and educationally to several organizations, including Orlando Ballet, Orlando Ballet School, Springton Dance Academy, and Dance Arts of Yardley.
In 2009, Ms. Santoro was recognized by Cambridge Who’s Who for her dedication, leadership, and excellence in the performing arts.
Most recently, Ms. Santoro served as Children’s Ballet Mistress and Head Teacher of the Trainee Program with the Philadelphia Ballet for ten years. In that role, she was instrumental in the development and training of professional dancers and students and played a pivotal role in staging and rehearsing George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, helping to inspire, guide, and shape the next generation of young dancers.
Ms. Santoro looks forward to bringing her experience, talent, and love for dance to the professional dancers and students of the American Repertory Ballet and Princeton Ballet School, continuing her lifelong commitment to artistic excellence and education in the art of ballet.
