Valerie Robin
Close-Up
Valerie Robin joined The Joffrey Ballet in July 2000.
Born in St. Jerome, Canada and was raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, she began her ballet training as an apprentice with the Tulsa Ballet Theatre, became a corps member, and danced with the company for two years. Ms. Robin then joined the Milwaukee Ballet, under the direction of Basil Thompson. She was also a soloist with the Leipziger Ballett in Leipzig, Germany, where she worked with choreographer/director Uwe Scholz. Ms. Robin spent one year with the Keiler Ballett working in modern and tanz theatre styles. She was principal dancer with Ballet Wisconsin for three years.
In 1990, Ms. Robin won a bronze medal at the New York International Ballet Competition. In 1992, she competed in the Varna International Ballet Competition and became one of the first American dancers to reach the final round in ten years.
During her time with The Joffrey, Ms. Robin has performed in many ballets, including Apollo, Italian Suite, Le Sacre Du Printemps, Les Noces, Les Patinuers, Light Rain, Montones II, Pas Des Deesses, Reflections, Romeo & Juliet, Suite Saint-Saens, The Nutcracker, The Taming of the Shrew, and A Wedding Bouquet.
In September 2004, Ms. Robin married fellow Joffrey dancer, Samuel Pergande.