Edward Villella
Choreographer, Dancer
1936 - Present
Inducted in 1997
Edward Villella, one of America's most celebrated male dancers, has done much to popularize the role of the male in dance through his supreme artistry during his performance career with the New York City Ballet. The great choreographer George Balanchine used him to create role after magnificent role. Perhaps his most famous role was in the 1960 revival of Balanchine's 1929 masterpiece, Prodigal Son.
As Founding Artistic Director of Miami City Ballet, he has guided the company to worldwide acclaim. Among the distinguished honors that have been awarded to him are the 38th Annual Capezio Dance Award; the Frances Holleman Breathitt Award for Excellence; the National Society of Arts & Letters Award for Lifetime Achievement; and the Dance Magazine Award, in 1964.
He currently serves on the Board of Trustees' Executive Committee of the Wolf Trap Foundation and the Board of Directors of the School of American Ballet. He has served as chairman of New York City's Commission for Cultural Affairs, and has been a member of the National Council on the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts' Dance Advisory Panel.
Related Links
|
