Adrian Blake Mitchell is Associate Executive Director of Westside School of Ballet.
He oversees the schools award-winning men’s training program and leads special programs including professional development, masterclasses, and the Trainee Program in collaboration with the Los Angeles Ballet where he is a guest leading dancer and coach. He is also the Director of Artistic Programming for the inaugural season of the World Ballet Festival and has served as an Artistic Ambassador for the American Ballet Theatre JKO School. He has served on the jury for international ballet competitions including Youth America Grand Prix, The Music Center’s Spotlight Awards, and Ballet Connection in Tokyo.
Mitchell began his pre-professional ballet training at 13 in Los Angeles at Westside School of Ballet. In 2014, Mitchell made history as the first black graduate of the Vaganova Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia, in the school’s 275 year history. He subsequently joined the Mikhailovsky Theatre in 2015 where he rose to the rank of Soloist, performing leading roles in both the contemporary and classical repertoire and partnering world famous ballerinas.
In 2020, Mitchell became the founding Artistic Director of “Dance in Color,” a non-profit organization promoting diversity in the professional dance industry. He is also the artistic director of “Dance to Dreams” an initiative in collaboration with Westside Ballet, Dance in Color and California Dance Institute to attract underserved youth to ballet. Throughout his career he has collaborated with fashion houses and organizations, being featured in Paris Vogue and modeling for British fashion designer Gareth Pugh for NY Fashion Week.
