Suzanne Farrell (born August 16, 1945) (real name Roberta Sue Ficker) was one of the most noted ballerinas of the 20th century, and was the most important dancer for the legendary choreographer George Balanchine.
She was born in Cincinnati, and received her early training at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. In 1959, she was selected to study at Balanchine's School of American Ballet; she started there in 1960, and joined the New York City Ballet in 1961.
Initially part of the corps de ballet, she soon moved on to dancing featured roles. The first roles created especially for her came in 1963, and in 1965 she was promoted to principal dancer.
When she married Paul Mejia, a dancer in the company, in 1969, her bond with Balanchine suffered, and they left the New York City Ballet in 1970. After a spell in Europe, she eventually returned to Balanchine and the New York City Ballet in 1975, where her partnership with Balanchine lasted until his death in April, 1983; his last works were solos for Farrell.
Her unusually long performing career of 28 years - long for a ballerina, an occupation which takes a tremendous physical toll on the body - began to come to an end later in 1983, when she started to develop arthritis in her right hip. Despite two years of varied treatments, by 1985 (at the age of 40), her career on stage was almost over; although she struggled on for several years, she retired from performing in 1989.
She then moved on to passing on the ballets of Balanchine to the next generation of ballet dancers, working with famed companies around the world, such as those in Berlin, Paris and Vienna, as well as the Kirov Ballet and the Bolshoi Ballet. In 2000 she started her own company, the Suzanne Farrell Ballet.
Further reading
- Suzanne Farrell, Toni Bentley, Holding on to the Air (Summit Books, New York, 1990)
External links
Last updated: 08-13-2005 06:14:03
