Denise Dabrowski

Ms. Dabrowski is well known to San Diego dance audiences as an artist with exceptional dance intelligence. She held the title of Prima Ballerina with the California Ballet Company for over 15 years until her quiet retirement in 2008. Denise serves as Regisseur, Company Teacher and Rehearsal Coach for all California Ballet Company productions. As Regisseur she is responsible for insuring the integrity of the choreographer’s intent as a ballet is restaged. Denise also assists choreographers as they create new works. Denise has staged Charles Bennett’s Dracula for Hartford Ballet and Eugene Ballet, staged work for Alaska Dance Theatre, assisted choreographers at Sacramento Ballet, Phares Theater Ballet, the BYU dance department, and has set several ballets for the students, faculty and guest artists of Summer Dance Lab.

As a performer, Denise received much critical acclaim for her outstanding interpretations of her roles including Odette/Odile, Giselle, Aurora, Swanhilda, Juliet, Titania, the Sugar Plum Fairy,and Desdemona in The Moor’s Pavane. She has originated many leading roles for the Company including Lucy in Dracula. Ms. Dabrowski has performed as a member of the Joffrey Ballet Company, Three's Company & Dancers and Isaacs, McCaleb & Dancers and as a guest artist with several companies, and has been seen in many television specials in San Diego as well as the film Being John Malkovich, and in performances with San Diego Symphony members in Luscious Noise at Anthology, San Diego’s hip jazz supper club.

A graduate of the California Ballet School, Denise’s remarkable intuition for dance makes her a vital addition to the faculty of the California Ballet School and Summer Dance Lab.

Ms. Dabrowski has received various awards from the California Ballet and Starlight Opera, an NEA Fellowship Grant, and is a three-time San Diego Dance Alliance Tommy Award winner. She is married to San Diego Symphony violinist and CBC’s Music Director John Stubbs.