Yvonne Racz was the artistic director of Ballet Lubbock for 28 years and adjunct professor in the School of Theatre and Dance at Texas Tech University for over 5 years. She will begin a Visiting Professor position at the Hungarian Dance University in Budapest, Hungary (Magyar Táncművészeti Egyetem) in September 2025.
Her teaching and leadership philosophy includes inclusive methods and anatomical knowledge, diverse casting and narrative, and community collaborations. Under her leadership, Ballet Lubbock grew from a one-room studio at the Boys and Girls Club to earning the position of resident artist organization in the prestigious Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences. Yvonne is a School of American Ballet Visiting Fellow and was instrumental in hosting the 3rd SAB Teaching seminar in their history at Ballet Lubbock in October of 2024.
She is a 2024 Fulbright Teaching Scholar and taught ballet in Budapest, Hungary, at the Hungarian Dance University, where she taught her pedagogy of “Balancing Balanchine with functional anatomy for dancers in the ballet class.” She was recently added to the Fulbright Specialist Roster. She is a recipient of the National Dance Education Organization Award for Outstanding Leadership in the Independent Sector and a board member of CORPS de Ballet International. She holds a B.A. in Humanities from the University of Utah and an MFA in Performance and Pedagogy from Texas Tech University and is a certified Functional Anatomy Awareness educator.
Additionally, she completed her Functional Awareness and Anatomy in Action certification, enhancing her understanding of the human body’s mechanics and becoming a certified FA ME educator. As a dance educator, Yvonne has presented at prominent platforms such as the Association of Theater Education (ATHE), Texas Educational Theatre Association (TETA), CORPS de Ballet International, MoBB (Memoirs of Blacks in Ballet), and Dance Studies Association. A passionate advocate for the transformative power of ballet, Yvonne has delivered a TEDx talk on the positive effects of ballet training on young individuals. She has been honored with awards, including The Arts Alliance Dynamic Force ACE award, YWCA’s Woman of Excellence in Culture, and the Louise Hopkins Underwood Arts Center’s “Performing Arts Award.”
Her professional career includes dancing with. Urban Ballet Theatre, Ballet Hispanico of New York, Cirque du Soleil, Maryland Ballet, and theater credits at the Arena Stage of Washington, DC. Guest teaching includes Dallas Black Dance Theatre. Ballet Hispanico, Texas Ballet Theater, Budapest Dance Theatre, Dance Now Mexico, Regional Dance America Southwest, Twin Cities Ballet in LA, and Burklyn Ballet Theatre to name a few.