Gelsey Kirkland
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Gelsey Kirkland (born December 29, 1952 in Pennsylvania) is an American ballet dancer. Through a focus and intensity deemed rare even in the world of ballet, including becoming one of the first Ballet dancers to embrace plastic surgery to improve her on-stage 'line' and working herself literally almost to death, she became known as the greatest ballerina of her time in America, if not the world.
Kirkland joined the New York City Ballet in 1968 at age fifteen after being invited by George Balanchine and was promoted to Soloist in 1969 and principal in 1972. She went on to create leading roles in many of the great twentieth century ballets by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and Antony Tudor. These include Balanchine's version of Igor Stravinsky's The Firebird, Robbins' Goldberg Variations, and Tudor's Leaves are Fading. She joined American Ballet Theatre after meeting Mikhail Baryshnikov, who would become her perennial partner. She is perhaps most famous to the general public for dancing the role of Clara in Baryshnikov's 1977 television production of The Nutcracker.
In 1986, Kirkland, with Greg Lawrence, published Dancing on My Grave, a tell-all autobiography detailing her struggles with eating disorders and drug addiction. (ISBN 0-385-19964-3) The book also sharply criticizes George Balanchine and speaks about many of her partnerships, both on stage and off, with some of the most famous dancers of the time, including Baryshnikov. Following Dancing on My Grave, Kirkland and Lawrence published The Shape of Love: The Story of 'Dancing on My Grave' Continues in 1990, which focuses on Kirkland's return to the stage in 1986. (ISBN 0-385-24918-7).
Kirkland has since departed from the stage, but now coaches younger dancers. She currently lives in Australia, but periodically returns to the U.S. In 2006, she was given the Dance Magazine Award. She is currently a member of the guest faculty at the Broadway Dance Center in New York City.
[edit] Trivia
- Was romantically involved with Mikhail Baryshnikov.
- Baryshnikov called her "The best ballerina of her generation."
- She appeared as guest artist with the Royal Ballet 1980-86.
- She applied for the position of Artistic Director for a ballet company in Ireland, yet when she got the job, she wound up turning it down - in favor of teaching.
- Was inspired to dance by watching a performance of Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev.
- Resigned from ABT in May, 1984.
- Was on the May 1, 1978 cover of TIME magazine.
- Edward Villella described her as having "steel-like legs that are doing the most fantastic technical feats while the upper body is soft and lovely as though nothing were going on underneath" in Time magazine.
- Has undergone various plastic surgery operations. She had silicone put in her lips, her earlobes shortened, a nose job and breasts enlarged. [citations needed]
- Began early ballet training at the famed School of American Ballet along with her sister, Johnna.
- Left the Balanchine New York City Ballet in favor of the American Ballet Theatre to dance with Mikhail Baryshnikov.
- Balanchine rechoreographed his version of Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite" specifically for her.
- Danced with Mikhail Baryshnikov, Peter Martins, Ivan Nagy, Anthony Dowell, Patrick Bissell, Peter Schafuss, Stephen Jeffries, among others.
- As reported in the Time Magazine cover story, she was practicing when she received a phone call from Baryshnikov's entourage asking her if she would like to dance with him. She accepted immediately.
- Her mother Nancy made her and her older sister Johnna audition for the School of American Ballet in hopes that they would open up their own ballet school when they got older
[edit] Further reading
Kirkland, Gelsey, and Greg Lawrence. Dancing on My Grave. Garden City: Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1986.
Kirkland, Gelsey, and Greg Lawrence. The Shape of Love: The Story of Dancing on My Grave Continues. New York: Doubleday and Company, Inc., 1990.
