VIOLETTE VERDY

Violette Verdy received her ballet training in her native France and danced with numerous companies in Europe before joining New York City Ballet in 1958. During her 18 years as a dancer with the Company, she danced more than 25 principal roles in a wide range of ballets, including 13 that George Balanchine created for her, most notably Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux, Liebeslieder Walzer, and Emeralds. While with the New York City Ballet, Ms. Verdy also danced as a guest artist with many major ballet companies in America and Europe. After her retirement from the stage in 1976, she became the first woman to be appointed Artistic Director of the Paris Opéra Ballet, a position she held for three years. Ms. Verdy was named Artistic Director of the Boston Ballet in 1980. She was a Teaching Associate at the New York City Ballet from 1985 to 1989. Ms. Verdy is a professor at the School of Music at Indiana University and a guest teacher at ballet schools and companies all over the world.