Professor Verdy named first Kathy Ziliak Anderson Endowed Chair in Ballet

IU recently made history as the first school in the country to have an endowed chair in ballet.

Distinguished Professor of Ballet Violette Verdy was awarded the first Kathy Ziliak Anderson Endowed Chair in Ballet on Oct. 8.

 Anderson donated the gift of the chair as a 35th anniversary present to his wife, Kathy. The endowed chair means the ballet department will receive more funding for research and ballet productions.

It also means that Kathy’s name will forever be connected to the Department of Ballet and Theatre, Jacobs School of Music Senior Development Officer Melissa Korzec said.

“Given that it is the country’s first endowed chair in ballet, it gives us an opportunity to tell the world how substantial the ballet department is here,” said Alain Barker, Jacobs director of marketing and publicity. “It just increases the strength and prestige of the
institution.”

The chair means recognition for Jacobs School of Music, but also means money to fund projects and programs, Verdy said. The department offers pre-college and elective programs, in addition to traditional majors and productions.

“We are grateful of (the Anderson’s) support, but it is their genuine care and involvement that is touching,” Korzec said. 

Their friendship and guidance are their most valuable contributions, she said.

Gary and Kathy Anderson have been involved in the department and Jacobs for several years. Gary is currently the chairman of National Advisory Board of the Jacobs School of Music. They also sponsor the Gary J. and Kathy Z. Anderson Scholarship which is awarded to undergraduate music students.

“Kathy and Gary’s relationship with Violette is very special,” Korzec said.

She said the contribution of an endowed chair as an anniversary present is the embodiment of philanthropy, and it shows their passion for enhancing and furthering the arts, as well as their respect for and admiration of Verdy.

Verdy has had a long and distinguished career in the field of ballet. She has danced and taught in companies around the world, most notably the New York City Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet and Bolshoi Ballet Company. Legendary choreographers George Ballanchine and Jerome Robbins both wrote ballets for which she was the principal performer, including Tchaikovsky Pas De Deux and Dances at a Gathering.

Verdy was also the first outside female instructor invited to teach at the Bolshoi since the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917.

She currently has positions as the artistic advisor to the Rock School of Ballet in Philadelphia and is a principal guest teacher to the School of American Ballet.

“Ballet has literally been my whole life,” Verdy said.

Verdy has been in ballet for more than 65 years. She started as a dancer, then became a director and finally a teacher.

“Directing was not for me,” Verdy said. “I am not interested in fame, money or power, so I decided to teach. Once you realize a purpose you should be working on, you get the means of your belief. We do great things when we have higher ambitions.”

Verdy stressed the importance of balance for future growth, both in the ballet department and overall education. The classical arts and higher education are each incomplete on their own, she said.

“The high education can be too dry alone and the arts can become too sentimental when they’re alone,” Verdy said. “With the higher education and the arts harnessed together, you get an incredible balance and a full realization of the human person.”

Verdy and Ballet Department Chair Michael Vernon said they strike a healthy balance in the way they manage the Ballet Department. 

Verdy said she tries to nurture dancers and help them with their technique. At the same time, Vernon said he is there to take them out of their comfort zone and challenge them with ballets from many different styles and time periods.

“He has an eye on what is needed to push the dancers and he features ballets by all the great choreographers you can see in New York or Paris.”

Vernon is a great programmer, Verdy said.

“Dancing makes me feel like those wonderful, little mountain goats,” Verdy said. “They borrow the same tracks their ancestors have used for centuries.  You adapt to what the steps require and  you climb the mountain.”