Sonja Kostich

Sonja Kostich is president and executive director of Baryshnikov Arts. She was hired by Mikhail Baryshnikov at the age of 17 to join American Ballet Theatre (ABT) from The School of Classical Ballet, the training school created by Mr. Baryshnikov, consisting of only seven female students and five male students. She later danced with the San Francisco Ballet and the Zurich Ballet, Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project, and in multiple collaborations with opera/theater director Peter Sellars, before co-founding OtherShore, which she co-directed for six years. Upon retiring from dancing, Kostich returned to school, obtaining a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Accounting and Business Communication from Zicklin School of Business, CUNY Baruch College, where she graduated Salutatorian at the age of 42. Following graduation, she began a full-time position at Goldman Sachs in the Finance Division with a focus on regulatory capital requirements. Simultaneously, she obtained an MA in Arts Administration, eventually returning to the dance world, first as the finance manager at Mark Morris Dance Group and then as program manager at New York City Center. From 2018 to 2022, she served as the chief executive and artistic officer at Kaatsbaan Cultural Park, a 153-acre artist sanctuary located in Tivoli, NY, where she led the successful rebrand and revitalization of the 30+-year organization, bringing it to award-winning status for its significant artistic and economic contributions to the Hudson Valley.