PETER STARK | President and Director
Peter Stark, president and director of The Rock School since 2022, is internationally recognized as one of the foremost ballet teachers of his generation. Known for his astute and thorough preparation of boys in ballet, Stark’s students have found professional employment in nearly every company in the U.S. and Europe. He has been awarded numerous “Best Teacher” awards by Youth America Grand Prix, where he also serves as an adjudicator, teacher, coach, and advisor.
Prior to his work at The Rock School, Stark was associate director of Boston Ballet II and head of the Men’s Program at Boston Ballet School for seven years, where he also taught the professional company and students at the Walnut Hill School for the Arts. He was the founding artistic director of Next Generation Ballet in 2010 and chair of the Patel Conservatory Dance Department for five years. His first position as school director was at Orlando Ballet, where he spent a decade creating a world-class school with artistic directors Fernando Bujones and Bruce Marks, which grew to four locations and was recognized by Dance Magazine and by a “Peter Stark Day” proclamation from the City of Orlando.
Stark has coached students to top prizes at major international ballet competitions, including Youth America Grand Prix, YoungArts, SYTYCD, Princess Grace Foundation, and the International Ballet Competitions in Helsinki, Jackson, Beijing, and Seoul. His students have become soloists and principal dancers in companies, including American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Stuttgart Ballet, Royal Ballet of England, English National Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Zurich Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and many others.
Stark began his performance career with New York City Ballet. He danced the Balanchine repertoire and premiered works by luminaries including Martins, Robbins, Verdy, and Tharp. He then moved to Boston Ballet, where his repertoire expanded to include featured roles in works by Lemon, Goh, Petipa, Cranko, and Lander. During a short tenure with Ballet Mississippi as a principal dancer and assistant to the artistic director, Fernando Bujones, Stark became the interim executive director and led a successful Save the Ballet campaign. He then returned to performing by joining The Washington Ballet. There, Stark was a leading dancer in works by Goh, Petipa, Day, and others, and traveled to the Helsinki International Ballet Competition as the non-competing partner to bronze medalist Elizabeth Mertz. He also began his teaching career at The Washington Ballet School and Maryland Youth Ballet, under the mentorship of Michelle Lees and Tensia Fonseca.
Peter Stark is a graduate of the School of American Ballet and studied with Andre Eglevsky, Stanley Williams, and Fernando Bujones. His eclectic career has allowed him to choreograph original works for Orlando Ballet, Washington Ballet, and Boston Ballet II, including a critically acclaimed Cinderella. He also danced several principal roles with The Washington National Opera, including two PBS national telecasts with Placido Domingo, and served on grant panels at the city and state level and with the National Endowment for the Arts.
Position: President and Director
Started at The Rock School: 2022
Areas taught: Professional Division, Ballet Division
Location: Philadelphia, West Chester
Professional dance experience:
• The Washington Ballet
• Ballet Mississippi
• Boston Ballet
• New York City Ballet
• The Washington National Opera
• Bowen-McCauley Dance
Professional teaching experience:
• Boston Ballet School
• Next Generation Ballet
• Orlando Ballet School
• Maryland Youth Ballet
• American University
• The Washington Ballet School
Awards:
• Youth America Grand Prix Best Teacher
• City of Orlando “Peter Stark Day”
