James Lankford

From Nashville, Tennessee 
With Nashville Ballet since 2018

Training and Education
School of Nashville Ballet Young Men’s Scholarship Program 

Previously
NB2

James Lankford began his professional dance career at the age of 14 when he was accepted into School of Nashville Ballet’s Young Men’s Scholarship Program (YMSP). After one year of training, he was awarded a merit-based scholarship to continue training in the YMSP and advance into School of Nashville Ballet’s Professional Training Division. 

Throughout his training years, Lankford was awarded several scholarships to attend Summer Intensives at various schools across the country — including American Ballet Theatre, Ballet West, Bolshoi Ballet, The Joffrey Ballet, and more. In 2020, he was invited to join NB2, Nashville Ballet’s official second company, as a trainee and, shortly after, was promoted to the role of NB2 member.  

During his time in NB2, Lankford worked alongside Artistic Director Emeritus Paul Vasterling to perform works such as Fresco, Paquita, Peter and the Wolf, and Artistic Director and CEO Nick Mullikin’s He Loved Big Brother. As an NB2 artist, James also had the opportunity to work with Nashville Ballet Company members in mainstage productions of Paul Vasterling’s Nashville’s Nutcracker, Peter Pan, and Lucy Negro Redux. In March of 2022, at the age of 18, Lankford was promoted to the Company. 

James has danced various lead roles such as Romeo in Paul Vasterling’s Romeo and Juliet. Alongside this, James is the current recipient of the Patricia Taylor Bullard Endowed Scholarship Fund at Belmont University. The Patricia Taylor Bullard Endowed Scholarship is awarded to exceptionally gifted full-time Nashville Ballet Company dancers who meet the academic requirements for admission to Belmont University. Recipients will receive full tuition and cost of books through graduation if they continue to meet scholarship requirements. Belmont University and Nashville Ballet will identify candidates who meet the scholarship criteria and make recommendations.

Patricia Taylor Bullard danced for the Bristol Ballet under the direction of Constance Hardinge and was one of the first ballet majors at Virginia Intermont College. Mrs. Bullard served on the board of what is now Dance America USA and founded and taught at The Ballet Center with her partner, Norman Shelburne. The school was later donated to Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music, where it resided until it merged with the School of Nashville Ballet. Mrs. Bullard was one of the founding board members of Nashville Ballet and has been a major supporter, enjoying the growth and excellence the company has achieved since its beginnings. She came to Belmont as a member of the Friends of the School of Music, serving as president and advocating for a dance minor at Belmont during her board tenure. With her husband, George Bullard, who gifted this scholarship in her honor, she hopes to empower Nashville Ballet dancers to reach their potential and impact their future careers beyond dance.

When he’s not in the studio, Lankford serves as a part-time instructor in School of Nashville Ballet’s Young Men’s Scholarship Program.