Suzanne Farrell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Suzanne Farrell
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Farrell in 1965
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| Born |
Roberta Sue Ficker
August 16, 1945 Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
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| Alma mater | School of American Ballet |
| Occupation | Ballerina; Masterclass Dance Teacher |
| Years active | 1960–1989; 1989-2017 |
| Known for | Dance Career; Dance Guru |
| Spouse(s) |
Paul Mejia
(m. 1969; div. 1997) |
| Honours | Kennedy Center Honors (2005) Presidential Medal of Freedom (2005) |
Suzanne Farrell, born Roberta Sue Ficker on August 16, 1945, is a famous American ballerina. She also founded her own dance company, the Suzanne Farrell Ballet, at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Suzanne started learning ballet as a child in Cincinnati. In 1960, she earned a special scholarship to the School of American Ballet. Soon after, in the early 1960s, she began dancing important main roles in ballets. She became a favorite dancer of the famous choreographer George Balanchine.
After leaving the New York City Ballet in 1969, she moved to Brussels. There, she danced for Maurice Béjart's company, the Ballet of the 20th Century. In 1975, Suzanne returned to the United States. She worked with Balanchine again until he passed away in 1983. She retired from dancing six years later due to a hip problem. Suzanne had a very long career as a ballet dancer. Since retiring in 1989, she has taught ballet at many schools. She taught at the New York City Ballet until 1993. Since 2000, she has been a dance professor at Florida State University. In 2000, she also started her own company, the Suzanne Farrell Ballet, which closed at the end of 2017.
Suzanne Farrell is highly respected in the ballet world. She has received many awards for her influence on dance. These include the Kennedy Center Honors and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest award a civilian can receive in the United States.
Early Life and Training
Suzanne Farrell was born Roberta Sue Ficker in Cincinnati, Ohio. She began her dance training at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. In 1960, she received a scholarship from the Ford Foundation. This allowed her to study at choreographer George Balanchine's School of American Ballet.
Suzanne, her sister Beverly, and their mother moved to New York City. In 1961, Suzanne joined the New York City Ballet (NYCB). She quickly became an inspiration for Balanchine, who created many ballets just for her.
A Star Ballerina's Career
Dancing at New York City Ballet
When Suzanne first joined NYCB, she was part of the corps de ballet. This means she danced in the group. But soon, she began dancing featured roles. The first ballet made for her was Passage (now called Arcade) in 1963. Balanchine first paired her with Jacques d'Amboise for his ballet Meditation. This ballet first appeared in December 1963.
One of her most famous roles was Dulcinea in Balanchine's Don Quixote. This ballet premiered in May 1965. Many people believed Balanchine created this ballet as a special gift for Suzanne. He even danced the role of Don Quixote on opening night. In 1968, he chose her to be the main dancer in the "Diamonds" section of his ballet Jewels.
Suzanne helped bring many ballets to a new level of skill. In 1965, she became a principal dancer. This is the highest rank in a ballet company. Her first role as a principal dancer was in Agon with Arthur Mitchell in Paris. George Balanchine admired her greatly and created many roles for her. Suzanne said that learning from Balanchine was like working together. She explained that he would create movements on the spot, and she had to quickly understand what he wanted.
Suzanne married fellow dancer Paul Mejia in 1969. This caused some tension between her and Balanchine. Because of this, Suzanne and Paul left the company. They were married from 1969 to 1997.
Suzanne and her husband joined a European company called Ballet of the 20th Century. This company was led by French choreographer Maurice Béjart and based in Brussels. For four years, she danced main roles there, some created just for her. This allowed her to explore a very different style of dance. During this time, she often danced with Peter Martins.
She eventually returned to Balanchine and the New York City Ballet in 1975. Balanchine continued to create new ballets for her. These included Chaconne, Mozartiana, Tzigane, and Robert Schumann's Davidsbündlertänze. While living in New York City, she even appeared on the children's television show Sesame Street in 1979-1980.
Suzanne's dance partnership with Balanchine lasted until he passed away in April 1983. His very last works were solos made for her. She retired from the New York City Ballet at age 44 on November 26, 1989. This was after being away from the stage for three years due to her arthritis. For her final performance, she danced Sophisticated Lady and Vienna Waltzes.
Teaching Dance to Others
After 28 years of dancing, which is very hard on the body, Suzanne began to face challenges in 1983. She developed arthritis in her right hip. Even after two years of treatments, by 1985, her performing career was almost over. She struggled for several years but finally stopped performing in 1989.
She then began teaching Balanchine's ballets to new generations of dancers. She worked with companies all over the world. These included companies in Berlin, Vienna, the Paris Opera Ballet, the Kirov Ballet, and the Bolshoi Ballet. In 1993, she left her teaching position with the New York City Ballet.
In 2000, Suzanne Farrell started teaching in the Dance Department at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida.
Work at the Kennedy Center
In 2000, Suzanne Farrell started her own company, the Suzanne Farrell Ballet. This company became a full professional group supported by the Kennedy Center.
Suzanne's connection with the Kennedy Center began in 1993 and 1994. The Center offered special ballet master classes for students with Suzanne. These classes gave ballet students aged 13 to 17 a chance to learn from one of the greatest ballerinas. Because Suzanne is so unique and her teaching is excellent, the Kennedy Center expanded the program in 1995. This helped more young people across America learn about the arts. Suzanne taught her students to make their movements more expressive and powerful. This three-week yearly program of intense study grew into a full program called Exploring Ballet with Suzanne Farrell.
In 1999, Suzanne received great praise for her successful shows at the Kennedy Center. Her company, then called Suzanne Farrell Stages the Masters of 20th-century Ballet, also toured the East Coast. After its debut at the Kennedy Center, the newly named Suzanne Farrell Ballet performed there in 2001 and 2002. They also went on a long East Coast tour. They returned to the Kennedy Center in 2003–2004 after a seven-week national tour. In 2005, Suzanne Farrell was chosen as one of five people to receive the Kennedy Center Honors. This is one of the highest awards for artistic achievement in a lifetime.
In 2007, the Suzanne Farrell Ballet officially started the Balanchine Preservation Initiative. This project brings back Balanchine's ballets that are rarely seen or have been lost. Because of this, ballets like Ragtime, Pithoprakta, and Divertimento Brillante were recreated and performed.
Even though the company received good reviews, the Kennedy Center announced in September 2016 that the company would close at the end of 2017. The President of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Deborah Rutter, explained that the center was planning new building projects. Suzanne's new role at the center was not clear, but Rutter said Suzanne would continue to be an "artistic partner" there.
See also
In Spanish: Suzanne Farrell para niños
- Women in dance
