Sara Mearns

Sara Mearns is a principal dancer at New York City Ballet, recognized for her contributions to ballet and contemporary dance. Mearns entered the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet, before becoming an apprentice and later joining the corps de ballet. She was promoted to soloist and subsequently to principal dancer. At age 19, Mearns was cast as Odette-Odile in Peter Martins's production of "Swan Lake," a role that has become her signature and for which she has received critical acclaim.

As a principal dancer with New York City Ballet, Mearns has performed featured roles in ballets such as "Symphony in C," "Jewels" (Emeralds and Diamonds), "Serenade," "Mozartiana," and "Walpurgisnacht Ballet." She has originated roles in works by choreographers including Justin Peck, Kyle Abraham, Alexei Ratmansky, Pam Tanowitz, Bobbi Jene Smith, Christopher Wheeldon, Guillaume Côté, and Beth Gill. Mearns's work extends beyond the NYCB stage; she starred in "A Dancer's Dream," a New York Philharmonic production choreographed by Karole Armitage and conducted by Alan Gilbert, which was broadcast nationally. She also made her Broadway debut in the "Lonely Town" pas de deux from the musical "On the Town," choreographed by Joshua Bergasse.

Mearns has received a Bessie Award for Outstanding Performer and was nominated for the Benois de la Danse award for best female performance for her role in "Ocean's Kingdom." She has also received the Dance Magazine Award and an honorary doctorate from the University of South Carolina. Her achievements have been recognized for both her sustained work with New York City Ballet and her performances in works by Isadora Duncan, Jodi Melnick, Wang Ramirez, and Matthew Bourne. Mearns has appeared as a guest performer with Paul Taylor Dance Company, The Cunningham Centennial Celebration, Jodi Melnick Dance, Bill T. Jones/Lee Ming Wei and Wang Ramirez, and in Dances of Isadora Duncan at Lincoln Center.

Mearns has spoken publicly about personal challenges, including a back injury that required an eight-month hiatus from dancing. This experience led her to advocate for injury prevention and improved physical therapy options for professional ballet dancers. She has also discussed her decade-long struggle with hearing loss, which affected her ability to hear musical cues during performances. Wearing hearing aids during a performance of "The Nutcracker" allowed her to regain clarity of sound in her dancing.

In addition to her performance career, Mearns has taken on roles as curator and creative collaborator. She performed "A Piece of Work," an evening of five world premieres at The Joyce Theater, and served as curator for New York City Center's "Artists at the Center" program, presenting a world premiere dance-theater piece exploring the challenges faced by artists preparing for demanding roles. Mearns is featured in "Stage Animal," a short documentary following the creation of one of the new works premiered at her New York City Center program. Offstage, she serves as an advisory board member of DanceNYC, on the artists committee of the Joyce Theatre, and as an ambassador to the Dizzy Feet Foundation. Mearns continues to contribute to the fields of ballet, contemporary dance, and arts advocacy.