Suzanne Farrell (born August 16, 1945) one of the most noted ballerinas of the 20th century, and the founder of the Suzanne Farrell Ballet, at the Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C.
She was born Roberta Sue Ficker in Cincinnati, and received her early training at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. See also List of ballets by George Balanchine, George Balanchine (January 22 1904 &ndash April 30 1983 born Giorgi Melitonis dze Balanchivadze Don Quixote is a ballet originally staged in four acts and eight scenes based on an episode taken from the famous novel Don Quixote de la Mancha by Events 1384 - The Hongwu Emperor of Ming China, Emperor Dong hears a case of a couple who tore paper money bills while fighting Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar See also,,, A ballerina ( Italian for female dancer) is a Female Ballet Dancer; the male equivalent to this title The twentieth century of the Common Era began on The Suzanne Farrell Ballet is a ballet company at the Kennedy Center, Washington D The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (on the building itself called the John F Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D The Cincinnati Conservatory of Music was a Conservatory, part of a girls' Finishing school, founded in 1867 in Cincinnati Ohio. In 1959, she was selected to study at George Balanchine's School of American Ballet with a Ford Foundation scholarship; she started there in 1960, and joined the New York City Ballet (NYCB) in 1961. The year 1959 ( MCMLIX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. See also List of ballets by George Balanchine, George Balanchine (January 22 1904 &ndash April 30 1983 born Giorgi Melitonis dze Balanchivadze The School of American Ballet (SAB is the official school of the New York City Ballet. The Ford Foundation is a Private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. 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 Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
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Career
Early Career at NYCB
Initially part of the corps de ballet at NYCB, Farrell soon moved on to dancing featured roles. In Ballet, the corps de ballet (from French, body of the ballet) is the group of dancers who are not soloists 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 The first roles created especially for her came in 1963, and in 1965 she was promoted to principal dancer. Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1965 ( MCMLXV) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. A principal dancer is similar to a soloist in dance However principals are hired by (or promoted from within a ballet or Dance company to perform George Balanchine quickly fell in love with his "alabaster princess," and created many roles for her. See also List of ballets by George Balanchine, George Balanchine (January 22 1904 &ndash April 30 1983 born Giorgi Melitonis dze Balanchivadze In 1965 he created Don Quixote, thought to be a valentine to his newest "muse. Don Quixote is a ballet originally staged in four acts and eight scenes based on an episode taken from the famous novel Don Quixote de la Mancha by " In 1968 he cast her as the lead in the "Diamonds" section of his three-act plotless ballet "Jewels. "
Balanchine was married to the polio-stricken former ballerina Tanaquil LeClerq, however, and Farrell was a Catholic. Tanaquil LeClerq (b 2 October 1929 Paris - d 2000 New York City was a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, but her dancing career was ended when she was She refused to consummate the relationship, and married a fellow dancer the same week Balanchine obtained a divorce.
When she married Paul Mejia, a dancer in the company, in 1969, her bond with Balanchine suffered, and they left the New York City Ballet in 1970. Year 1969 ( MCMLXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1970 ( MCMLXX) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. After a spell in Europe, she eventually returned to Balanchine and the New York City Ballet in 1975, where her partnership with Balanchine lasted until his death in April, 1983; his last works were solos for Farrell. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar)
Career as a Dance Teacher
She had an unusually long performing career for a ballerina. After 28 years of an occupation which takes a tremendous physical toll on the body - began to come to an end in 1983. She started to develop arthritis in her right hip and despite two years of varied treatments, by 1985 (at the age of 40), her career on stage was almost over. Arthritis (from Greek arthro-, joint + -itis, inflammation plural arthritides is a group of conditions involving damage to the Joints of the body Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) She struggled for several years, but retired from performing in 1989. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar)
She then moved on to passing on the ballets of Balanchine to the next generation of ballet dancers, working with famed companies around the world, such as those in Berlin and Vienna, as well as the Paris Opera Ballet, Kirov Ballet and the Bolshoi Ballet. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. The Paris Opéra Ballet is the official Ballet company of the Opéra national de Paris, otherwise known as the Palais Garnier, though The Mariinsky Ballet, is an internationally renowned Classical ballet company based at the Mariinsky Theatre in St Petersburg, Russia. The Bolshoi Theatre (Большой театр Bol'shoy Teatr Great Theatre) is a historic theatre in Moscow, Russia, designed by famed architect In 1993, The New York City Ballet dismissed her from her teaching and coaching (but un-titled) position with the company. [1]
Career at the Kennedy Center
In 2000 Suzanne Farrell started her own company, the Suzanne Farrell Ballet, now a full-fledged company produced by the Kennedy Center. The Suzanne Farrell Ballet is a ballet company at the Kennedy Center, Washington D 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. The Suzanne Farrell Ballet is a ballet company at the Kennedy Center, Washington D The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (on the building itself called the John F
Farrell's engagement with the Kennedy Center began in 1993 and 1994, when the Center offered two series of ballet master classes for students with Farrell. This series provided intermediate-to-advanced level ballet students, ages 13 to 17, an opportunity to study with one of the greatest ballerinas of the 20th century. Due to the uniqueness of Farrell's place in the ballet world and the quality of her teaching, the Kennedy Center expanded the program to a national level in 1995 in order to fulfill the Center's mission to enhance the arts education of America's young people. This three weeks long yearly initiative of intense study grew into a full-fledged program, Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell.
In the fall of 1999, Farrell received critical acclaim for the successful Kennedy Center engagement and East Coast tour of Suzanne Farrell Stages the Masters of 20th Century Ballet. The East Coast of the United States, also known as the "Eastern Seaboard" or "Atlantic Seaboard" refers to the easternmost coastal states in the central and northern Following the Kennedy Center's debut, the newly named Suzanne Farrell Ballet, a group of professional dancers hand selected by Farrell, has since performed at the Kennedy Center during engagements in 2001 and 2002, been on an extensive East Coast tour, and returned to the Kennedy Center as part of the 2003-2004 Ballet Season following a 7-week national tour. The Suzanne Farrell Ballet is a ballet company at the Kennedy Center, Washington D Suzanne Farrell was selected as one of the five recipients of the 2005 Kennedy Center Honors, one of the highest honors for lifetime artistic achievement. The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to artists in the performing arts
Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell is an initiative of the Kennedy Center Education Department and is made possible in part by the U.S. Department of Education and the Kennedy Center Corporate Fund. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Additional support is provided by the Margaret Abell Powell Fund.
Suzanne Farrell was prominently featured in Balanchine (2004) a documentary about the life of George Balanchine.
Awards
Farrell has received honorary degrees from Harvard, Yale, Notre Dame, Georgetown University, among others. The University of Notre Dame du Lac (or simply Notre Dame) (ˌnoʊtɚˈdeɪm is a private Roman Catholic Research university located in Georgetown University is a Jesuit Private university located in Georgetown Washington D She has also been a tenured professor of dance at Florida State University since 2000, and in 2003 she received the National Medal of Arts. Florida State University (commonly referred to as Florida State or FSU) is a public Research University located in Tallahassee Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. 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 She was recently celebrated in 2005 at the Kennedy Center Honors as one of the most influential ballerinas of the 20th century, among such talents as Tina Turner and Robert Redford. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Kennedy Center Honors is an annual honor given to artists in the performing arts Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an eight time Grammy Award -winning American Charles Robert Redford Jr (born August 18 1936) is an Academy Award -winning American Film director, Actor, She also was the 2005 recipient of the Capezio Dance Award. Capezio is a trademarked name used by a privately held United States company Ballet Makers Inc
Further reading and viewing
- Suzanne Farrell, Toni Bentley, Holding on to the Air (Summit Books, New York, 1990)
- Suzanne Farrell - Elusive Muse, (Directed by Anne Belle and Deborah Dickson 1990)
Quotes
- "I'm thought of as a cool unemotional dancer but inside I'm most certainly not. As soon as I hear music something in me starts to vibrate. "
- "When you get on a stage you can do anything. "
External links
- The Suzanne Farrell Ballet
- Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell
- Photos of Suzanne Farrell courtesy of Getty Images
- The Ballerina Gallery - Suzanne Farrell
- Horstman, Barry M. "Suzanne Farrell: She shaped new generation of dancers", The Cincinnati Post, E. W. Scripps Company, 1999-04-19. The Cincinnati Post is a discontinued afternoon daily newspaper that was published in Cincinnati Ohio. The EW Scripps Company ( is an American Media conglomerate founded by Edward W Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Events 1012 - Martyrdom of Alphege in Greenwich London. 1529 - At the Second Diet of Speyer Archived from the original on 2007-05-17. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1521 - Edward Stafford 3rd Duke of Buckingham, is executed for Treason.
- Capezio Dance Award - Suzanne Farrell 2005
References
- ^ Dunning, Jennifer. "City Ballet Breaks Off Its Long Relationship With Suzanne Farrell", NY Times, 4 August 1993. Retrieved on 2008-03-23. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1174 - Jocelin, Abbot of Melrose, is elected Bishop of Glasgow.
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