05/31/2026
Diana Byer has decided to, as her younger students might say, “get on the apps.” Byer is the founder and former artistic director of New York Theatre Ballet and is regarded as a master teacher of the Cecchetti method. She studied for 20 years with the British ballet dancer, choreographer, and teacher Margaret Craske (1892–1990), who herself studied with the Italian ballet master Enrico Cecchetti (1850–1928). After dancing professionally and leading NYTB for 44 years, Byer stepped down from the company in 2022 but continued teaching.
In October 2024, Byer created the Diana Byer Legacy Project, a series of on-demand video lessons for dancers from elementary through professional levels. The series was created with Dancio, online-dance-lesson platform, and produced in collaboration with Jacob’s Pillow. And then by January 2025, with the help of Alex Angrist, one of her former students, Byer expanded her virtual reach by launching “Teaching Cecchetti.” The new channel is meant to educate dancers through social media (Instagram and Facebook) and online classes. The posts feature forgotten ballet steps from the 19th and early 20th century, as well as Cecchetti fundamentals.
Learn more about “Teaching Cecchetti” here: https://dance-teacher.com/diana-byer-teaching-cecchetti/ .tab=0?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=May
📝: Caedra Scott-Flaherty
📸: Photos courtesy Byer.
Description: Byer instructing a dance student. Text: Diana Byer Is Bringing Back Ballet’s Long-Lost Steps With “Teaching Cecchetti”
