Life & Work with Sadie Black of Los Angeles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sadie Black.

Sadie, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Im a freelance ballet dancer in Los Angeles. This began in 2010. While this was not the trajectory I thought my career would take, I am so happy , grateful and artistically fulfilled with this outcome .
A so-cal native, I was born in Long Beach CA, and grew up in Corona CA where I received wonderful ballet training at Riverside Ballet Arts, Ballet Pacifica, and later trained at the School of American Ballet & Houston Ballet Academy.
I began my professional career with Texas Balet Theater at 20 years old and later went on to dance with South Carolina Ballet. After a rejection from another ballet company I was working with, I was so defeated and discouraged that for 3 years I quit pursuing ballet as a professional career. I pivoted to working full time in a law firm. After a while, I felt depressed and began to ache to train and perform again. In 2010, a colleague sent me an audition notice for a new ballet company starting in Los Angeles. I attended the audition and was surprised I booked the performance. It was a real gift and the ignition and encouragement I needed. That ballet company is Luminario Ballet and I continue to dance with them today.
Performing for this new company introduced me to the world of professional freelance dance artists and the very special and unique landscape of professional dance in Los Angeles. It had been my belief that if I did not work for a large established ballet company, I would never have a career in the industry I loved so much.
That is the beauty of LA. It’s a city alive with ambitious, driven artists and creative energy. While dancing for Luminario Ballet, I took ballet classes regularly at Los Angeles ballet studios where I met and was hired by other Artistic Directors of ballet companies here.
Over the past 15 years, I have built a full time ballet career as a freelancer. Companies I have danced with are: Barak Ballet, Raiford Rogers Ballet, Los Angeles Ballet, Laurie Sefton Creates, The Realm Company, Freaks with Lines, Contempo Ballet, and City of Angeles Ballet & Luminario Ballet

Running parallel to my performing career is the passion I’ve found for teaching ballet.. I teach ballet, yoga and fitness.
Because freelance life has required me to always teach classes along with training and performing to sustain myself, I have discovered a deep love to continue the legacy of ballet
As I began to teach ballet, I was excited to experience my own technical skills improve as I taught others to dance this beautiful craft. I love teaching so much and connecting to my ballet community in this way.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The challenge with freelance can be its inconsistency and requirement to fully take ownership of the craft yourself and in-act fierce discipline to build, maintain and create your own professional path. It’s hard work. Freelance is being your own business.
Unlike dancing in a traditional ballet company, freelance life does not offer you free training, physical therapy, pointe shoes, equipment and a guarantee of performances every season.
I have always taught many classes every week to help sustain myself financially as I continue to build a large calendar of performances. This sometimes requires me to work 3-4 jobs every day to create a tapestry of full time work. This also means driving 3-4 hours a day in Los Angeles traffic . I pay for my own training, pointe shoes and physical therapy.
However, I have discovered I prefer the adventure. The challenge. This career as a freelance ballet artist has stretched and fueled my artistry so much. Unlike a traditional ballet company, I’ve performed on so many different stages throughout the city, rather than at the same theater every season. Sometimes the stage is a film set, sometimes it’s been a nightclub or a lavish wedding, and sometimes it’s been on some of the most exciting stages we have in Los Angeles ; like when i had the honor to perform alongside the LA Philharmonic at Walt Disney Concert Hall with Barak Ballet. Or performing and teaching in Mumbai India as a US Cultural Ambassador via the State Department with company Luminario Ballet.
I’ve gratefully learned so much from Directors and fellow dancers in this style of career. Because some companies have been just starting out, I’ve watched them grow and learned much about production. This is a beautiful gift as I have also grown as a choreographer and Director. I have now produced various performances for the stage myself . Los Angeles is also of course, a city of filmmakers , offering me the opportunity to dance in some films as well.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Over the past 15 years, I have built a ballet career as a freelancer. Companies I have performed with are: Barak Ballet, Raiford Rogers Ballet, Los Angeles Ballet, Laurie Sefton Creates, The Realm Company, Freaks with Lines, Contempo Ballet, and City of Angeles Ballet & Luminario Ballet

I currently am on faculty as a ballet teacher at:
Westside School of Ballet
The SIX Compound
Serendipity Dance Co.

I also teach yoga, ballet and barre fitness at Equinox gyms along with having private clients .

I love choreographing new ballets and most recently presented pieces at the TuTu Dance Festival in March 2025 and at the SoCal Ballet Scene festival in September 2024

What does success mean to you?
I beleive in hard work. Consistency fueled by passion can help power you through the uncertainty, loss , pain and exhaustion that is inevitable in this artistic career.
Success to me is building something you adore doing and doing something that will always save you.
While life is often painful, I’m so grateful to have ballet as a constant. Getting into the studio and my work at the barre on my training and then sharing that knowledge when I teach ballet , or when I perform brings me so much joy .

Contact Info:

• Website: sadieblack..com
• Instagram: @sadie_black