Southern California Ballet Welcomes New Artistic Directors Martha Leebolt and Tobias Batley

92128 Magazine

Southern California Ballet has two new artistic directors: Martha Leebolt and Tobias Batley of Northern Ballet. They will succeed Sylvia Palmer-Zetler, who after over 30 years as the artistic director and academy principal, will continue as the director of the Cecchetti Training Program. Martha and Tobias were introduced to the community in late March, and will officially assume their new positions in September.

Martha, a Rancho Bernardo High School graduate, trained at Black Mountain Dance Centre, followed by professional training at Ballet Met, and later joining Northern Ballet in England. Tobias was born in Manchester, England, and trained at the Hammond School of Dance in Chester, as well as the Royal Ballet School in London. He joined the Jeune Ballet de Cannes in France before joining Northern Ballet in 2004. Martha and Tobias have both been nominated for National Dance Awards multiple times, have repeatedly been included in Dance Europemagazine’s list of outstanding dancers, and have been guest artists at shows around the world. Discover more at www.southerncaliforniaballet.org.