Alexandra Cunningham
Sensory Friendly Dance Founder

Alexandra trained locally at Deane Dance Center under Barbara Crockett, and joined the Sacramento Ballet in 2005. During her 14-years with the Company, career highlights included performing the title role in Giselle, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, the title roles in Ron Cunningham’s Romeo & Juliet, Cinderella, and Alice in Wonderland, as well as the character of Daisy in Cunningham’s The Great Gatsby. Alexandra was also honored to perform principal and soloist roles in 14 works by George Balanchine, as well as in works by contemporary ballet choreographers including Twyla Tharp, Edward Liang, Septime Webre, Ma Cong, Trey McIntyre, Amy Siewert, and Darrell Grand Moultrie. Ron Cunningham’s The Nutcracker also held a special place in Alexandra’s heart as she performed in the production for 25 consecutive years. Alexandra overcame three ACL reconstructions during her performing career and served as the Sacramento Ballet’s Social Media Manager from 2012-2017 and the Summer Intensive Coordinator from 2012-2017.

Alexandra launched a Sensory Friendly Dance Program in 2017 in partnership with the Sacramento Kings Foundation and Kulture City, giving individuals with autism unprecedented access to dance. She expanded this program in 2018 and 2019 thanks to a California Arts Council Local Impact grant and fostered community partnerships with the Sacramento Republic FC, Kaiser Permanente, Crocker Art Museum and B Street Theatre to grow this vital community program. Alexandra co-founded Capital Dance Project, a collective of artists, in 2015 and was instrumental in growing the organization. Alexandra is currently attending UC Berkeley and teaches ballet at Hawkins School of Performing Arts in Folsom, and at Step One Dance and Fitness in Natomas.