Alice Bassler Sullivan: At a rehearsal, Sept. 2008. Photo: Marc Lester, ADN
Alice Bassler Sullivan, who has trained dancers in Anchorage for the past 26 years, will retire from her long-held post of artistic director of Alaska Dance Theatre. A press release from ADT’s board of trustees said she would leave the job at the end of June.

Among other achievements, Sullivan staged ADT’s first “Mobius” showcase of original choreography in 1985. While the name of the concert changed over time, it has remained one of the highlights of the local dance season.

During her tenure, several ADT students went on to careers with national companies. A new facility for training dancers, the Alice Bassler Sullivan performance studio, was built on Eagle Street. The company has grown to be widely regarded as the state’s premier dance company and, in 2005, received the Governor’s Award for Outstanding Arts Organization.

ADT board chair Mark Musial said the search for a new artistic director is under way.