I am a former professional ballet dancer, film producer, and author living in Brooklyn, NY. My forthcoming debut novel, THE FLOCK, has been acquired by Crown (US) and Hutchinson Heinemann (UK) for publication in early 2027.
I trained at the School of American Ballet for eight years before I was invited to join New York City Ballet as a member of the Corps de Ballet in 1998. I was promoted to Soloist in 2006. I danced leading roles in ballets by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins and Peter Martins, and originated roles in ballets by Benjamin Millepied and Christopher Wheeldon.
While I was dancing, I developed and produced the narrative dance film NY EXPORT: OPUS JAZZ with fellow Soloist Sean Suozzi. Our film was directed by Henry Joost and Jody Lee Lipes, premiered at 2010 SXSW Film Festival and aired on PBS and BBC Four. In 2014, I produced the feature documentary film BALLET 422, featuring choreographer Justin Peck. The film was directed by Jody Lee Lipes, premiered in competition at Tribeca Film Festival and was released theatrically nationwide by Magnolia Pictures.
In 2011, I retired from dancing and became the Director of Media Projects at NYCB, where I was responsible for developing and producing the Company's film and video content. During my 6 year tenure, I produced or directed over 30 short films for the Company each year. After nearly 20 years of working for NYCB, I moved on to freelance film producing, consulting, and most recently, writing fiction. For updates on my forthcoming novel, follow me on IG @ellenalexanderbar.