Yael Levitin Saban is an internationally recognized dancer, choreographer, and educator with over three decades of experience in the performing arts. Her distinguished performance career includes principal and soloist roles with prominent companies such as Bat-Dor Dance Company (Israel), Ballet Hispanico of New York, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Complexions Ballet, and the Connecticut Ballet. In addition, she has appeared as a principal dancer in numerous productions with the Chicago Lyric Opera and as a guest artist at the Saito Kinen Festival in Japan.

Yael holds a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Dance from Hunter College and a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Columbia College Chicago. Her choreographic work has been presented by major institutions, including the Washington National Opera and the Dallas Opera—most notably in Salome under the direction of Francesca Zambello, where they choreographed and staged the iconic “Dance of the Seven Veils.”

Currently, Yael serves as Assistant Professor of Dance at Suny Purchase, where she is also the Head of the Ballet Department. Her teaching experience spans appointments at Hunter College, Marymount Manhattan College, and Columbia College Chicago. A certified instructor through the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), she has developed and led comprehensive curricula in ballet, modern, and improvisation at both collegiate and professional levels. She has also served as ballet mistress for companies including Ballet Hispanico and Kibbutz Dance Company.

Yael is a recipient of the Hunter College Artist Graduate Scholarship and a silver medalist at the Paris Opera Contemporary Dance Competition. she continues to contribute to the field through artistic leadership, mentorship, and innovative choreographic research.