EDWAARD LIANG

Background

Edwaard Liang was born in Taipei, Taiwan. He was raised in Marin County, California, and began his ballet training at the age of five at Marin Ballet. In 1989, Mr. Liang entered the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet. He joined New York City Ballet in the spring of 1993, and that same year he was the recipient of the Prix de Lausanne and the Mae L. Wien Award from the School of American Ballet. He was promoted to soloist in November 1998.

Mr. Liang danced with NYCB until 2001, when he joined the Broadway cast of Fosse, performing a leading role. In 2001, 2002, and 2004, Mr. Liang danced as a guest artist with Complexions, where his repertory included numerous ballets by Artistic Director Dwight Rhoden. In 2003, Mr. Liang became a member of Nederlands Dans Theater 1, where his repertory included ballets by Mats Ek, Johan Inger, Jirí Kylián, Paul Lightfoot and Sol Leon, and Hans van Manen. In the spring of 2004, Mr. Liang returned to New York City Ballet as a soloist.

With New York City Ballet, Mr. Liang has danced featured roles in: Jacques d'Amboise's: Irish Fantasy; George Balanchine's:  Agon, Chaconne, Cortège Hongrois, Divertimento No. 15, Episodes, The Four Temperaments (Phlegmatic), "Emeralds" from Jewels, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Oberon), Symphony in C (Third Movement), Symphony in Three Movements, Western Symphony (Allegro); Mauro Bigonzetti's:  In Vento; Ulysses Dove's: Red Angels;Boris Eifman's: Musagète; Peter Martins': Ash, Calcium Light Night, Fearful Symmetries, Les Gentilhommes, Jazz (Six Syncopated Movements), Reliquary, Swan Lake (Benno, Pas de Quatre, and Hungarian), The Sleeping Beauty (Gold and Bluebird); David Parsons': Touch;  and Jerome Robbins': Fanfare (Clarinet), The Four Seasons (Spring), Glass Pieces, Watermill and  2 & 3 Part Inventions

Mr. Liang originated featured roles in: Jorma Elo's Slice to Sharp;, Mr. Martins' Harmonielehre, Christopher Wheeldon's After the Rain, Mercurial Manoeuvres, and Polyphonia

Other Performances: Mr. Liang has performed as a guest artist with the Norwegian National Ballet, dancing in Balanchine's Symphony in C (First Movement). His television appearances include the nationally televised PBS Great Performances broadcast, "Dance in America: From Broadway: Fosse," which has subsequently been made into a DVD.

Print Credits: Mr. Liang was featured in the New York City Ballet Workout book and in Richard Corman's book of photographs, Glory.

Film Credits: Mr. Liang was featured in the New York City Ballet Workout video.

Choreography: Mr. Liang has choreographed a number of works. For a Nederlands Dans Theater 1 workshop, he choreographed a pas de deux, Flight of Angels, which has since been staged for Aspen/Santa Fe Ballet and Configurations. For Configurations he also created the ballet Mixed Nuts, set to music by Erik Satie as well as music by Yo-Yo Ma and Bobby McFerrin. In March 2005, Mr. Liang's Distant Cries, a pas de deux to the music of Tomaso Albinoni and danced by NYCB Principal Dancers Peter Boal and Wendy Whelan, was premiered by Peter Boal & Company and subsequently performed during the NYCB 2005 spring season. Mr. Liang has also set Paul Lightfoot's Signing Off for Les Ballets de Monte Carlo.