Cynthia Harvey

Last updated

Cynthia Harvey
Born (1957-05-17) May 17, 1957 (age 67)
San Rafael, California, U.S.
Occupations
Children1
Career
Former groups American Ballet Theatre
The Royal Ballet
Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School

Cynthia Harvey (born May 17, 1957) is an American former ballet dancer, ballet mistress and educator. She joined the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) in 1974 and was promoted to principal dancer in 1982. In 1986, she joined The Royal Ballet, becoming the company's first American principal dancer. She returned to ABT two years later, and retired in 1996. She then started teaching and staging ballets across the world. Between 2016 and 2022, she was the artistic director of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, the affiliated school of ABT.

Contents

Early life and training

Harvey was born on May 17, 1957, in San Rafael, California, [1] and raised in Novato. [2] Her parents are divorced. Her mother, who is of Mexican descent, was an office manager. [3] When she was ten, she attended a summer ballet class at a local YMCA. Recognising her talents, the teacher suggested Harvey's mother to have her train for ballet seriously. Harvey then trained with a local teacher, while spending summers at the San Francisco Ballet School and School of American Ballet on scholarship, and performed with both local and visiting ballet companies. [4] She also attended San Marin High School. [3] When she was fifteen, she auditioned for the American Ballet Theatre's school when the company was touring in California. She was accepted, and unusually, she was given a scholarship that covered both ballet and academics. She moved to New York by herself, and trained for nine months before becoming an apprentice with the company. [4]

Career

1974–1996: as dancer

In 1974, at sixteen, Harvey joined the American Ballet Theatre. [2] [3] She made her company debut as a page in a one-act version of The Sleeping Beauty , and was often cast by choreographers Twyla Tharp and Glen Tetley. [4] In 1977, she volunteered to assist Mikhail Baryshnikov, the artistic director of the company, to choreograph his version of Don Quixote . Baryshnikov choreographed his first ideas on Harvey and a few other volunteers. He also cast her as a flower girl in the ballet. [3] [4] The following year, she substituted principal dancers Martine van Hamel and Cynthia Gregory in Don Quixote as Kitri, to positive reviews, and was promoted to soloist. [3] [4] In 1979, she made her debut as Myrta in Giselle . [5] In 1980, when Natalia Makarova staged her version of La Bayadère , Harvey was chosen to dance the role of Gamzatti at the premiere. [4] [6]

Harvey was named principal dancer in 1982. [2] The following year, she created a role in McFall's Interludes. [1] The lead roles she had danced with the company include Odette-Odile in Swan Lake , [7] [8] the title role in Giselle, [9] Nikiya in La Bayadère, [10] Juliet in MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet , [11] the title role in Baryshnikov's Cinderella , [12] as well as in Paquita [13] and Les Sylphides . [14]

In 1986, Harvey left the American Ballet Theatre to join The Royal Ballet in London, and became the company's first American principal dancer. [15] The invitation came from Anthony Dowell, the director of the Royal Ballet who had danced with Harvey at ABT. Though she was initially hesitant with the invitation, she accepted it after Baryshnikov told her she would regret rejecting the offer. [2] At the Royal Ballet, she performed various classical ballets, works choreographed by Frederick Ashton, and originated a role in Bintley's Still Life at the Penguin Café. [1] Though she was originally set to spend a year in London, [2] she did not return to ABT until 1988. However, she made guest appearances with the Royal Ballet after her departure. [1]

Throughout her career, she also performed with other companies as a guest artist, including Baryshnikov and Company, Nureyev and Friends, Northern Ballet Theatre and Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet. [1] In 1996, Harvey retired from ABT. [15] However, her last performance was with the San Francisco Opera, in a gala performance of Johann Strauss II's operetta Die Fledermaus . [1]

1996–present: as ballet mistress and educator

After her retirement from dancing, Harvey started working as a guest ballet mistress and teacher. In 2008, she assisted in a restaging of The Sleeping Beauty for the Norwegian National Ballet, then returned to the company the following year to make her production of Giselle . In 2010, she created her version of The Sleeping Beauty for Hong Kong Ballet. [16] In 2015, she staged the "Kingdom of the Shades" scene from La Bayadère for the Royal Ballet of Flanders, as well as a production of Don Quixote for Singapore Dance Theatre. [17] She also assisted Natalia Makarova in staging La Bayadère. [1]

Harvey has taught at companies such as ABT, The Australian Ballet, La Scala Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, Dresden Semperoper Ballett and Royal Ballet of Flanders, and schools including Royal Ballet School and English National Ballet School. [16] She founded the London-based ballet nonprofit, En Avant Foundation. [15] She was also a standard assessor for The Council for Dance Education and Training before she stepped down in 2010, and a coach at Prix de Lausanne. [18] [16] She co-wrote the book Physics of Dance & the Pas de Deux. [16]

In 2016, Harvey was appointed artistic director of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, the affiliated school of ABT, succeeding Franco De Vita. [15] She stepped down from the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in May 2022. [17] She continues to teach, coach and stage ballets, and became a consultant for To the Pointe, a British arts management company. [17] In 2023, Harvey was named associate guest répétiteur at the English National Ballet. [19]

Personal life

Harvey has a child. She moved to England after she retired from performing. [20] Prior to her joining the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, she was based in Norwich. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Ballet Theatre</span> Ballet company

American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant, it is recognized as one of the world's leading classical ballet companies. Through 2019, it had an annual eight-week season at the Metropolitan Opera House in the spring and a shorter season at the David H. Koch Theater in the fall; the company tours around the world the rest of the year. The company was scheduled to have a 5-week spring season at the MET preceded by a 2-week season at the Koch Theater beginning in 2020. ABT is the parent company of the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, and was recognized as "America's National Ballet Company" in 2006 by the United States Congress.

Ethan Stiefel is an American dancer, choreographer, and director. He was a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre (ABT) from 1997 until July 2012. He was the artistic director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet from 2011 to 2014. His wife is Gillian Murphy, also a principal dancer with ABT.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angel Corella</span> Spanish ballet dancer (born 1975)

Angel Corella López is a Spanish former principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre and guest artist with The Royal Ballet, Kirov Ballet, New York City Ballet, La Scala and the Australian Ballet among many others. Since the 2014/2015 season, he has been the Artistic Director of Philadelphia Ballet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Kent (dancer)</span> American ballet dancer

Julie Kent is an American ballet dancer; she was a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre from 1993 to June 2015. In 2016, she was named the artistic director of The Washington Ballet. She became co-artistic director at the Houston Ballet in July 2023.

Vladimir Malakhov is a Ukrainian ballet dancer who was the artistic director of the Staatsballett Berlin from its founding in 2004 until 2014. He is a former principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre and Vienna State Opera Ballet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natalia Makarova</span> Soviet and American ballet dancer

Natalia Romanovna Makarova is a Russian prima ballerina and choreographer. The History of Dance, published in 1981, notes that "her performances set standards of artistry and aristocracy of dance which mark her as the finest ballerina of her generation in the West."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marianela Núñez</span> Argentine-British ballet dancer

Marianela Núñez is an Argentine-British ballet dancer. She is a principal dancer with The Royal Ballet, London.

Xiomara Reyes is a former principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre. After retiring from performing she was appointed the Head of School of The Washington Ballet School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuriko Kajiya</span> Japanese ballet dancer

Yuriko Kajiya is a Japanese ballet dancer who currently performs as a principal dancer with Houston Ballet. Prior to joining Houston Ballet, she danced as a soloist with American Ballet Theatre for seven years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin McKenzie (dancer)</span> American ballet dancer, choreographer, and director

Kevin McKenzie is an American ballet dancer, choreographer, and director. A former principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, he then served as the company's artistic director from 1992 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Bissell</span> American ballet dancer

Walter Patrick Bissell was an American ballet dancer. He was a leading principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre. On his death at age 30 from a drug overdose, he was described by the artistic director of the American Ballet Theatre and personal ballet eminence Mikhail Baryshnikov as "without a doubt one of the brightest lights in American Ballet Theater's history, or, for that matter, in the entire ballet world". Bissell was noted for his height and athleticism. His most famous role was as Solor in La Bayadère. His death prompted investigations into the alleged widespread drug use within the American Ballet Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isabella Boylston</span> American ballet dancer

Hildur Isabella Boylston is an American ballet dancer who is currently a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre (ABT).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Jaffe</span> American ballerina

Susan Jaffe is an American ballet dancer and arts administrator. She is currently the artistic director of the American Ballet Theatre, where she had danced for 22 years and held the rank of principal dancer. She previously served as the dean of the School of Dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and the artistic director of Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.

The Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre is the associate school of American Ballet Theatre located at 890 Broadway, within the Flatiron District of Manhattan, New York City. The school comprises a children's division for ages 4 to 12, a pre-professional division for ages 12 to 18, and the preparatory program "Studio Company" for ages 16 to 20. It was established in 2004 and named in honor of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis who served on ABT's Board of Trustees as honorary chairman emerita for many years prior to her death. Besides its parent company, graduates of JKO have found employment in various companies, such as National Ballet of Canada, The Royal Ballet, Joffrey Ballet and Dutch National Ballet. Stella Abrera became the school's interim artistic director for a year, starting in August 2022, following Cynthia Harvey's departure in May.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martine van Hamel</span> Dutch choreographer, teacher (born 1945)

Martine van Hamel is a Dutch choreographer, director, teacher, retired ballerina and former Principal dancer at the National Ballet of Canada and American Ballet Theatre (ABT). She was a gold medalist at the biennial Varna International Ballet Competition, the most prestigious ballet competition in the world, held in Varna, Bulgaria. She is also a recipient of the Prix de Varna, a recognition rarely awarded, for best artistic interpretation in all categories. She was one of the leading classical ballerinas in America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stella Abrera</span> Filipina-American ballet dancer

Stella Abrera is a Filipina-American ballet dancer. She danced as a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre until her retirement in 2020, and is the company's first Filipina principal ballerina. She then became the artistic director of the dance cultural park Kaatsbaan, and in September 2022 took up the role of artistic director of the ABT JKO School. following Cynthia Harvey's departure in May.

Anna-Marie Holmes is a Canadian-born ballet dancer, educator and choreographer. Holmes received an Emmy Award in 2000 for her staging of Le Corsaire for PBS. She was the founder and co-artistic director for the International Academy of Dance Costa do Sol in Portugal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skylar Brandt</span> American ballet dancer

Skylar Paley Brandt is an American ballet dancer who is currently a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre.

Catherine Hurlin is an American ballet dancer. She joined the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) in 2014 and was promoted to principal dancer in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lupe Serrano</span> American ballet dancer (1930–2023)

Guadalupe Martínez Desfassiaux Serrano, known professionally as Lupe Serrano, was a Chilean-born, Mexican-trained American ballet dancer and teacher. She spent most of her dance career at the American Ballet Theatre (ABT), where she was the troupe's first Hispanic American principal dancer.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Craine, Debra; Mackrell, Judith (August 19, 2010). The Oxford Dictionary of Dance. p. 209. ISBN   978-0199563449.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Dunning, Jennifer (July 4, 1986). "Cynthia Harvey To Spend A Year With Royal Ballet". New York Times.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Rowes, Barbara (January 12, 1981). "Baryshnikov Picks a New Partner with Classic Grace, Cynthia Harvey". People.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tomalonis, Tamara (April 17, 1980). "'Overnight Success' at the ABT". The Washington Post.
  5. ↑ Dunning, Jennifer (September 7, 1979). "Dance: Cynthia Harvey Debuts As Myrta in 'Giselle'". New York Times.
  6. ↑ Kisselgoff, Anna (May 23, 1980). "Ballet Theater: New 'Bayadere'". New York Times.
  7. ↑ Dunning, Jennifer (June 12, 1989). "Reviews/Ballet; Cynthia Harvey as Odette In Baryshnikov's Version". New York Times.
  8. ↑ Dunning, Jennifer (June 24, 1990). "Review/Dance; Baryshnikov's 'Swan Lake' With Harvey and Graffin". New York Times.
  9. ↑ Kisselgoff, Anna (September 13, 1990). "Ballet Theater: Harvey in 'Giselle'". New York Times.
  10. ↑ Dunning, Jennifer (May 31, 1992). "Dance View; Stretches and Leaps Within Ballet Theater". New York Times.
  11. ↑ Anderson, Jack (July 2, 1986). "Ballet: Two Casts In 'Romeo'". New York Times.
  12. ↑ Anderson, Jack (May 30, 1985). "Ballet: Cynthia Harvey As Cinderella". New York Times.
  13. ↑ Dunning, Jennifer (May 18, 1984). "Ballet Theater: 'Paquita'". New York Times.
  14. ↑ Dunning, Jennifer (May 19, 1986). "Ballet: 'Les Sylphides'". New York Times.
  15. 1 2 3 4 Barone, Joshua (January 7, 2016). "Cynthia Harvey Named Artistic Director of American Ballet Theater School". New York Times.
  16. 1 2 3 4 "Cynthia Harvey answers the Gramilano Questionnaire... Dancers' Edition". Gramilano. May 31, 2013.
  17. 1 2 3 "Cynthia Harvey to leave the American Ballet Theatre School". Gramilano. February 17, 2022.
  18. 1 2 Gallagher, Lauren (June 27, 2017). "Legendary Ballerina Cynthia Harvey's Second Act as Artistic Director of the ABT JKO School". Playbill.
  19. ↑ Escoyne, Courtney (July 3, 2023). "News of Note: What You Might Have Missed in June 2023". Dance Magazine.
  20. ↑ Hochman, Jerry (August 12, 2014). "In conversation with Cynthia Harvey". CriticalDance.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.