Kathleen Mitchell

Kathleen Mitchell received her early training in her hometown of Seattle, Washington at what is now Cornish College of the Arts. She studied on full Ford Foundation Scholarships to School of American Ballet and the academic Professional Children’s School. Full scholarships allowed her to train at Pennsylvania Ballet School and to complete her training at San Francisco Ballet School.

Joining San Francisco Ballet in 1982, Mitchell was featured in both classical and contemporary works by Ashton, Balanchine, Bintley, Caniparoli, Lew Christensen, D’Amboise, Forsythe, Kudelka, Donald MacKayle, Mark Morris, Jerome Robbins, Michael Smuin and Helgi Tomasson. She was also a guest artist with Alonso King’s Lines Contemporary Ballet, San Francisco Opera, and danced as a member of the Lawrence Pech Dance Company.

Invited by Helgi Tomasson to join the faculty of San Francisco Ballet School, Mitchell taught all levels and staged numerous ballets by Balanchine, Christensen, and Tomasson as well as all student roles in San Francisco Ballet productions such as Giselle, La Sylphide, Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty.

Mitchell has taught for the Harvard University Dance Department and acts as a guest teacher for the Cecchetti Council of America. She has taught at various summer programs across the U.S. and Canada. In 2003, Mitchell completed her bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts from Saint Mary’s College in Moraga, California.

Mitchell joined Boston Ballet’s School’s faculty in 2003. She works exclusively with Pre-Professional Program and Trainee students, overseeing their schedule. For Boston Ballet’s Next Generation, in addition to creating numerous class pieces, Mitchell staged Sleeping Beauty Prologue in 2009, Napoli Pas de Six and Tarentella in 2010, served as ballet mistress for Konservatoriet in 2011, and staged the grand pas de deux from Sleeping Beauty Act III in 2013.

Mitchell also serves as Boston Ballet’s Shoe Manager.