Thomas Baird 

Artist Teacher 

Biography: Thomas Baird is a Historical Dance specialist, and is the co-director of Apollo's Banquet, a New York City-based Baroque dance and music ensemble. Mr. Baird is a regular guest lecturer on Baroque Dance at The Juilliard School, Mannes School of Music, and the Manhattan School of Music. He is a faculty member of the Opera Division at SUNY Purchase where he teaches Movement Styles for Singers and choreographs the annual opera productions. Through the auspices of Victoria Geduld's Historic Dance Theatre, he presents historical dance in its appropriate context in workshops and lecture demonstrations at Kaatsbaan, American Ballet Theatre's Summer Ballet Intensive. He was the Period Movement Coach for the Broadway productions of O'Neill's "A Touch of the Poet," and, at Lincoln Center Theater, Sheridan's "The Rivals." He choreographed period dances for Alfano's "Cyrano de Bergerac," starring Placido Domingo at the Metropolitan Opera. For the past five seasons, he has choreographed and performed period dances for the New York Philharmonic's Young People's Concerts at Avery Fisher Hall. Mr. Baird is currently on the faculty of the Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet where he teaches Period Dance. Thomas is a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique, having received his training from the Balance Arts Center in NYC (Ann Rodiger, Director). He teaches the Alexander Technique privately and in the Dance Division of The Juilliard School.