Jennifer Alexander
Encyclopedia
Jennifer Carrie Alexander (August 15, 1972 in Calgary
, Alberta
- December 2, 2007 in East Rutherford
, New Jersey
) was a Canadian
ballet
dancer.
She studied at the Alberta Ballet Company
and at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet
, where she danced from 1991-1993. She appeared in the Broadway
production of The Red Shoes
in 1993 and in Carousel
in 1994. In 1994, she joined the corps de ballet
of the American Ballet Theatre
. Her first marriage was to Canadian and former New York City Ballet dancer Andrew Robertson. She married fellow ABT dancer Julio Bragado-Young on 28 July 2007.
Alexander, Bragado-Young and a third dancer were returning to Manhattan
after Bragado-Young had performed in The Nutcracker
in Williamsport
, Pennsylvania
when they came upon a multiple-vehicle collision
on Route 3. After they exited their car, Bragado-Young then Alexander were each struck by an out-of-control vehicle skidding on the icy road. He suffered a broken leg; she died at the scene.
The American Ballet Theater created The Jennifer Alexander Scholarship to acknowledge an outstanding corps de ballet
dancer.
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
- December 2, 2007 in East Rutherford
East Rutherford, New Jersey
East Rutherford is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 8,913. It is an inner-ring suburb of New York City, located west of Midtown Manhattan....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
) was a Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
dancer.
She studied at the Alberta Ballet Company
Alberta Ballet Company
The Alberta Ballet is located in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta. It is Canada’s third largest dance company. Alberta Ballet has developed a distinctive repertoire and performance quality that has brought it to the forefront of national and international stages.- Creation :The Alberta Ballet was...
and at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet
Royal Winnipeg Ballet
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet, based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is Canada's oldest ballet company and the longest continuously operating ballet company in North America....
, where she danced from 1991-1993. She appeared in the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
production of The Red Shoes
The Red Shoes (musical)
The Red Shoes is a musical with a book by Marsha Norman, lyrics by Norman and Bob Merrill and music by Jule Styne...
in 1993 and in Carousel
Carousel (musical)
Carousel is the second stage musical by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II . The work premiered in 1945 and was adapted from Ferenc Molnár's 1909 play Liliom, transplanting its Budapest setting to the Maine coastline...
in 1994. In 1994, she joined the corps de ballet
Corps de ballet
In ballet, the corps de ballet is the group of dancers who are not soloists. They are a permanent part of the ballet company and often work as a backdrop for the principal dancers. A corps de ballet works as one, with synchronized movements and corresponding positioning on the stage...
of the American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre , based in New York City, was one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century. It continues as a leading dance company in the world today...
. Her first marriage was to Canadian and former New York City Ballet dancer Andrew Robertson. She married fellow ABT dancer Julio Bragado-Young on 28 July 2007.
Alexander, Bragado-Young and a third dancer were returning to Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
after Bragado-Young had performed in The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
in Williamsport
Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Williamsport is a city in and the county seat of Lycoming County, Pennsylvania in the United States. In 2009, the population was estimated at 29,304...
, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
when they came upon a multiple-vehicle collision
Multiple-vehicle collision
A multi-vehicle collision is a road traffic accident involving many vehicles. Generally occurring on high capacity and high speed routes such as freeways, they are one of the deadliest forms of traffic accidents...
on Route 3. After they exited their car, Bragado-Young then Alexander were each struck by an out-of-control vehicle skidding on the icy road. He suffered a broken leg; she died at the scene.
The American Ballet Theater created The Jennifer Alexander Scholarship to acknowledge an outstanding corps de ballet
Corps de ballet
In ballet, the corps de ballet is the group of dancers who are not soloists. They are a permanent part of the ballet company and often work as a backdrop for the principal dancers. A corps de ballet works as one, with synchronized movements and corresponding positioning on the stage...
dancer.