Sarah Lane

For the English actress, playwright and theatre manager, see Sarah Lane (theatre manager). For those of a similar name, see Sara Lane (disambiguation).

Sarah Lane (born August 3, 1984) is an American ballet dancer who was a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre (ABT). She served as a "dance double" for Natalie Portman in the 2010 film Black Swan.

Sarah Lane
Lane receiving prize money at USA IBC in 2002
Born	(1984-08-03) August 3, 1984 (age 41) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Education	Draper Center for Dance Boston Ballet
Occupation	Ballet dancer
Years active	2003–present
Spouse	Luis Ribagorda ​ (m. 2007)​

Early life

Lane was born in San Francisco, California. She started training for dance at Classical Ballet Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee. Her family later moved to Rochester, New York where she continued her training at the Draper Center for Dance Education. At the age of 16 she attended the Boston Ballet's Summer Program on a full scholarship. At the North American Ballet Festival in 2000 and 2001, she won first place and received the Capezio Class Excellence Award.

In 2002, she received the highest medal in the Junior Division of the Jackson International Ballet Competition. During that time she also performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., as a presidential scholar in the arts. Also in 2002, she won the bronze medal at the Youth America Grand Prix Competition. Lane is a YoungArts alumnus.^[1]

Career

Lane joined American Ballet Theatre as an apprentice in August 2003, became a member of the company's corps de ballet in April 2004. Lane was the June 2007 cover model for Dance Magazine.^[2] She was appointed a Soloist in August 2007 and was promoted to Principal Dancer in September 2017.^[3] Her promotion was announced following four successful role debuts - the titular role in Giselle, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, and a leading role in Souvenir d'un lieu cher - as part of ABT's 2017 season at the Metropolitan Opera House. She also originated the role of Princess Praline in Whipped Cream. In February 2020, Lane starred in the Richmond Ballet's "Swan Lake," partnered by Cory Stearns, a day after performing "Giselle" in DC. The scheduled Chinese National Ballet dancers had been unable to travel. ^[4] The New York Times called Lane's debut in Giselle “distinguished.”^[5] Her term with ABT ended in 2020.^[6][7] In 2023, she briefly became Director of the School of Ballet RI before resigning in December of 2023.^[8][9]

Black Swan

Main article: Black Swan dance double controversy

Lane served as a "dance double" for Natalie Portman in the 2010 film Black Swan, a psychological thriller about ballet dancers in New York City.^[10] In a March 3 blog entry for Dance Magazine, editor-in-chief Wendy Perron asked: "Do people really believe that it takes only one year to make a ballerina? We know that Natalie Portman studied ballet as a kid and had a year of intensive training for the film, but that doesn't add up to being a ballerina. However, it seems that many people believe that Portman did her own dancing in Black Swan."^[11][12] This led to responses from Benjamin Millepied and Aronofsky, who both defended Portman, as well as a response from Lane on the subject.^[13][14][15]

Personal life

In December 2007, Lane married Luis Ribagorda, a member of the ABT's corps de ballet.^[16] They reside in Jersey City, New Jersey.^[16][17]

Selected repertoire

Lane's repertory with the American Ballet Theatre includes:

• Nikiya and a Shade - La Bayadère
• Galya - The Bright Stream
• The Fairy Spring - Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella
• Blossom - James Kudelka’s Cinderella
• Swanilda - Coppélia
• Gulnare - Le Corsaire
• Kitri, Amour and a flower girl - Don Quixote
• Flames of Paris pas de deux
• Giselle and the peasant pas de deux - Giselle
• Columbine in Harlequinade
• Mrs. Fairfax in Jane Eyre
• The title role - Manon
• Vera - A Month in the Country
• Clara, the Princess - Alexei Ratmansky’s The Nutcracker
• Olga - Onegin
• Other Dances
• One of Juliet’s friends - Romeo and Juliet
• Sinatra Suite
• Princess Aurora and Princess Florine - Ratmansky’s The Sleeping Beauty
• The Young Girl in Le Spectre de la Rose
• Odette/Odile, the pas de trois, Polish Princess and a little swan - Swan Lake
• Waltz - Les Sylphides
• A Goat - Sylvia
• The lead - Theme and Variations
• Bach Partita
• Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes
• Bach Partita
• Raymonda Divertissements
• Souvenir d'un lieu cher
• Symphony in C

Created roles

• Chinese Dance - Alexei Ratmansky’s The Nutcracker
• The Rose - The Seasons
• The Fairy Miettes qui tombent (Breadcrumb) - Ratmansky’s The Sleeping Beauty
• Miranda - The Tempest
• Princess Praline - Whipped Cream
• Dream within a Dream (deferred)
• Private Light

Publications

• "My (Double) Life as a Black Swan." The Wall Street Journal, March 30, 2011.