Edward Villella

First Lady Betty Ford and Edward Villella dance at the White House on May 8, 1975

Edward Villella (born October 1, 1936 in Bayside , New York City ) is an American ballet dancer and choreographer .

Life

Edward Villella began his dance education at the age of 10 at the School of American Ballet . However, he suspended his studies to do a PhD in marine science at the New York Maritime Academy.

In 1957 Villella became a member of the New York City Ballet and rose to become a soloist in 1957. In 1960 he was appointed Principal Dancer . His most notable roles were Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream , The Prodigal Son in Prodigal Son , and the solo roles in Tarantella and Jewels .

Villella was the first male American dancer to perform with the Royal Danish Ballet and the only American dancer ever to be invited to an encore at Moscow's Bolshoi Theater . He danced at the inauguration ceremony for President John F. Kennedy and for a number of other US presidents. In 1975 he won an Emmy for the television production of the ballet Harlequinade . He had other television appearances in The Nutcracker , in the ballet film A Midsummer Night's Dream and 1966 in Brigadoon (as Harry Beaton). He also appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and guest roles in the soap operas Männerwirtschaft and Springfield Story .

After retiring as an active dancer, Villella was artistic director of the Eglevsky Ballet from 1979 to 1984 and director of the Oklahoma Ballet from 1983 to 1985 . In 1986 he founded the Miami City Ballet , of which he is artistic director and chief executive officer to this day. The Florida Atlantic University gave him a residence scholarship.

Villella is married to former figure skater Linda and lives with her in Miami Beach. Linda Villella is the founder and director of the Miami City Ballet School . Together they have a son, Roddy, and two daughters, Lauren and Crista-Francesca. Crista Villella is associate ballet master for the Miami City Ballet .

In 1997 Villella was awarded the Kennedy Prize and the National Medal of Arts . In 2009 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences .

literature

• Prodigal Son: Dancing for Balanchine in a World of Pain and Magic , Edward Villella, Larry Kaplan, ISBN 978-0-671-72370-5

Web links

• Edward Villella in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Homepage of the Miami City Ballet