Alumni Travel Back in Time
Maxine Mahon is the founding director and innovative force behind the California Ballet Company. Forty years ago, she set out to create a company grounded in the classical tradition, and capable of incorporating contemporary movement into its repertoire.
As Mahon was framing the artistic direction of her company, she was also challenged to develop skills in fiscal and business management, marketing and public relations and board development.
“My degree in sociology from San Diego State gave me the confidence to approach these tasks,” Mahon recalls. “At the time I was attending SDSU, not many dancers pursued an academic education. I felt it was important, and I made it a priority in my life.”
The SDSU degree led to a job in the San Diego County Probation Department, which supported Mahon while she continued to pursue her passion for dance. Today, she credits her education at SDSU as “the basis for my achievements.”
The California Ballet Company has enjoyed tremendous success under Mahon’s direction. She has coached dancers to bronze, silver, and gold medals in international ballet competitions, and was the first American dance educator engaged by the U. S. State Department as a cultural exchange artist to Romania.
A natural extension of Ms. Mahon’s dedication to education and to the youth of San Diego, the California Ballet’s educational programs offer education about dance to thousands of school age children each year through lecture demonstrations, curriculum-based study materials for teachers and special school performances. These programs have been recognized by the California Arts Council with an Exemplary Arts in Education Grant.
In June 2002, Ms. Mahon was presented with the prestigious San Diego Area Dance Alliance Lifetime Achievement Tommy Award.
