Wayne Burritt Biography

Wayne began training at age 12 in Miami, Florida as a ballroom dancer and eventually earned a scholarship to Southern Ballet Theatre (SBT) in Orlando, Florida. For SBT he danced a variety of classical and modern roles as well as serving as company manager and financial controller. In 1985 he married his wife Debi and enrolled in the School of San Francisco Ballet, continuing his studies with some of the finest teachers in the country. Wayne also took time to earn his MBA in Arts Management in 1987. He moved to Naples, Florida shortly thereafter and joined Naples Ballet Theatre, where artistic director Kim Salgat created a number of roles for him in contemporary and classical works. In 1991, Wayne joined the critically acclaimed Demetrius Klein Dance Company and rose to the position of assistant artistic director before retiring from the stage in 1993.

In 1994 Wayne formed Florida Dance Conservatory (FDC), where he served as artistic director, resident choreographer, and general manager. From 1994 to 1996, FDC provided an opportunity for numerous choreographers and dancers to flourish. During his tenure, Wayne choreographed 15 ballets, managed a professional school and company, and wrote his ballet syllabus that has been applauded by numerous teachers in the classical ballet field.

In the spring of 1997 his work Water was presented at the 1997 Florida Dance Festival and was critically acclaimed. Also in 1997, he joined Dance 10 studio as Ballet Department chair and director of the Pre-professional Ballet Program. During his tenure with Dance 10, he directed and choreographed Coppelia, Giselle, and The Nutcracker. In 1998, Wayne was appointed Ballet Master and Artistic Director for Vero Beach Ballet, where he was responsible for the entire school’s curriculum and classes, as well as choreographing his first Sleeping Beauty.

During the summer of 1998 Florida Dance Theatre of Lakeland, Florida commissioned Paradise, a contemporary ballet made to the music of Shirley Horn. Also in 1998, Wayne helped found Millennium Dance Syndicate (MDS), a professional modern dance company in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The company performed extensively at some of the most visible dance venues throughout Florida, including Bailey Concert Hall, Fort Lauderdale; New World School of the Arts, Miami; the Willow Theatre, Boca Raton; and the University Center for the Performing Arts, Davie. For MDS, Wayne premiered numerous new works including Illumination, a 2003 multimedia work for which Wayne provided the dances, lighting design, costume design, and film direction and editing. In addition, Wayne also managed all financial aspects of MDS operations until 2005.

In addition to choreographing over 23 commissioned works since 1994, Wayne is a dedicated ballet teacher with a keen sense of what makes a dancer successful. His students have been placed in some of most prestigious schools, academies, and universities in the U.S., including American Ballet Theatre School, Ailey School, Boston Ballet School, Houston Ballet Academy, Indiana University Ballet Program, Miami City Ballet School, North Carolina School of the Arts, NYU/Tisch School of the Arts, Paul Taylor School, South Carolina Governor’s School for the Arts, University of the Arts Philadelphia, and Virginia School of the Arts.

Wayne has successfully completed the two-year Professional Ballet Teacher Training with nationally acclaimed pedagogue Ruth C. Petrinovic -- “the ballet teacher’s teacher.” He is also a certified ballet teacher by Florida Dance Masters and holds an MBA in Arts Management from Golden Gate University and a BA in English and Philosophy from Indiana University.

Currently, Wayne is ballet master at Angie’s Dance Academy in Clyde, North Carolina as well Artistic Director of Wayne Burritt Dance, a cutting-edge modern dance and contemporary ballet company in Asheville, North Carolina. Wayne makes his home in Candler, North Carolina with his wife Debi, and their cat Bear Bear.