COLUMBUS, Ohio — BalletMet, a professional ballet company in Columbus, announced that its artistic director Edwaard Liang will be leaving its organization after 11 years.
Liang, one of the first and only Chinese-American artistic directors in the country, accepted an offer as the artistic director for the Washington Ballet, the company announced Tuesday.
He will continue serving in his current position in Columbus until the end of the 2023-2024 season.
Sue Porter, executive director of BalletMet, said that she is excited for him, but sad that he won’t be a part of their daily lives at the end of the season.
“I am proud to have helped lead the search process that brought Edwaard to Columbus and could not be more proud of the work the Board and the BalletMet team have done to support Edwaard's Artistic Vision over the last 11 seasons,” Porter said. “Edwaard is a very special artist and leader who has made BalletMet a better organization. We are in a strong place to recruit our next Artistic Director.”
Last year, 10TV highlighted Liang as a part of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month.
Liang spent 11 years with BalletMet. Most recently, he helped put on “On Stage,” a mixed-repertory program of three short ballets.
After "On Stage," the 2023-2024 season of BalletMet continues with the holiday favorite "The Nutcracker" in December, the return of "Alice" in February, "Asian Voices" in March and "Romeo and Juliet" with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra in April.
“We plan to spend the rest of the season celebrating Edwaard’s legacy and working together to continue to build our bright future,” Porter said.
The company plans to launch the international search for its next artistic director immediately with hopes of having talent in place by next summer. The search will be led by former board chair Susan Douglass.