Hisham Omardien

Hisham Omardien

Rehearsal Director

A native of Worcester, outside of Cape Town in South Africa, Hisham Omardien has been a recognized member of the artistic community in Columbus Ohio (USA), for over two decades. Starting his training at the Julia Hickman Academy of Dance, taking Ballet as a subject at Worcester Secondary School and training with Dudley Tomlinson at the University of Cape Town’s Ballet School, Omardien danced with both CAPAB Ballet, the now Cape Town City Ballet and former State Theatre Ballet before joining BalletMet in 2000. A two-time recipient of the prestigious South African Balletomanes Award,Omardien also earned the 2004’s Violetta Boft Memorial Award.

His favorite performance roles were the lead in George Balanchine’s Who Cares?, the title role in David Nixon’s Dracula, the role of Armand in Veronica Paeper’s Camille, Don José in her Carmen, dancing in Dwight Roden’s Carmina Burana, the Man in Stanton Welch’s Maninyas, the Pas de Deux Couple in James Kudelka’s There Below and his Gazebo Dances. Gazebo Dances received rave reviews from New York critics when BalletMet was invited to perform at the Joyce Theatre. After retiring from dance, Omardien went on to become Rehearsal Director with BalletMet, working with renowned choreographers from around the world. Omardien is married to fellow retired company dancer and Rehearsal Director of BalletMet, Olivia Clark Omardien, with whom he is raising his daughter Safiyyah and his son Zayn.