FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                               Contact:

August 8, 2005                                                  Cindy Reynolds, Communications Manager

                                                                        (714) 541-8314, ext. 19

Saint Joseph Ballet Welcomes New Artistic Director

Melanie Rios Glaser Joins Saint Joseph Ballet July 1

            Santa Ana, CA, August 5 – Melanie Rios Glaser joined Saint Joseph Ballet as artistic director on July 1, following Founder Beth Burns who retired as Saint Joseph Ballet’s artistic director in June.  Rios Glaser, who has been involved with Saint Joseph Ballet as a guest choreographer and teacher since 1997 said, “I often spoke about my days and weeks at Saint Joseph Ballet as the most fulfilling part of my year,” said Melanie.  “Now I get what I wished for: to spend more time with these young people and this mission.”

            Rios Glaser will team with Executive Director Steffani Francis and the Board of Directors in steering Saint Joseph Ballet’s next stages of growth.  “The timing of transitioning artistic leadership is right as the organization has come of age,” she said.  “Beth brought this organization from conception into this productive place.  I am delighted to help lead the future of our spirited organization.”

            Born and raised in Guatemala, Rios Glaser received her BFA from the Juilliard School in 1994, was named a Kennedy Center Fellow in 1998, and was a Fulbright Scholar in Paris where she studied Improvisational Dance in 2003-04.  Melanie has worked extensively as a dance educator, choreographer and performer for over eleven years in Latin America, Europe and the United States.

            “The Board of Directors, staff, faculty and youth at Saint Joseph Ballet already get to withstand my eagerness, enthusiasm and zealous belief in the arts as a beneficial force. I’ll stay the course,” said Rios Glaser.

Saint Joseph Ballet was founded in 1983 to empower low income youth from diverse backgrounds to strengthen self-esteem, self-discipline and a sense of accomplishment through dance, academic and family programs.  What began as a small summer dance program for low-income youth is today a nationally recognized institution and the area’s oldest, largest arts-for-youth organization, committed to helping young people to go to college.  Since its inception, Saint Joseph Ballet has touched the lives of more than 50,000 youth, giving them the tools and skills to build a future for themselves, their families and their community. 

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