SECRETARY. TONIGHT, THE SACRAMENTO ARTS COMMUNITY IS MOURNING THE LOSS OF A MAN WHO HELPED SHAPE BALLET IN THE REGION. JOHN CUNNINGHAM IS THE FORMER DIRECTOR OF THE SACRAMENTO BALLET, WHOSE WORK SHAPED GENERATIONS. KCRA 3’S ANAHITA JAFARY SPOKE WITH THOSE WHO KNEW HIM ABOUT HIS LASTING LEGACY. YEAH. GOOD EVENING CECIL, FOR DECADES, RON CUNNINGHAM LED THE SACRAMENTO BALLET. NOW HE LEAVES BEHIND A LEGACY THAT FRIENDS AND FAMILY SAY WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN AND GO. THAT’S ALREADY COMING UP. HOW THEY’RE EXPERIENCING THE MAGIC OF THE NUTCRACKER. THAT WAS PRETTY SPECIAL TO BE A PART OF THAT. THOSE WHO KNEW RON CUNNINGHAM SAY THERE WAS SOMETHING TRULY SPECIAL ABOUT HIM. THE FORMER SACRAMENTO BALLET DIRECTOR LEAVES BEHIND A LASTING LEGACY. FIVE OF MY SIX KIDS ALL APPEARED IN THE NUTCRACKER, AND I TEXTED ALL OF THEM TODAY, AND ONE OF MY KIDS TEXTED ME BACK AND WAS LIKE, WOW, IT DOESN’T SEEM LIKE HE COULD HAVE PASSED AWAY. HE HAD HE WAS BIGGER THAN LIFE. FRIENDS SAY HE ORIGINALLY PLANNED TO STUDY BUSINESS UNTIL ONE PERFORMANCE SPARKED A NEW DREAM. HE CAME FROM ILLITERATE PARENTS. HIS DAD WORKED IN A FACTORY. HIS MOM DIDN’T WANT, YOU KNOW, TO HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE ARTS. HE DIDN’T COME TO BALLET UNTIL HE WAS 26 YEARS OLD. FORMER COLLEAGUES SAY HE CHANGED LIVES ONE STEP AND ONE STUDENT AT A TIME. HE CREATES FRIENDSHIPS. HE CREATES FAMILIES. HE CREATES TRADITIONS. HE CREATES MEMORIES. IN CREATING THE SACRAMENTO BALLET, HE’S DONE ALL OF THIS. HE BROUGHT ALL OF THAT VISION OF MAGIC THAT HE HAD IN HIM TO THE STAGE AND, YOU KNOW, MADE IT HAPPEN IN MOVEMENT AND SCENERY AND COSTUMES, HELPING DANCERS FIND THEIR FOOTING IN EACH STAGE OF LIFE. EVERYTHING HE TAUGHT YOU ABOUT BEING AN INTEGRAL PERSON AND LEADING YOURSELF WITH DIGNITY AND JUST KEEP TRYING AND KEEP DANCING. YOU SPENT SO MANY YEARS WORKING WITH RON. TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE MARK HE MADE ON THE COMMUNITY IN SACRAMENTO. JUST REALLY, IN MY MIND, JUST A HERO, LIKE A HERO IN SACRAMENTO AND THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN’S LIVES. HE DIDN’T HAVE TO DO THIS. MOST ARTISTIC DIRECTORS NEVER WOULD HAVE TAKEN ON WHAT HE TOOK ON. HE PUSHED THE ARTS FORWARD, ALWAYS IN SACRAMENTO. AND I HOPE HIS LEGACY IS NEVER FORGOTTEN, BECAUSE THERE’S A WHOLE LOT THAT WOULDN’T BE HERE IF HE HADN’T DONE WHAT HE DID. NOW HIS FORMER COLLEAGUES AND STUDENTS SAY HIS PASSION FOR DANCE WILL CONTINUE TO INSPIRE GENERATIONS OF PERFORMERS, AND HIS IMPACT ON SACRAMENTO’
Sacramento arts community mourns the loss of ballet visionary Ron Cunningham
Ron Cunningham, former director of the Sacramento Ballet, is remembered for his transformative impact on the arts community and his lasting legacy.
Updated: 11:12 PM PST Mar 7, 2026
Ron Cunningham, the former director of the Sacramento Ballet, is being remembered by the Sacramento arts community for his transformative impact and lasting legacy. Beth Post, who worked with Cunningham, recalled the magic of his productions, saying, “They’re experiencing the magic of the Nutcracker. That was special. To be a part of that.”Marla Quinn, a friend and former colleague, shared how Cunningham’s influence extended to her family. “Five of my six kids all appeared in The Nutcracker and I texted all of them today, and one of my kids texted me back and was like, wow, it doesn’t seem like he could have passed away. He was bigger than life,” Quinn said.Cunningham originally planned to study business until a performance sparked a new dream. Post explained, “He came from illiterate parents. His dad worked in a factory. His mom didn’t want, you know, to have anything to do with the arts. He didn’t come to ballet until he was 26 years old.”Christopher Nachtrab, a dancer under Cunningham’s direction, highlighted the community he built, saying, “He creates friendships, he creates families, he creates traditions, he creates memories. In creating the Sacramento Ballet, he did all of this.”Post added, “He brought all of that vision of magic that he had in him to the stage and you know, made it happen in movement and scenery and costumes.”Nachtrab also emphasized Cunningham’s role in guiding dancers through life, stating, “Everything he taught you about being an integral person and leading yourself with dignity and just keep trying and keep dancing.”Quinn described Cunningham as a hero in Sacramento, noting, “Just really, in my mind, just a hero, like a hero in Sacramento and the number of children’s lives. He didn’t have to do this. Most artistic directors never would have taken on what he took on. You know, deal with professional dancers all day and then kids all night and all weekend long as the hours were crazy. And he did it with a smile on his face every time.”Post expressed hope for Cunningham’s enduring legacy, saying, “He pushed the arts forward always in Sacramento and I hope his legacy is never forgotten, because there’s a whole lot that wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t done what he did.”Cunningham’s former colleagues and students say his passion for dance will continue to inspire generations of performers, and his impact on Sacramento’s arts community will be felt for years to come.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
Ron Cunningham, the former director of the Sacramento Ballet, is being remembered by the Sacramento arts community for his transformative impact and lasting legacy.
Beth Post, who worked with Cunningham, recalled the magic of his productions, saying, “They’re experiencing the magic of the Nutcracker. That was special. To be a part of that.”
Marla Quinn, a friend and former colleague, shared how Cunningham’s influence extended to her family. “Five of my six kids all appeared in The Nutcracker and I texted all of them today, and one of my kids texted me back and was like, wow, it doesn’t seem like he could have passed away. He was bigger than life,” Quinn said.
Cunningham originally planned to study business until a performance sparked a new dream. Post explained, “He came from illiterate parents. His dad worked in a factory. His mom didn’t want, you know, to have anything to do with the arts. He didn’t come to ballet until he was 26 years old.”
Christopher Nachtrab, a dancer under Cunningham’s direction, highlighted the community he built, saying, “He creates friendships, he creates families, he creates traditions, he creates memories. In creating the Sacramento Ballet, he did all of this.”
Post added, “He brought all of that vision of magic that he had in him to the stage and you know, made it happen in movement and scenery and costumes.”
Nachtrab also emphasized Cunningham’s role in guiding dancers through life, stating, “Everything he taught you about being an integral person and leading yourself with dignity and just keep trying and keep dancing.”
Quinn described Cunningham as a hero in Sacramento, noting, “Just really, in my mind, just a hero, like a hero in Sacramento and the number of children’s lives. He didn’t have to do this. Most artistic directors never would have taken on what he took on. You know, deal with professional dancers all day and then kids all night and all weekend long as the hours were crazy. And he did it with a smile on his face every time.”
Post expressed hope for Cunningham’s enduring legacy, saying, “He pushed the arts forward always in Sacramento and I hope his legacy is never forgotten, because there’s a whole lot that wouldn’t be here if he hadn’t done what he did.”
Cunningham’s former colleagues and students say his passion for dance will continue to inspire generations of performers, and his impact on Sacramento’s arts community will be felt for years to come.