d'Amboise, Jacques

d'Amboise, Jacques

(zhäk dămbwäz`), 1934–, American dancer and choreographer, b. Dedham, Mass. One of the finest male dancers of his era, d'Amboise became a soloist with the New York City Ballet in 1953 and did not leave the company until 1984. He is best known for his roles in such distinctly American dance works as Lew Christensen's Filling Station and George BalanchineBalanchine, George
, 1904–83, American choreographer and ballet dancer, b. St. Petersburg, Russia, as Georgi Balanchivadze. The son of a Georgian composer and a Russian mother, Balanchine attended (1913–21) the Imperial Ballet School, St.
..... Click the link for more information.
's Western Symphony and for his performance in the latter's other ballets, especially the title role in Apollo (1957). He also danced in several movies, including Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) and Carousel (1956). His own ballets include The Chase (1963), Quatuor (1964) and Irish Fantasy (1964). He has taught at the School of American Ballet and the State Univ. of New York, and he founded (1976) and directs the National Dance Institute, a nonprofit organization that brings dance into the public schools.

Bibliography

See his memoir (2011).

D'Amboise, Jacques

(1934– ) ballet dancer, choreographer; born in Dedham, Mass. After training with the School of American Ballet, he joined the New York City Ballet in 1949. For more than 30 years he performed leading roles in such Balanchine classics as Apollo. He began choreographing works in 1963. In 1977 he formed the National Dance Institute to teach dance to children in inner-city schools. The winner of a MacArthur Foundation award, he trained and staged performances involving over 100,000 children nationwide.