Albert Evans (dancer) facts for kids

Albert Pierce Evans (December 29, 1968 – June 22, 2015) was an amazing American ballet dancer and choreographer. He was known for his powerful and graceful performances. Albert Evans joined the famous New York City Ballet in 1988. He became a principal dancer in 1995. This made him only the second African American dancer to reach this high position in the company. After he stopped performing in 2010, he worked as a ballet master until he passed away.

Early Life of Albert Evans

Albert Evans was born in Atlanta, a city in Georgia, USA. He started learning ballet and modern dance after watching The Nutcracker on TV. He loved what he saw! In 1986, he earned a full scholarship to the School of American Ballet. This is a very famous dance school.

Albert Evans's Dance Career

In 1988, Albert Evans officially joined the New York City Ballet. He quickly impressed everyone. Soon, he was given important lead roles. Famous choreographers like Eliot Feld and William Forsythe chose him for their dances. Even when he was a new dancer, he performed many main parts.

He was promoted to a soloist in 1991. Then, in 1995, he became a principal dancer. This is the highest rank a dancer can achieve. Albert Evans was the second African American principal dancer at NYCB. The first was Arthur Mitchell. Albert Evans was the only African American principal dancer during his time with the company.

His Famous Performances

Even though he never worked directly with George Balanchine, Albert Evans was famous for performing Balanchine's ballets. Balanchine is considered one of the greatest ballet choreographers ever. Albert Evans also helped create new roles for many choreographers. These included Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon, and Susan Stroman.

Albert Evans as a Choreographer

While still dancing, Albert Evans also started creating his own ballets. He choreographed Haiku and Broken Promises for the New York City Ballet. He also created Seego for The Washington Ballet.

In June 2010, Albert Evans retired from performing on stage. His last performances included a part from Balanchine's The Four Temperaments. He also danced a duet from Forsythe's Herman Schmerman with Wendy Whelan. After retiring, he became a ballet master for the company. He also helped resident choreographer Justin Peck. Albert Evans even appeared in the documentary Ballet 422. This film showed how Peck's ballet Paz de la Jolla was created.

Albert Evans's Passing

Albert Evans passed away on June 22, 2015. He died at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. He had been ill for a short time.