Edward Villella - Citizendia

See also: Category:Ballets by Edward Villella

Edward Villella (born October 1, 1936, Bayside, New York) is an American ballet dancer and choreographer, frequently cited as America's most celebrated male dancer. Events 331 BC - Alexander the Great defeats Darius III of Persia in the Battle of Gaugamela. Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Bayside is an upper Middle class suburban neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York in the United States Ballet is a formalized form of Dance with its origins in the French court further developed in France and Russia as a Concert dance See also, Choreography (literally "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" (circular dance see chorea) and "γραφή"

Villella enrolled in the School of American Ballet at age ten, but then interrupted his studies to complete his college education. The School of American Ballet (SAB is the official school of the New York City Ballet. He attended the New York Maritime Academy, where he lettered in baseball and was a championship boxer. Baseball is a Bat-and-ball Sport played between two teams of nine players each Boxing (sometimes also known as English boxing or pugilism) is a Combat sport in which two participants generally of similar weight, He graduated with a marine science degree in 1959, and rejoined the School of American Ballet.

Villella became a member of the New York City Ballet in 1957, rising to Soloist in 1958 and Principal Dancer in 1960. New York State Theater by David Shankbonejpg|thumb|300px| New York State Theater]] New York City Ballet ( NYCB) is a Ballet company founded in 1948 by Among his most noteworthy performances were Oberon in George Balanchine's ballet A Midsummer Night's Dream (with music by Felix Mendelssohn), "Tarantella", "Rubies" in the Balanchine ballet "Jewels", and "Prodigal Son. Oberon, also Auberon, King of Shadows and Fairies, is best known as a character in William Shakespeare 's play A Midsummer Night's Dream See also List of ballets by George Balanchine, George Balanchine (January 22 1904 &ndash April 30 1983 born Giorgi Melitonis dze Balanchivadze Jakob Ludwig Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, born and generally known as Felix Mendelssohn (February 3 1809 &ndash November 4 1847 was a German Composer "

Villella was the first American male dancer to appear with the Royal Danish Ballet, and the only American ever asked to dance an encore at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. The Royal Danish Ballet is one of the oldest Ballet troupes in Europe. The Bolshoi Theatre (Большой театр Bol'shoy Teatr Great Theatre) is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by famed architect Moscow (Москва́ romanised: Moskvá, IPA: see also other names) is the Capital and the largest city of He danced at the inaugural for President John F. Kennedy, and performed for Presidents Johnson, Nixon, and Ford. John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy (May 29 1917&ndashNovember 22 1963 often referred to by his initials JFK, was the thirty-fifth President of Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr (July 14 1913 December 26 2006 was the thirty-eighth President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977 and the fortieth Vice President He won an Emmy Award in 1975 for his CBS television production of Harlequinade. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. He danced in two television versions of The Nutcracker (in different roles), in a ballet film version of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and in a 1966 TV production of Brigadoon, in which he played the tragic suitor Harry Beaton. The Nutcracker (Щелкунчик Shchelkunchik) Op 71 is a Fairy tale - Ballet in two acts three scenes by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Brigadoon is a musical with a book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. During the 1960's he and his dancing partner Patricia McBride, who starred together in a 1965 television version of The Nutcracker, appeared often on the Ed Sullivan Show. Patricia McBride is a ballerina who spent nearly 30 years dancing with the New York City Ballet. Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic The Ed Sullivan Show was an American television Variety show that ran from June 20, 1948 to June 6, In 1973, Villella appeared as himself in an episode of The Odd Couple titled "Last Tango in Newark"; his son, Roddy, also appeared. The Odd Couple is a Television Situation comedy broadcast from September 24, 1970 to July 4, 1975 In 1983, Villella guest-starred on the soap opera Guiding Light. A soap opera is an ongoing episodic work of Fiction, usually broadcast on Television or Radio. Guiding Light (known as The Guiding Light prior to 1975 or simply GL) is an Emmy award winning American Television

After retirement as a performer, Villella was the artistic coordinator of the Eglevsky Ballet from 1979-84, and the director of the Oklahoma Ballet from 1983-85. André Eglevsky ( 21 December 1917 – 4 December 1977) was a Russian born American He founded the Miami City Ballet in 1986 and still serves as its artistic director and chief executive officer. Miami City Ballet was created in 1986 by former New York City Ballet principal dancer Edward Villella. He is also currently artist-in-residence at Florida Atlantic University.

Villella and his wife Linda, a former Olympic figure skater, have three children: a son named Roddy and two daughters named Lauren and Crista.

In 1997, Villella was named a Kennedy Center Honors recipient, and was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Bill Clinton. The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to artists in the performing arts The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the Congress of the United States in 1984 for the purpose of honoring artists and patrons of the arts William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III, August 19 1946 served as the forty-second President of the United States

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