Staff
Javier Velasco
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Javier Velasco has supplied dances for productions at the La Jolla Playhouse, Old Globe, and had a longstanding relationship with the San Diego Repertory Theatre, where he has staged and/or choreographed productions of A CHRISTMAS CAROL, CABARET, SUDS, EVITA, HAIRSPRAY, TOMMY, IN THE HEIGHTS,THREE PENNY OPERA, VIOLET, and many others. He has enjoyed many long creative relationships, having worked with: Luis Valdez on the 20th Anniversary production of ZOOT SUIT, BANDIDO, and CORRIDOS; composer Steve Gunderson on the premieres of SUDS (NYC) DIXIE HIGHWAY, BACK TO BACHARACH AND DAVID (NYC) the dance/theatre piece THE BRONTES/SECRET PLEASURES, SECRET TEARS, EVERYBODY’S TALKIN: THE MUSIC OF HARRY NILSSON, and most recently 33 1/3 HOUSE OF DREAMS; and Douglas Jacobs and Sam Woodhouse, founding directors of the San Diego Rep. He currently serves as artistic director of the San Diego Ballet, having created over 125 original pieces for the company since its inception, including: 10 pieces in collaboration with acclaimed pianist and composer David Burge, full length productions of ROMEO ET JULIET, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT”S DREAM, THE JUNGLE BOOK, DON JUAN, GISELLE: and the company’s signature piece, the sizzling MAMBOMANIA. His ballet set to the poems of Kenneth Fearing, LOVE: 20 CENTS THE FIRST QUARTER MILE, was given the award for Best Choreography by the San Diego Area Dance Alliance, the third time he was honored by the organization. As the director of SDB, Mr. Velasco has a commitment to the creation of new work. His ballet company annually commissions scores by composers from every genre. His evening of ruminations on the biblical SONG OF SONGS (Song of Solomon) featured ballets to original scores by by ethnomusicologist Yale Strom and the acclaimed jazz saxophonist Charles McPherson. Mr. Velasco wrote and directed THE TOUGHEST GIRL ALIVE, which premiered at Moxie Theatre and had a successful run at the New York International Fringe Festival. Mr. Velasco was part of the San Diego Foundation’s inaugural Creative Catalyst consortium, which allowed him to create the feminist musical, ETERNALLY BAD based on goddess myths from antiquity.
Robin Morgan
FOUNDING DIRECTOR
A native of San Diego, Ms. Morgan began her dancing career with the original San Diego Ballet under the guidance of Richard Carter and Nancy Johnson and later Jillana & Sonia Arova. In 1971, having been awarded a full Ford Foundation Scholarship to the School of American Ballet, she trained under such notables as Alexandra Danilova, Felia Doubrovska, Muriel Stuart, Antonina Tumkovsky and Stanley Williams. Later she danced with New York City Ballet under the direction of George Balanchine, toured with Suki Schorer’s New York City Ballet Lecture Ensemble, and performed in the Virgin Islands with Helgi Tomasson and Kay Mazzo NYCB Troupe.
Returning to San Diego, Ms. Morgan developed her reputation first as a notable dancer and later as a teacher in many local studios. She served on the faculty of the School for th eCreative and Performing Arts (SCPA) in Chula Vista, as an officer for the San Diego Dance Alliance, and Rehearsal Assistant for San Francisco Ballet’s San Diego productions of Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. Ms. Morgan has choreographed dances for various theater groups as well as network television, including the NBC-TV movie “Jonathan, the Boy Nobody Wanted.” She gives master classes at studios, summer programs, universities and was honored by the San Diego Ara Dance Alliance for her leadership in the dance community.
In 1989, she founded the San Diego School of Ballet, developing talented dancers and presenting successful student performances. San Diego Ballet was established in 1991 to provide graduating students the opportunity to remain in San Diego and work alongside other professional dancers who would prefer to reside in this beautiful city than be forced to look elsewhere to find jobs. Ms. Morgan teamed up with Javier Velasco as Co-Directors and th enew San Diego BAllet is now known for its innovative and creative style.
Karen Foster
GENERAL MANAGER & DIRECTOR OF THE SAN DIEGO BALLET SCHOOL
Ms Foster owned and taught at her studio, The Australia Dance Society. Later, she moved to San Diego while her daughter was a company dancer with the San Diego BAllet. With her vast knowledge and experience of running a studio, she was hired to become General Manager of both the San Diego Ballet and San Diego School of Ballet while continuing her passion of teaching tap, jazz and pre-ballet.
Astrid Carmona
Development Director
Astrid recently joined the San Diego Ballet as Development Director bringing over 12 years of experience in the nonprofit sector and a strong commitment to promoting the arts and enriching the community. Her passion for San Diego Ballet is both professional and personal. Her daughter has been a student at the San Diego Ballet School since 2017, deepening her connection to the ballet’s mission and impact. She is excited to support the company’s diverse programming through donor engagement and meaningful community partnerships.
Christine Martinez
Marketing Director
Christine Martinez joins San Diego Ballet for the 2025/2026 season as its Marketing Director. She handles public relations for some of San Diego’s most respected arts and culture organizations including the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership, Arts+Culture:San Diego, Art of Elan and The Roustabouts Theatre, Co. She started in broadcast news as a producer before managing public relations in-house for Orlando Health, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center Orlando and Sharp Healthcare in San Diego. Today, her passion is to connect her clients with local, regional, national and trade media to amplify their work in the community, to garner exposure and political and financial support for their causes. Christine has strong ties with the local media – her husband is a news anchor – and she is well known in the arts community, having served as the public spokesperson for the advocacy effort for more arts funding through the City of San Diego. She is a huge fan of performing arts, and can be seen enjoying local concerts and shows most weekends with her husband and two children.