About the academy and company
The Central Florida Ballet was founded in 2000 by world-renowned dancer and director, Vasile Petrutiu, and "Orlando's ballerina" Heather Fryxell-Sanders. Mr. Petrutiu had come to Orlando to direct Southern Ballet Theatre (now Orlando Ballet), where Ms. Sander-Fryxell was the principal dancer. Their common artistic goals led them to start their own dance organization made up of a school, the Ballet Academy of Central Florida, and a ballet company.
In 2001, the first ever company production "Tutus, Tango, and More" was presented to sold-out audiences. Informances, an outreach program for Orange County school children was also introduced and has since brought ballet to thousands of Central Florida students. That December, the Central Florida Ballet mounted The Nutcracker and since its premiere has become the most popular Nutcracker production in the area. Under the choreographic expertise of Mr. Petrutiu, the production has received rave reviews, including being named as one of the nation's top Nutcrackers by CNN Headline News and USA Today. In 2003, the Children's Ballet Series opened to sold-out audiences. During the next couple of years new shows were added including The Fairy Doll and The Ugly Duckling.
In 2006, CFB premiered "9/11 An American Moment" an original ballet based on the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001. The U.S. House of Representatives recognized CFB as the only dance company in the nation to present a ballet based on that fateful day in September 2001. That same year, The Nutcracker was voted "One of the Top 20 Events" in the southeast region by the Southeast Tourism Society.
In July of 2007, Vasile Petrutiu inaugurated the World Ballet Competition (WBC) which is now held annually in Orlando, Florida. The week-long event includes daily competition rounds, a master class workshop, an international job fair and culminates in an All-Star Performance Gala featuring an impressive roster of talent from around the world. The inaugural WBC received the "Excellence in Arts" award from the United Arts of Central Florida and was also documented by Terpishore Entertainment to be featured on arts & entertainment television channels in the USA and abroad. In 2008, the World Ballet Competition became the first ballet competition to be entirely broadcast live on the internet and the first to use an instantaneous, scoring system similar to the Olympics. The World Ballet Competition has since generated more than 28 million internet views worldwide and has been acclaimed globally on radio, television and featured in numerous magazines including multiple page layouts in Dance for You Magazine (based in Europe) and Danca Brasil Magazine (based in South America). Most recently, Orange County Mayor Demings named June 25, 2021 as World Ballet Competition Day.
