Sean Lavery (dancer)
Encyclopedia
Sean Lavery, born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
, is assistant to the balletmaster in chief at New York City Ballet
, of which he was principal dancer
; a répétiteur
with the George Balanchine
Trust; and a faculty member at the School of American Ballet
.
Lavery joined the San Francisco Ballet
in 1973 and the Frankfurt Opera Ballet in 1975, where he promoted to principal dancer. In 1976, Lavery returned to New York
and the School of American Ballet
.
He joined City Ballet in 1977 and his debut role was Titania's Cavalier
in Balanchine
's A Midsummer Night's Dream
. He was promoted to soloist in early 1978 and principal dancer later that year.
Lavery was in the original casts of more than a dozen dances at City Ballet, staged the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet
for them and made Twinkliana
to music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
on Katrina Killian for the School of American Ballet workshop, June 2007.
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...
, is assistant to the balletmaster in chief at New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company...
, of which he was principal dancer
Principal dancer
A principal dancer is a dancer at the highest rank within a professional dance company, particularly a ballet company....
; a répétiteur
Répétiteur
Répétiteur , repetitore , or Korrepetitor / Repetitor , originally from the French verb répéter meaning "to repeat, to go over, to learn, to rehearse"....
with the George Balanchine
George Balanchine
George Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
Trust; and a faculty member at the School of American Ballet
School of American Ballet
The School of American Ballet is one of the most famous classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The school trains students from the...
.
Lavery joined the San Francisco Ballet
San Francisco Ballet
The San Francisco Ballet is a ballet company, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, under the direction of Helgi Tomasson. SFB is the first professional ballet company in the United States...
in 1973 and the Frankfurt Opera Ballet in 1975, where he promoted to principal dancer. In 1976, Lavery returned to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and the School of American Ballet
School of American Ballet
The School of American Ballet is one of the most famous classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The school trains students from the...
.
He joined City Ballet in 1977 and his debut role was Titania's Cavalier
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
in Balanchine
George Balanchine
George Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
's A Midsummer Night's Dream
A Midsummer Night's Dream (ballet)
A Midsummer Night's Dream is a two-act ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Felix Mendelssohn's incidental music for Shakespeare's play of the same name. In addition to the incidental music, Balanchine incorporated other Mendelssohn works into the ballet including Overtures to Athalie, Son...
. He was promoted to soloist in early 1978 and principal dancer later that year.
Lavery was in the original casts of more than a dozen dances at City Ballet, staged the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet (Lavery)
The balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet was staged by Sean Lavery, assistant to the balletmaster in chief at New York City Ballet to Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet . The premiere took place February 24, 1991, at the New York State Theater, Lincoln Center.-NYCB revivals:-Reviews:* review by Eric Taub,...
for them and made Twinkliana
Twinkliana
Twinkliana is a ballet made by Sean Lavery, assistant to the balletmaster in chief at New York City Ballet on students of the Barnard College Dance Department to Mozart's Variations on "Ah vous dirai-je, Maman" . The premiere took place Thursday, October 11, 1990, at Barnard's Minor Latham Playhouse...
to music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
on Katrina Killian for the School of American Ballet workshop, June 2007.