Robyn Gardenhire, a native Angeleno, began dancing at a
small school in Compton, California. By chance she was
able to audition for the then Los Angeles Ballet's Jr.
company and received a scholarship to study at the school.
It was there that the doors to a professional career opened.
Receiving scholarships and studying at American Ballet
Theater School, San Francisco Ballet and New York Ballet,
she gained her first contract with Joffrey II and danced at City
Center and Jacobs Pillow. Robyn joined Cleveland Ballet
soon after under the direction of Dennis Nahat and had
original works developed on her as well as performing such
principal roles as Choleric from Balanchine's Four
Temperaments, Arabian Princes from Nutcracker, and
Russian Girl in Serenade. Joining avant-garde
choreographer Karlo Armitag she toured all of Europe. At the
request of Mikhail Baryshnikov, Robyn joined American
Ballet Theater and then his White Oak Project working with
choreographers Lar Lubivitch and mark Morris. Ms.
Gardenhire was the catalyst in establishing American Ballet
Theaters diversity committee that introduces minority
children to classical dance through their "Build a Ballet"
program and was instrumental in providing many
scholarships that where given to minority students to study
in the school. After teaching and choreographing throughout
the United States and abroad, Ms. Gardenhire returned to
Los Angeles and opened the doors to City Ballet of Los
Angeles in 2000. Her mission is to create a professional
training school that provides full scholarships to students
that are economically and socially disadvantaged and a
company whose repertoire is a mixture of classical and
contemporary dance. A company that can bring the music of
J. S. Back and John Coltrane together in one program, and
present new stories to this classical art form that nurture
and evoke a sense of community to its audience. The
Company debut was in 2003 at the Bing Theater.