The choreographic process is exhausting. It happens on one's feet after hours of work, and the energy required is roughly the equivalent of writing a novel and winning a tennis match simultaneously ...
– Agnes de Mille
LAWRENCE & SARMA LAPENIEKS ROSENBERG, directors
Lawrence and Sarma are dedicated to the promotion of artistic excellence, the inclusion of all segments of our diverse communities, and the sharing of the intangible essence, “More than dance”, that ballet has to offer our audiences. Lawrence and Sarma direct the company, AIDF, school and community educational outreach programs of Anaheim Ballet.
Lawrence is an active promoter of arts education and an advocate for community arts involvement. He is currently a faculty member at Chapman University and a sought after master class instructor. Lawrence presents Anaheim Ballet’s Segerstrom Center for the Arts Arts Teach performances and is frequently a West Coast guest teacher for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.
Sarma serves as resident choreographer for Anaheim Ballet. Sarma is the recipient of a Congressional Certificate from Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, a Soroptomist Award for her use of dance in promoting International Goodwill and Understanding and has been awarded the Woman of Distinction Award from the American Business Women’s Association. Sarma also stages David Lichine’s Graduation Ball throughout the US.
Lawrence and Sarma’s students dance around the world and on the airwaves. They have also trained dancers for competitions including the USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi, Youth America Grand Prix, Los Angeles Music Center’s Spotlight Awards, Disney Creativity Challenge Awards, and the Orange County Performing Arts Center Invitational Dance Festival. Lawrence and Sarma have adjudicated for numerous events including the Los Angeles Music Center’s Spotlight Awards, Disney Creativity Challenge Awards, the Orange County Performing Arts Center Invitational Dance Festival, and the OC Business Committee for the Arts Awards.
Their shared backgrounds include early training and performing at Eugene Loring’s American School of Dance/Dance Players and American Ballet Theatre in New York with Valentina Pereyaslavec and Patricia Wilde. Lawrence and Sarma also trained with Stefan Wenta in Los Angeles and Finis Jhung in NYC. Sarma continued training with Richard Thomas’ New York School of Ballet and with Paris Opera Ballet’s Director Raymond Franchetti in Paris. They both performed extensively with Tatiana Riabouchinska and David Lichine’s Ballet Society throughout Southern California. The Rosenbergs learned extensively from the movement analyst Joanna Kneeland.
Both Lawrence and Sarma performed commercially and Lawrence worked with such stars as Ann-Margret, Raquel Welch, Carol Burnett, Rita Moreno, Bernadette Peters, and Lucille Ball. Sarma was invited to join the Houston Ballet at the age of sixteen and declined in order to continue performing in California. Lawrence joined the Eliot Feld Ballet in NYC and, while there, performed the renowned work, Intermezzo. Parallel to their performing careers Lawrence and Sarma began teaching at The Lichine School of Ballet in Beverly Hills and taught frequent classes with such stars present as Leslie Caron, Cyd Charisse, Joanne Woodward, and Julie Newmar. Sarma was Anne Bancroft’s personal coach for the classic dance film Turning Point and Lawrence performed with Baryshnikov in Baryshnikov Goes to Hollywood. He has been a faculty member at the University of California at Irvine and California State University at Fullerton. Guadalajara’s Minister of Culture recently invited Lawrence and Sarma to choreograph, coach and teach for Ballet de Jalisco.