Who We Are
Leadership Team
Sarah Taylor
Executive Director
Dance has been and always will be a part of Sarah’s life. Serving as Executive Director is truly a full-circle moment for her, having started at Southold at nearly three years old with Bonnie Bollini Baxter serving as her first instructor of thirteen years. After returning to the stage four years ago, as a Party Parent, she was excited to remain in that role with the return of the collaboration with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra, reminiscent of her ten childhood performances of The Nutcracker with Southold Dance Theater! Sarah was also very fond of the Spring Concerts and Community Outreach endeavors. She enjoys watching Southold’s “why” (the dancers) have some of the same and even more amazing experiences whilst remaining open to as well as actively seeking more opportunities to consistently engage with the community and educate others about the gem that Southold is!
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Miss Sarah M. Taylor was born in Elkhart and raised in South Bend, IN by Mrs. Vera and the late David Taylor. She is the younger sister of John David (Amy) & Sean (Terri), aunt of three lovely nieces, Abby, Morgan, & Arianna, a nephew, Xavier, and a Godmother of two, Jakai and Mila! She is a proud product of the South Bend Schools, an alumnus of Indiana University Bloomington, and holds a Master of Science Degree in Organizational Leadership from Trine University. In Bloomington, Sarah danced with the African-American Dance Company (AADC) under the direction of Professor Iris Rosa for eight Seasons, performing works rooted in the fusion of many dance styles, including but not limited to West Indian/Jamaican, Afro-Cuban, and West African styles, salsa, jazz, ballet, and modern.
Sarah sings Soprano in the Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church mass choir. She serves as the Historian of the South Bend Alumnae Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Incorporated, on the South Bend Civic Theatre Board of Directors, and was named in the Michiana Forty Under 40 Class of 2022. Sarah has also been able to pair her love of dance and singing by participating in several musicals with Premier Arts in Elkhart: Little Shop of Horrors, SpongeBob the Musical, and The Drowsy Chaperone! She was an inaugural recipient of the South Bend Empowerment Zone’s Excellence and Service Award and recently received the Indiana University Bloomington, Neal-Marshall Alumni Club’s Exemplar Award. Sarah enjoys spending time with family and traveling. The Arts, serving youth, and giving back to the community are her passions. Miss Taylor truly believes in helping all people unlock their potential and is looking forward to helping Southold thrive and live the mission of its nearly 50-year rich history.
Sarah is thankful to the Board of Directors, Calin, Fiona, the Faculty and Staff, families, and dancers for entrusting her with such an amazing opportunity to guide the Southold Family to the next level and beyond.
Călin Rădulescu
Artistic Director
Călin Rădulescu is originally from Bucharest, Romania. His passion for the arts started at age five when he was admitted into the George Enescu School of Fine Arts, studying piano. When Călin turned ten, he enrolled in the ballet program, beginning training with his mother, Elena Radulescu. Over the next nine years, he studied under several teachers to acquire excellent technique and knowledge of the performing art. During high school, he became part of “Ensemble Dor,” with which he toured the U.S.A., France and Italy. At the same time, he became an apprentice with the Romanian National Ballet. Upon graduation, he joined the company and was raised to principal dancer two years later. He toured with the company worldwide, performing in Switzerland, Germany, South Korea, Italy, Greece, France, Turkey, Bulgaria and Luxembourg. In 1998, Călin traveled to Germany, dancing for the Kaiserslautern Pfaltz-Theater. In 1999, he joined Cincinnati Ballet. In 2001, he accepted a position with Tulsa Ballet, and in 2002, he called Grand Rapids his home. There, he began dancing and teaching for Grand Rapids Ballet, completing ten years of a professional career. During this time, he performed soloist and principal roles in Swan Lake, Giselle, The Nutcracker, La Fille Mal Gardée, Don Quixoté, Les Sylphides, Le Corsaire, Carmen, Paquita, Romeo and Juliet, Coppélia, Belling the Slayer, Scheherazade, and Gift of the Magi.
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In 2004, Călin had the pleasure of becoming an Affiliate Professor of Dance and Ballet Master at Grand Valley State University, where he commenced his career as a choreographer and has created a few successful ballets, such as: “Carmen,” “Tango Ballet,” “The Rough Dancer and the Cyclical Night,” “Later On,” and “Reflection.” During his tenure at GVSU, he became the founder and Associate Artistic Director for the Great Lakes Youth Ballet Company, choreographing full-length classical ballets like “The Nutcracker” and “Coppélia.” Călin also taught at numerous schools and summer intensive programs during this period. After fifteen years in the United States, he returned to his home country of Romania to work again for the Romanian National Ballet as the Assistant Artistic Director and Principal Ballet Master under Johan Kobborg. He also returned to dancing and performed the role of “Vronsky” in the ballet “Anna Karenina” by Ion Tugearu, “Rhapsody” by Sir F. Ashton, “Espada” from “Don Quixote,” “Birbanto” in “Le Corsaire,” “Gurn” in “La Sylphide,” “Widow Simon” from “La Fille Mal Gardée” by Sir F. Ashton, and “The husband” in the ballet “Women” by Gheorghe Iancu. He also had the chance to work firsthand with Alina Cojocaru, Ethan Stiefel, Xander Perish, and Osiel Gouneo, among others.
In 2016, Călin returned to the U.S.A., accepting the position of Interim Artistic Director with Southold Dance Theater. The same year, he was part of the “Fall For Dance Festival” at the New York City Center, where he had the opportunity to appear in the ballet “Marguerite and Armand” and guest teach for the Sarasota Ballet.
Under Călin’s artistic leadership, Southold Dance Theater secured the honor of being named the “2017 Outstanding School of the Year” award and the “2022 Outstanding Teacher Award” at the internationally renowned competition “Youth America Grand Prix.” In 2022, under his training, Southold was represented at the world-renowned competition “Prix De Lausanne” in Switzerland, where his student advanced to the final round. Many of his students are accepted with scholarships into internationally renowned Summer Intensives and year-round programs, while some graduates continue dancing in college and professional ballet companies.
Today, alongside his family, Calin is happy to call South Bend his home.
Board of Directors
Brie Milligan, President
Audra Sieradzki, Vice President
Ron Silverman, Treasurer
Annie Gawkowski, Secretary
Erin Linder Hanig
Cindy Mann
Dan Pfeifer
Lynn Yapp
Mission Statement
A Legacy of Excellence in Dance
(574) 233-9841
914 Lincoln Way West South Bend, IN 46616
THURS 10am-12pm
FRI 10am-1:30pm
SAT 10am-12pm
SUN Closed
Southold Dance Theater (c) (3) organization, and is funded in part by a grant from the Community Foundation of St. Joseph Country through the Indiana Arts Commission, a state agency, with funds from the Indiana General Assembly and the National Endowment for the Arts.