Peter Boal

Last updated

Peter Boal is artistic director of Pacific Northwest Ballet and director of its affiliated school in Seattle, Washington. He was born in Bedford, New York, in 1965 and began studies at the School of American Ballet (SAB) at age nine.

Contents

Boal assumed the directorship of Pacific Northwest Ballet in 2005 (from Kent Stowell and Francia Russell) following a successful career with the New York City Ballet (NYCB) which he joined in 1983 and where he was promoted to soloist in 1987, principal dancer in 1989, and from which he retired in 2005. He received his dance training from SAB under the directorship of George Balanchine.

In 2002, he founded Peter Boal and Company, a critically acclaimed chamber ensemble. Boal joined the faculty of SAB in 1997, teaching technique, variations, men’s and women’s classes, and partnering. He was a guest teacher at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and the Royal Danish Ballet's school.

Peter Boal gave his final performance at City Ballet on Sunday, June 5, 2005. On a program that also included Robbins’ West Side Story Suite and Balanchine’s Agon , he chose to dance Jerome Robbins Opus 19/The Dreamer and an excerpt from Apollo , a role for which he was particularly noted. [1]

While at SAB, he danced in several ballets with NYCB, including Balanchine’s The Nutcracker , in which he performed the role of the Nutcracker Prince. At City Ballet he has featured roles in over 40 ballets and had over 20 additional roles created on him by choreographers including Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins, Christopher Wheeldon, Christopher d'Amboise, Ulysses Dove and Twyla Tharp.

Personal life

Peter Boal married Kelly Boal (Cass) (also a dancer with NYCB) on August 15, 1992, in Colwall, England. [2] Peter Boal has three children, 1 son born in 1995, another in 1997 and a daughter born in 2000.

Related Research Articles

New York City Ballet American ballet company

New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company's first music director. City Ballet grew out of earlier troupes: the Producing Company of the School of American Ballet, 1934; the American Ballet, 1935, and Ballet Caravan, 1936, which merged into American Ballet Caravan, 1941; and directly from the Ballet Society, 1946.

Ib Andersen is a Danish ballet dancer, choreographer, and painter. Admired as both a dancer and a choreographer, he is an artist who is comfortable engaging with both the classical and contemporary aesthetic of modern-day ballet.

The School of American Ballet (SAB) is an American classical ballet school and is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The school trains students from the age of six, with professional vocational ballet training for students aged 11–18. Graduates of the school achieve employment with leading ballet companies worldwide, and in the United States with New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet and Houston Ballet.

Joaquín De Luz Spanish ballet dancer (born 1976)

Joaquín De Luz is a Spanish ballet dancer. He was formerly with the American Ballet Theatre (ABT), and a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet (NYCB). He is currently director of Spanish National Dance Company.

Megan Fairchild is an American ballet dancer. She is currently a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet.

Wendy Whelan American ballet dancer (born 1967)

Wendy Whelan is an American ballet dancer. She was principal dancer with the New York City Ballet and performed with the company for 30 years, and toured in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Whelan has also been an influential guest artist with Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company. In 2019, Whelan was named Associate Artistic Director of New York City Ballet.

Jock Soto

Jock Soto is a former American ballet dancer and current ballet instructor.

Teresa Reichlen American ballet dancer

Teresa Reichlen is an American ballet dancer. She joined the New York City Ballet in 2001, was promoted to principal dancer in 2009, and retired in 2022.

Gonzalo Garcia is a Spanish American ballet dancer. He joined the San Francisco Ballet in 1998, and was promoted to principal in 2002, at age 22. In 2007, he left the company and joined the New York City Ballet. He retired from performing in 2022. He remains in the company as a repertory director.

Jonathan Stafford is an American ballet dancer and artistic director. He danced with the New York City Ballet (NYCB) as a principal dancer until his retirement in 2014, then he served as a ballet master. He became the artistic director of NYCB in 2019.

Alexandra Ansanelli American ballet dancer

Alexandra Noel Ansanelli is a retired American ballet dancer.

Miranda Weese is an American former ballet dancer, teacher and ballet master. She joined the New York City Ballet in 1993 and was promoted to principal dancer in 1996. In 2007, she left to perform with the Pacific Northwest Ballet, first as a guest artist, then joined the company as a principal dancer, before retiring in 2010. In 2017, she joined the Boston Ballet as a children's ballet master.

Carla Körbes is a Brazilian ballet dancer who performed as a principal dancer with the Pacific Northwest Ballet, then became the associate artistic director of L.A Dance Project. She is now an associate professor at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music's ballet faculty.

Taylor G. Stanley is an American ballet dancer who is currently a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet.

Chase Finlay American ballet dancer

Chase Finlay is an American ballet dancer and a former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet who has also danced as a with the Mariinsky Theatre in Russia.

Peter Walker is an American ballet dancer and choreographer. He joined the New York City Ballet (NYCB) in 2012 and was promoted to principal dancer in 2022. He choreographed Ten in Seven (2016) and Dance Odyssey (2018) for NYCB, as well as the 2020 film I'm Thinking of Ending Things.

Georgina Pazcoguin is an American ballerina. She is a soloist with the New York City Ballet, and is known for challenging racism in ballet, and for performing on Broadway.

Unity Phelan American ballet dancer

Unity Phelan is an American ballet dancer. She joined the New York City Ballet in 2013 and was promoted to principal dancer in 2021. In October 2021, Phelan was promoted to Principal dancer. Outside of the company, she had also danced in films John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and I'm Thinking of Ending Things.

Indiana Woodward is a French ballet dancer. She joined the New York City Ballet in 2012, and was promoted to principal dancer in 2021.

Jovani Furlan is a Brazilian ballet dancer. He joined the Miami City Ballet in 2012, and was promoted to principal dancer in 2017. In 2019, he left the company to join the New York City Ballet as a soloist, and became a principal dancer in 2022.

References

  1. Kourlas, Gia (June 7, 2005). "CITY BALLET REVIEW; Balanchine and Robbins in a Bittersweet Farewell". New York Times. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
  2. NY Times, August 16, 1992