Deborah Oakley Vinton, of Sarasota, passed away on Sunday, May 19th, 2024 at the age of 71. A memorial service will be held at 2:00pm on Friday, June 7th at St. Boniface Episcopal Church. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Booker Promise.
Survivors include her father, Richard Allen Vinton, MD; husband Cliff Hoberman; children Jinty, John, Jennifer, & James; grandchildren Christian, Isabella, Madeline, Brody, Jude, & Ari; siblings Susan, Richard, Rebecca, Thomas, & John; and numerous nieces, nephews, & cousins.
Born in Virginia and raised in Sarasota, Deborah’s calling to Ballet began at the age of 11, under the tutelage of Jean Spear. After graduating from Riverview High School, Ms. Vinton received four years of intensive Cecchetti ballet training in London with Nesta Brooking. She was later awarded the Maestro Cecchetti Final Diploma and became an international examiner of the Cecchetti method as a Fellow of both the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing and the Cecchetti United States of America, serving on the CUSA board of directors for 25 years. Professionally, Deborah performed with the Royal Ballet Choreographic Group, Maryland Ballet, and worked with Danny Diamond, Anton Dolin, Edward Villella, & Violette Verdy, among others.
In NY, Ms. Vinton taught at SUNY-New Paltz and the Arts Community, before returning to Sarasota. Here, she opened The Dance Center on Osprey Avenue and then became the Principal of the Sarasota Ballet School. In 2003, she founded the West Coast Civic Ballet, serving as Executive and Artistic Director with the mission to provide dance education and free performance opportunities for all ages in the Sarasota-Manatee community. For 25 years, Deborah was a core faculty member of the dance program at Booker High School Visual & Performing Arts.
Deborah was a life-long practitioner of meditation, Hatha & Siddha Yoga. She loved to sing, play piano, and connect with her former students all over the world. Deborah believed in the power of the arts to shape community and foster inclusive spaces of care and self-expression.
“You may say I’m a dreamer,
But I’m not the only one.
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one.”
– John Lennon & Yoko Ono
* For those who may not be able to attend, there will be a live streaming of the service. It will be located on the St. Boniface webpage: www.bonifacechurch.org.