Faculty Spotlight: Sky Tan

As we continue to celebrate BBT's 40th Anniversary, we are delighted to share thoughts and memories from the generations of BBT faculty members, current and past.

Is there a faculty member you'd especially like to hear from? Submit your faculty questions and requests to info@berkeleyballet.org.

I am very lucky to have BBT as a home. I started at BBT in 2013 and play for the majority of the Faculty. From my beginnings as a new arrival in the Bay Area ballet community to a popular ballet pianist, I can’t be more grateful for what BBT has taught me. All the teachers have been very kind, patient, and above all, professional, which in turn has encouraged me to discover myself and share what I’ve personally learned with the class.

2020 has been particularly tough for the performing arts, and I’m touched by the way BBT has reached out by helping faculty, staff, and fellow accompanists to overcome these difficult times. It's been 8 years with BBT, and I look forward to the future.

So far, I have three albums online; two are ballet class music and one for piano solo music. I used to play ballet competitions: California Dance Classic and Youth American Ground PRIX before the pandemic.

In the past couple of months, I have played for the online class called World Wide Ballet Class (WWBC) which works with many famous teachers from all over the world. It’s on YouTube, and here is a link for one of the classes: https://youtu.be/BdkEV3FuHP8

I also, as a solo pianist, played the Broadway musical "Fiddler on the Roof" with Head Royce School for a 3 hours performance last year.

Besides the piano, I like painting. Watercolor painting is my favorite. I have my Instagram account that is showing daily painting as my hobby. My account is  ‘skytravelcat.’ Please check it out if you are interested.