Mary Day (née Mary Henry Day; 25 January 1910 – 11 July 2006), a native of Washington, and her mentor, Lisa Gardiner
(né Elizabeth C. Gardiner; 1894–1958), established the Washington School of Ballet in 1944. In the 1950s, a pre-professional group of dancers trained at the school joined to perform at the
National Cathedral and the
D.C. Department of Recreation with the
National Symphony Orchestra. This group also toured New York, West Virginia, and the
Dominican Republic, where the troupe performed with
Alicia Alonso in 1956. In 1961, the Washington Ballet School premiered Day's
The Nutcracker In 1980, 17-year-old company member
Amanda McKerrow was chosen as one of nine dancers to compete on the official U.S. dance team at the Fourth International Ballet Competition in Moscow. She partnered with Simon Dow and won the gold medal, becoming the first United States citizen to win the competition. During the 1980s and 1990s, The Washington Ballet performed full seasons in Washington, D.C., and toured internationally to China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Russia, Spain, and South America. During his time at The Washington Ballet until his death in November 1987, Goh choreographed 19 ballets for the company.
Post-Goh years Mary Day stepped down as artistic director of the company in 1999 and retired as school director in 2003. She died in 2006. == The Septime Webre years (1999–2016) ==