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     Erin Lane was born and raised in San Angelo, Texas, training at Ballet San Angelo throughout her childhood until she left to pursue a BFA in Dance from the University of Texas at Austin. Erin experienced the Ballet through its many stages of growth, from the early years residing in the Cactus Hotel Ballroom with a singular focus on the production of a local Nutcracker in partnership with the San Angelo Symphony, to what is now a community-wide arts organization centered on dance education, movement-based outreach programming, fitness, and the creation of original works for productions. While training at BSA, Erin had the privilege of partnering opposite American Ballet Theatre’s Tamás Solymosi in the role of Clara, and sharing the stage with Paloma Herrera, named by Dance Magazine as one of “The Top Ten Dancers of the Twentieth Century” the very year she danced the Sugar Plum role in San Angelo. 

     Erin’s academic work at UT expanded her classical ballet base and exposed her to a breadth of dance genres, pedagogy, artists, and choreographic material.  As a UT student, she was invited to join two contemporary companies, Sally Jacques’ company Blue Lapis Light who created exciting site-specific aerial dance works in Austin, and Sharir + Bustamante Danceworks, under the direction of Yacov Sharir and José Bustamante. Also during her UT degree work, Erin was given the opportunity to continue her studies with La Escuela Profesional de Danza de Mazatlán under the direction of the renowned international artist Claudia Lavista and her partner from Delfos Contemporary Dance Victor Manuel Ruiz. Having found a passion for the contemporary dance expression coming out of Latin America, and with Claudia and Victor’s direction, Erin continued her professional work in Mexico with La Luciernaga Danza Contemporanea (Mazatlán, Sinaloa, MX), Tumakat Danza Contemporanea, and Cressida Danza Contemporanea (Mérida, Yucatán, MX). After maximizing her stay as a visiting artist in Mexico, Erin then gained valuable experience in the education, fitness, technology and business industries working in Spain, Dallas, and New York City. She continued to develop her skills and pursue her passion in dance through freelance choreography staged in Austin, such as an accessible and nontraditional piece exploring toddlers’ movement and utilizing a mother-child cast. 

     In the summer of 2016, Erin returned to San Angelo to help care for her father. She was reintroduced to the work of Ballet San Angelo, now a resident company in The Stephens Performing Arts Center on the San Angelo Performing Arts Center campus. Expressing a passion for reaching more people through dance in the BSA studios, she was charged with developing two pilots for Ballet San Angelo, Dance for Parkinson’s, now called Joy of Movement, and her own unique brand of fitness classes, now BSAFit. The unequivocal success of both pilots changed the face of the organization and paved the way for broader influences at BSA, timely in the changing industry of dance. Her first choreographic works for BSA included a public engagement dance experiment called Everybody Moves and a full length production based on the human phenomenon of play called Batteries Not Included : A History of Play. Erin also introduced the first BSA Student Choreographic Competition, which is now entering its fourth fruitful year.    

     Erin’s dedication to students, both young and old, her staff team, and her community has played a key role in moving BSA towards a fuller expression of our mission.  She has expanded our instructional reach and strengthened artistic partnerships with organizations including San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, West Texas Rehabilitation Center, Be Theatre, Angelo State University, West Texas Counseling & Guidance, Canada’s National Ballet School, and Dance for Parkinson’s at the Mark Morris Dance Group in Brooklyn, NY.

     The BSA Board of Directors proudly announced her acceptance of their invitation in the summer of 2019 to assume the Artistic Directorship of Ballet San Angelo. With dynamic leadership and a capable creative staff and Board team secure, we are uniquely poised to deliver our mission of Empowerment through Movement with new vigor for years to come.

Amanda’s first interaction with Ballet San Angelo was in 2011 as she enrolled her oldest daughter in Creative Movement held within the old San Angelo Civic Ballet building.  Over the years, regular class attendance with her girls developed into lending a helping hand with costumes.  Amanda is excited to now play a part in the creative mechanics needed to keep Ballet San Angelo pirouetting towards the future.