Ellen Bar attended the School of American Ballet from the age of eight and was asked to join the New York City Ballet as a corps member in 1998. She danced featured roles in classic works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins and Christopher Wheeldon, and was promoted to Soloist in 2006. As a child, Ellen danced as a Candy Cane in Emile Ardolino’s feature film of The Nutcracker with New York City Ballet; as an adult she appeared in the feature film Center Stage directed by Nicholas Hytner and created an animated character in Barbie of Swan Lake. While dancing full-time, Ellen earned an Associate’s Degree in Business from Penn State University and continues to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in English at Columbia University. In 2005, Ellen was part of the original ensemble cast of the NYCB revival of NY Export: Opus Jazz when fellow NYCB soloist Sean Suozzi conceived of a present-day, on-location film adaptation of the ballet. Together, Ellen and Sean developed, produced and creatively helmed the project from inception to completion. In May of 2011, Ellen retired from her 13 year career as a professional ballerina and is now Director of Media Projects at New York City Ballet.
Jerome Robbins' NY Export: Opus Jazz the Film
Sean Suozzi, 30, was born in Glen Cove, Long Island, and grew up in Connecticut. He studied at the School of American Ballet for three years and was asked to join the New York City Ballet in 2000. In 2007, he was promoted to soloist after his debut as Romeo in Peter Martins’ full-length Romeo + Juliet. Sean has received much critical and audience acclaim for his featured roles in Agon, The Four Temperaments, Prodigal Son, and Jewels, as well as Robbins’ classics Fanfare, The Four Seasons, Dybbuk, West Side Story Suite, and Interplay. Outside the New York City Ballet, Sean has performed with Peter Boal & Company, Eliot Feld’s Mandance Project, and Benjamin Millepied and Company, at venues around the world including The Joyce Theater and the Venice Bienalle. Sean was in the original cast of New York City Ballet’s revival of NY Export: Opus Jazz in 2005. During the rehearsal process, Sean conceived the idea to bring it to the screen, update it to the present day and shoot it on location. With Ellen Bar, he has developed, funded and produced the project since its inception. This is his first film.