Sam Ainley

Sam Ainley began training at the School of Sacramento Ballet at age 10 under the direction of Melanie Haller, followed by Crockett Deane Ballet under the direction of Barbara Crockett, Allyson Dean and Don Schwennesen. In 2013, Mr. Ainley joined The School of American Ballet, receiving training and instruction from Jock Soto.  At age 17, he accepted a position with Boston Ballet II under Peter Stark while performing new and existing works with Boston Ballet. In 2017, Mr. Ainley accepted a corps de ballet position with Carolina Ballet. Under the mentorship of Robert Weiss and Zalman Raffael, he has enjoyed performing numerous works with the company including Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, and Cinderella. He was promoted to Soloist in 2019 and Principal in 2021.