Meet the Directors
*Photo by Luk Creative
Sadie Brown
Sadie Brown started ballet at a young age in her hometown Evansville, IN. From there she attended training programs at Boston Ballet and Harid Conservatory. Upon graduating high school, Sadie was handpicked by Patricia Barker to join Grand Rapids Ballet where she performed lead roles such as Juliet in a world premiere by Mário Radačovský. This role took her to Slovakia and Austria where she guested with Ballet Bratislava.
Sadie was delighted by the opportunities to perform a wide range of works with GRB. Works by George Balanchine, José Limón, David Parsons, Paul Taylor, and Twyla Tharp.
After 3 seasons with Grand Rapids Ballet, Sadie signed a contract with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet in January 2013. Here she enjoyed a full career dancing on some of the greatest stages around the globe and performing works by leading contemporary choreographers such as Jiří Kylián, Jorma Elo, Nicolo Fonte, Alejandro Cerrudo, Cayetano Soto, Fernando Melo, and others. Upon the dissolution of ASFB Sadie enjoyed finding work as a freelance dancer with companies such as Cirio Collective, Lemon Sponge Cake, and enjoyed the heartwarming return to Aspen Santa Fe Ballet’s stage in their production of The Nutcracker.
Sadie has taken on several roles “on the other side”. She holds positions as artistic consultant, artistic coordinator, rehearsal director, and repetiteur/stager. As a stager she is honored to uphold works by choreographers Jorma Elo, Andrea Schermoly, and Nicolo Fonte.
In 2025 Sadie and her husband launched the Choreographic Residency of Marin in Marin County, CA where she is co-director beside her husband Ben Needham-Wood.
*Performance photo by Rosalie O’Connor, Headshot by Tyler Stableford
Ben Needham-Wood
BEN NEEDHAM-WOOD is an EMMY Award-winning choreographer, filmmaker, and dance educator. Ben currently serves as Artistic Director for the Boulder Ballet in Boulder, CO. This appointment followed a 12-year performance career dancing primarily with the Louisville Ballet, Smuin Contemporary Ballet, and Amy Seiwert’s Imagery. As a performer Ben was honored to receive two Isadora Duncan Dance Award nominations and recognition from the New York Times. Ben graduated magna cum laude and holds a BFA in Ballet from the College-Conservatory of Music in Cincinnati, OH.
Ben’s choreography has been presented nationally by professional companies, TV networks, commercial airlines, film festivals, and galas. In 2018, Ben and his long-time collaborator, Weston Krukow, co-created the dance film BaseBallet: Into the Game, which was awarded 4 Northern-California Area EMMY Awards and recognized by film festivals across the country. This feature was preceded by the short film, BaseBallet, which was also recognized with a regional EMMY Award and was later exhibited at the National Museum of Dance and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, NY.
Ben was the first appointed Artistic Fellow of Amy Seiwert’s Imagery in 2018. Two years later he founded his own company, Redirecting Dance, in order to produce works that amplify critical social issues and inspire empathy. Through his company Ben has been closely studying the impacts of movement on mental health. This research continues to inform his work as a choreographer and leader in the performing arts.
*Performance photo by Chris Hardy, Headshot by Maximilian Tortoriello