Amar Ramasar facts for kids

Amar Ramasar (born in 1981) is an American ballet dancer. He was a very important dancer, called a principal dancer, with the New York City Ballet (NYCB). Ramasar started as an apprentice with the NYCB in 2000. He became part of the main group of dancers, called the corps de ballet, in 2001.

In 2018, Ramasar left the NYCB. In 2019, he performed for the first time at the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome. Later, a special judge decided that while a break from NYCB was fair, letting him go completely was too much. So, the judge said he should be able to return to the NYCB. In July 2021, the NYCB announced that Ramasar would retire in May 2022.

Early Life and Training

Amar Ramasar was born in the Bronx, a part of New York City. His father, who is from Indo-Trinidadian family, was a United States Marine. He later worked as a computer technician. Ramasar's mother, who is Puerto Rican, worked as a registered nurse. As a child, Amar was outgoing and loved to talk. He has said that no one in his family knew much about ballet.

When Ramasar was 10 years old, a music teacher at his school noticed his creative talents. The teacher suggested he try out for the TADA! Youth Theater. Ramasar was one of only two children chosen from over 300 who auditioned. Because his parents worked full-time, Ramasar learned to travel by himself. He took the New York City Subway from his home in the South Bronx to the studio on the Lower East Side for daily rehearsals.

Ramasar took his first dance class in 1993 at the Henry Street Settlement House's Abrons Arts Center. His family did not have strong feelings about his choice to dance. He said, "My father didn't prevent me from doing it, but he didn't make it easy." When Ramasar was 14, he tried out for the School of American Ballet. This school trains young dancers who hope to join the New York City Ballet. He was accepted in 1993 and had his first ballet lesson there.

His family did not have money to pay for his dance education. Ramasar relied completely on scholarships to cover his tuition. His first years at the School of American Ballet were hard. Ramasar was many years behind the other boys in strength and dance skills. Some of the other boys were as young as six years old. He later said he felt discouraged by how far behind he was. He thought about quitting ballet to focus on acting. His teacher, Olga Kostritzky, told him, "You want to play a robber, be in movies. You want to be a prince, stay in the ballet."

Peter Martins, who was the director of both the School of American Ballet and the New York City Ballet, helped Ramasar a lot. He gave Ramasar extra lessons in partnering after each class. Ramasar received high praise at the School of American Ballet's year-end shows. He also studied at the American Ballet Theatre's Summer Program and The Rock School for Dance Education.

Dancing with the New York City Ballet

Ramasar joined the New York City Ballet as an apprentice in 2000. He became part of the corps de ballet (the main group of dancers) in 2001. Peter Martins chose him to dance the role of the Cavalier in The Nutcracker in 2001. This was the first time Ramasar's father saw him dance. Ramasar said, "I think then he understood." Ramasar became a soloist in March 2006. He was then promoted to a principal dancer in October 2009. A dance critic noted that Ramasar's promotion was a good thing. They said that when younger dancers take on important roles, it makes the wonderful ballets feel new again.

As of 2010, Ramasar was the only person of color who was a principal dancer in the NYCB. He was quoted saying that he saw his background as an advantage. He felt there was no one else who looked like him. He believed his roles at the New York City Ballet were always great. He mentioned dancing in Fancy Free, a ballet about sailors. He said, "I’m breaking boundaries that people automatically put up for a stereotypical white ballet."

In January 2019, he performed for the first time at the Teatro dell'Opera in Rome. He danced in the ballet Carmen, which had choreography by Jiří Bubeníček.

Other Achievements

In 2000, Ramasar received the Mae L. Wien Award.

He was featured in a social studies textbook for students called Meet the Dancers, written by Amy Nathan.

Ramasar also appeared in NY Export: Opus Jazz. This was a 2010 film about that ballet.

Personal Life

Amar Ramasar started dating Elysia Dawn Fridkin (also known as Elysia Dawn) in 2009. They were married in October 2011. Elysia Dawn was a dancer with Complexions Contemporary Ballet. She was also the artistic director of the Columbia University Ballet Collaborative. She currently works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Their marriage ended in 2016.

See also

• List of New York City Ballet principal dancers