Teaching Artist in Residence Program at NDI New Mexico

“Thank you the challenging and beautiful experience you cultivated for my son and the other dancers. The caliber of instruction, exposure to the real world of dance, and focus on social justice from both of the guest companies and choreographers is such a gift for everyone involved.”

Rebecca
NDI New Mexico Parent

“My hope is that the NDI New Mexico students, through working with me and our other Ballare Carmel dance artists, will be deeply transformed through this process. At the very least, I aim for them to gain invaluable lessons that will resonate both inside and outside the studio, lasting a lifetime.”

Lillian Barbeito

Lillian Barbeito, Ballare Carmel Dance Company Artistic Director

Lillian Barbeito grew up in the desert under the blues skies of Santa Fe, New Mexico where she trained with Early Street Studios and the Santa Fe Dance Foundation and worked with The Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Southwest Ballet, and Santa Fe Opera. She earned her BFA from The Juilliard School where she studied on a 4 year, full-tuition scholarship awarded by Tomorrow’s Leaders of America for her essay about the world dancing together in harmony. Lillian had an extensive performance career that took her to Europe, New York, and then finally to Los Angeles, where she founded BODYTRAFFIC with Tina Berkett. Under her leadership as Co-Artistic Director and Director of Education for over 13 years, the company toured to sold-out audiences and international acclaim at theaters such as the Algiers Opera House, Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, Institute of Contemporary Arts in Boston, Jacob’s Pillow, New York City Center, The Broad Stage, The Hollywood Bowl, The Israeli Opera, The Joyce Theater, The Lensic in Santa Fe, ODC in San Francisco, Rothstein Theatre in Vancouver, The Wallis in Beverly Hills, Winspear Opera House in Dallas among countless other prestigious venues around the planet.

At the onset of the pandemic, Lillian launched HAVEN Global Sanctuary for Dance, an online platform devoted to providing work for teachers and choreographers that served as a refuge for dancers to keep evolving despite the global shutdown. In less than 9 months, HAVEN provided over 45k in scholarships to attend 13 innovative, online dance mentorship programs.

Barbeito has taught internationally for organizations such as CALARTS, Idyllwild Arts Academy, L’Artère, and L’ecole de Danse in Quebec City, Lyon Opera Ballet, Northwest Dance Project, San Francisco Conservatory of Dance, Southland Ballet Academy, The Wooden Floor, and UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures. Barbeito is one of 36 teachers in the world who is certified to teach Anouk van Dijk’s groundbreaking Countertechnique. She has choreographed over 50 works for high schools, universities, competitions, regional ballet companies, and professional modern dance companies throughout the US and Canada. She was a Senior Lecturer at Loyola Marymount University, where she taught various dance-related courses from 2010-2021. Lillian is married to filmmaker and environmentalist Grant Barbeito. They relocated their two sons, Oliver who is 14, and Forest who is 10, two bearded dragons, and an Irish Doodle named Harvey to Carmel Valley Village in August of 2021 in order to launch Carmel Dance Festival and be more connected with nature.

Ballare Carmel is the resident dance company of Carmel Dance Festival. In naming this professional, project~based contemporary dance ensemble, Founder and Artistic Director Lillian Barbeito paired the late Latin word “ballare,” which means to dance and Carmel; the simplest translation being “To Dance Carmel.” Since its launch in September, 2021, Ballare Carmel, has been presented by the Sunset Center, performed at Folktale Winery, and toured to Fort Collins, CO, Richmond, VA, and St. Helena, CA. CDF has received grants from the Arts Council for Monterey County, Carmel Sunset Rotary, Carmel Valley Kiwanis, Carmel Gives, Monterey Peninsula Foundation, Yellow Brick Road Foundation, and Elizabeth Ytema. In 2023, Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce deemed the CDF “New Business of the Year,” at the Business Excellence Awards. Dancers from Ballare Carmel will be joining Lillian as a part of her Residency at NDI New Mexico.

“I am thrilled to return to New Mexico, where my journey in dance began, and give back to the community that nurtured my passion. I am particularly excited to collaborate with the National Dance Institute (NDI), an organization I have had the pleasure of teaching at in the past and hold in high regard for its exceptional leadership and dedicated teaching staff.”

Lillian Barbeito