Daniel Duell, Ballet Chicago Artistic Director and Choreographer

Founder and Artistic Director of Ballet Chicago, Duell is passionate about the pursuit of contemporary classicism in its purest form.  As a dancer with the New York City Ballet from 1972-1987, he was taught and coached daily by George Balanchine. Quickly rising through the ranks, Duell was promoted to Soloist in 1977, and then Principal Dancer in 1979.  He embodied a wide-ranging repertoire, dancing leading roles in the ballets of George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins, and Jacques d’Amboise, among others, including multiple works that were created for him.  A Ford Foundation Scholarship recipient from the age of 13, he trained with the Dayton Civic Ballet, then at the School of American Ballet, and at the age of 19 was invited to join NYCB. In addition to his fifteen years at NYCB, he was a featured guest artist for numerous companies nationwide and performed for several PBS Dance in America public television programs. Duell has been choreographing since 1980 and has created works for Ballet Chicago, Ballet Hispanico of New York, Dayton Ballet, Harkness Dance Theatre, the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and the School of American Ballet. He also collaborated with WTTW Channel 11 in Chicago to design two programs; the first, an Emmy Award winning special (outstanding cultural programming) on Ballet Chicago, and the second entitled “Love in Four Acts”, a program showcasing four Chicago choreographers selected by Duell.  He was awarded the 2000 Ruth Page Award from the Chicago Dance Community for Artistic Direction of the Ballet Chicago Studio Company. 

Duell is a frequent lecturer on ballet, music, and the arts, serves on several not-for-profit boards and advisory boards, and has been an adjudicator for the National Endowment for the Arts and the Illinois Arts Council.  Duell is a repetiteur for the George Balanchine Trust and stages ballets across the United States. He conducts master classes in both the United States and Europe, most recently completing teaching engagements at the School of American Ballet, Indiana University at Bloomington, the University of Iowa, and the Bulgarian National Dance Academy in Sophia, Bulgaria.

Patricia Blair, Associate Artistic Director

Patricia Blair was born in New York City, began studying ballet at the age of 7, and began her performing career at 17. While a student at North Carolina School of the Arts, she was chosen to dance the role of “Myrtha” in Giselle opposite Svea Ekloff and Burton Taylor.  In 1979 she joined the Eglevsky Ballet, under the direction of Edward Villella and then Michael Vernon.  In 1984, while still dancing full time with the company, she became one of the company’s Ballet Mistresses, rehearsing the repertoire of George Balanchine, Michael Vernon and others. Throughout her years at Eglevsky Ballet she was an active teacher in NY, teaching company classes for Eglevsky as well as classes at the Harkness House for Ballet Arts, and at Steps. During off seasons, she was a guest artist for many NY choreographers, danced in musical theatre productions across the US and on Broadway, and briefly entered the LA movie world with Pavanne for a Dying Princess, a solo dance film created especially for her. She came to Chicago in September 1987 upon the recommendation of Balanchine repetiteur Victoria Simon.  She staged several ballets for Chicago City Ballet’s fall season, after which Duell invited her to move to Chicago and join his artistic team.  She was the Ballet Mistress for Ballet Chicago from 1987 – 1997, was appointed Director of the School of Ballet Chicago in 1995, and now also serves as Associate Director for the company.

Ms. Blair is highly committed to the training and artistic education of dancers, as well as their personal well being.  Her great love for teaching caused her to start working with children when she was only 15 years old.  In addition to her work with the School of Ballet Chicago and the Ballet Chicago Studio Company, Ms. Blair gives master classes throughout the region and has been a guest teacher for Pacific Northwest Ballet School in Seattle, Washington and Gem City Ballet in Dayton, Ohio.  Ms. Blair has a lifelong love for the ballets of George Balanchine.  She deeply appreciates both the privilege of having performed his ballets and the joy of passing them on to younger dancers. She has been responsible for a large body of repertoire at Ballet Chicago, and in early Spring 2007 she staged Mr. Balanchine’s Serenade for the St. Louis Ballet.  In May 2007 Ms. Blair had the honor of teaching at the School of American Ballet.

Patricia Strauss’ performing, teaching and choreographic experience ranges from classical ballet to Broadway musicals, modern and jazz-ballet. She has performed with several companies in which she was soloist or principle dancer, including Les Ballet-Jazz of Montreal, Minnesota Dance Company, Rondo Dance Theater, Joyce Trislers’ Dancecompany, and Het National Ballet of Holland’s Opera Ballet. She worked with the Alvin Ailey apprentice company and was invited by Paul Taylor to understudy repertoire. In addition to performing Ms. Strauss has taught ballet, modern and jazz with many major dance schools and has been a resident and guest teacher for the School of Richmond Ballet, New World School of the Arts, Walt Disney World, Audre Mendel & Jurgen Schneider’s Vaganova Seminar, Lake Michigan College, Urdang Academy of London, Sarasota Ballet, Ballet Eddy Toussaint, Ballet Florida, Harvard University and Harvard Ballet Company. Miss Strauss has taught professional company ballet classes for Maximum Dance Company in Miami, The Alvin Ailey Company in Boston and Miami, Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, Las Vegas Contemporary Dance Theater and Les Ballet Jazz of Montreal. She has choreographed extensively for dance companies, television, film and musical theater and was the artistic director of her own company and school in Miami. While residing in Boston she was on faculty with Suffolk University, Emmanuel College, and Boston College teaching dance courses. Miss Strauss was the creator and co-producer of the highly successful choreographic showcase in Boston “Dance on The Top Floor” which ran for 7 years. As resident choreographer for Turtle Lane Playhouse in Massachusetts she choreographed numerous musicals for 9 years. In addition Miss Strauss taught 11 years as a full time classical ballet teacher for the Boston Ballet School and 2 years a full time faculty member for the Miami City Ballet School. In 2007 Miss Strauss was invited back again to teach company ballet classes for the Joffrey in Chicago and in 2008 she was guest ballet teacher for Ballet Florida, the Alvin Ailey School in NYC and Florida Ballet Academy in Sarasota Florida.