Ethan Stiefel
Encyclopedia
Ethan Stiefel is a principal dancer
with American Ballet Theatre
(ABT). His fiance is Gillian Murphy
, also a principal dancer with ABT.
in New York
; their last name is pronounced "Stee-fell" and is German
for "boot."
He is an avid motorcyclist. He grew up riding dirt bikes, currently owns a Harley-Davidson
Wide Glide and once drove 5600 kilometres across the north-eastern US with ballerina Gillian Murphy
riding pillion
. He is also a Green Bay Packers
fan. He has been called "the most advanced male ballet dancer in the world" right now.
at the Monona Academy of Dance at age eight. He became involved with classical dance through his older sister, who was taking a class. The teacher was interested in getting Ethan to take class because boys in ballet are a rarity. He studied for two years at the Milwaukee Ballet
School under Judith Warren and at the Central Pennsylvania
Youth Ballet before moving to New York City to attend ABT's Studio Company (now known as ABT II)' and School of American Ballet
on scholarship
.
While there, Stanley Williams
enrolled him in the company's men's special class where he trained alongside Rudolf Nureyev
, Mikhail Baryshnikov
and Fernando Bujones
. In 1992, he took a leave of absence
to perform with the Zürich
Ballet and returned to the NYC Ballet company one year later as a soloist
. By 1995, he was a principal dancer with the company. He ended his tenure with the NYC Ballet in April 1997 when he joined ABT as a principal dancer, where he remains today. He danced with the short-lived Mikhail Baryshnikov School of Classical Ballet at ABT. His dance repertoire includes many key romantic roles in both classical and contemporary ballet.
He won a silver medal at the Prix de Lausanne in 1989 and also received a Princess Grace Foundation-USA grant in 1991. In 1998, Stiefel was nominated for the Benois de la Danse Award as one of the rising stars in ballet.
In 2007, Stiefel made his debut with the Australian Ballet in Nureyev's staging of Don Quixote
, for its Melbourne
and Sydney
seasons, in the role of Basilio.
in the month of August. The program accepts students aged 12 to 18. Its rollcall of star guest teachers include Stiefel, Johan Kobborg, Amanda McKerrow, Elizabeth Parkinson, Scott Wise, Marcelo Gomes, John Gardner, Gary Chryst, Ann Reinking
, and Alina Cojocaru
. The program has been on hiatus since 2008.
In late 2005, Ballet Pacifica, based in Irvine, California
, named him as its artistic director with the aim to relaunch itself as a higher-profile ballet company. In conjunction, Stiefel announced elaborate plans for tours, a larger permanent ensemble of experienced dancers, a longer season and Christmas
performances of George Balanchine
's "The Nutcracker
" at the Orange County Performing Arts Center
. However, after the company failed to raise the USD$6.5 million necessary to realize Stiefel's plans, its executive director
resigned followed by Stiefel himself in April 2006.
He is currently the dean
of the School of Dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts
in Winston-Salem and frequently teaches classes.
In November 2010 Stiefel was announced as the next director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet
. He took up that Position in September 2011.
, directed by Nicholas Hytner
with original choreography
by Susan Stroman
. He also starred in the 2008 sequel Center Stage: Turn It Up
. Center Stage features a subplot in which Stiefel's character garners the financial support of a flirtatious female philanthropist
(played by Elizabeth Hubbard
). A New York Times article entitled "How Much Is That Dancer in the Program?" revealed that Stiefel has a similar real-life sponsorship relationship with wealthy philanthropist
Anka Palitz.
In 2007, Stiefel appeared in an episode of Queer Eye
to meet a "straight guy" who considers Stiefel his "idol."
In 2010, Stiefel appeared as himself in season 4, episode 8 of Gossip Girl
with his fiance Gillian Murphy.
Principal dancer
A principal dancer is a dancer at the highest rank within a professional dance company, particularly a ballet company....
with American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre
American Ballet Theatre , based in New York City, was one of the foremost ballet companies of the 20th century. It continues as a leading dance company in the world today...
(ABT). His fiance is Gillian Murphy
Gillian Murphy
Gillian Murphy is a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre.Murphy was born in Wimbledon, England and took her first ballet class at the age of three in Belgium while her father was working overseas...
, also a principal dancer with ABT.
Biography
He is the only son of a Lutheran minister who became a prison wardenPrison officer
A prison officer , also referred to as a corrections officer , correctional officer , or detention officer , is a person charged with the responsibility of the supervision, safety and security of prisoners in a prison, jail, or similar form of secure...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
; their last name is pronounced "Stee-fell" and is German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
for "boot."
He is an avid motorcyclist. He grew up riding dirt bikes, currently owns a Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson , often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression...
Wide Glide and once drove 5600 kilometres across the north-eastern US with ballerina Gillian Murphy
Gillian Murphy
Gillian Murphy is a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre.Murphy was born in Wimbledon, England and took her first ballet class at the age of three in Belgium while her father was working overseas...
riding pillion
Pillion
A pillion is a mostly British English term for a secondary pad, cushion, or seat behind the main seat or saddle on a horse, motorcycle, bicycle or moped...
. He is also a Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are an American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Packers are the current NFL champions...
fan. He has been called "the most advanced male ballet dancer in the world" right now.
Dancing
Stiefel began ballet training in Madison, WisconsinMadison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
at the Monona Academy of Dance at age eight. He became involved with classical dance through his older sister, who was taking a class. The teacher was interested in getting Ethan to take class because boys in ballet are a rarity. He studied for two years at the Milwaukee Ballet
Ballet
Ballet is a type of performance dance, that originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century, and which was further developed in France and Russia as a concert dance form. The early portions preceded the invention of the proscenium stage and were presented in large chambers with...
School under Judith Warren and at the Central Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
Youth Ballet before moving to New York City to attend ABT's Studio Company (now known as ABT II)' and School of American Ballet
School of American Ballet
The School of American Ballet is one of the most famous classical ballet schools in the world and is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a leading international ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The school trains students from the...
on scholarship
Scholarship
A scholarship is an award of financial aid for a student to further education. Scholarships are awarded on various criteria usually reflecting the values and purposes of the donor or founder of the award.-Types:...
.
While there, Stanley Williams
Stanley Williams (ballet)
Stanley Williams was a dancer and, later, a renowned ballet instructor.-Early days:Stanley Williams was born in England but grew up in Copenhagen, and Stanley was enrolled at the Royal Danish School of Ballet...
enrolled him in the company's men's special class where he trained alongside Rudolf Nureyev
Rudolf Nureyev
Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev was a Russian dancer, considered one of the most celebrated ballet dancers of the 20th century. Nureyev's artistic skills explored expressive areas of the dance, providing a new role to the male ballet dancer who once served only as support to the women.In 1961 he...
, Mikhail Baryshnikov
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Mikhail Nikolaevich Baryshnikov is a Soviet and American dancer, choreographer, and actor, often cited alongside Vaslav Nijinsky and Rudolf Nureyev as one of the greatest ballet dancers of the 20th century. After a promising start in the Kirov Ballet in Leningrad, he defected to Canada in 1974...
and Fernando Bujones
Fernando Bujones
Fernando Bujones was an American ballet dancer.Born in Miami, Florida to Cuban parents, Bujones is regarded as one of the finest male dancers of the 20th century and hailed as one of the greatest American male dancers of his generation.Bujones' first formal ballet classes were in Alicia Alonso's...
. In 1992, he took a leave of absence
Leave of absence
Leave of absence is a term used to describe a period of time that one is to be away from his/her primary job, while maintaining the status of employee...
to perform with the Zürich
Zürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
Ballet and returned to the NYC Ballet company one year later as a soloist
Solo (music)
In music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
. By 1995, he was a principal dancer with the company. He ended his tenure with the NYC Ballet in April 1997 when he joined ABT as a principal dancer, where he remains today. He danced with the short-lived Mikhail Baryshnikov School of Classical Ballet at ABT. His dance repertoire includes many key romantic roles in both classical and contemporary ballet.
He won a silver medal at the Prix de Lausanne in 1989 and also received a Princess Grace Foundation-USA grant in 1991. In 1998, Stiefel was nominated for the Benois de la Danse Award as one of the rising stars in ballet.
In 2007, Stiefel made his debut with the Australian Ballet in Nureyev's staging of Don Quixote
Don Quixote (ballet)
Don Quixote is a ballet originally staged in four acts and eight scenes, based on an episode taken from the famous novel Don Quixote de la Mancha by Miguel de Cervantes. It was originally choreographed by Marius Petipa to the music of Ludwig Minkus and was first presented by the Ballet of the...
, for its Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
and Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
seasons, in the role of Basilio.
Directing and Teaching
In 2004, he created a four-week workshop, Stiefel & Students (originally called Stiefel & Stars), for aspiring dancers where dance students train and perform with professional ballet dancers. It is held annually on Martha's VineyardMartha's Vineyard
Martha's Vineyard is an island located south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, known for being an affluent summer colony....
in the month of August. The program accepts students aged 12 to 18. Its rollcall of star guest teachers include Stiefel, Johan Kobborg, Amanda McKerrow, Elizabeth Parkinson, Scott Wise, Marcelo Gomes, John Gardner, Gary Chryst, Ann Reinking
Ann Reinking
Ann Reinking is an American actress, dancer, and choreographer. She has worked extensively in musical theatre, both as a dancer and choreographer, as well as appearing in film.-Biography:...
, and Alina Cojocaru
Alina Cojocaru
Alina Cojocaru is a female principal dancer with The Royal Ballet of London.-Early years:Alina Cojocaru was born and raised in Bucharest, Romania. She has one sister. From a young age she studied gymnastics...
. The program has been on hiatus since 2008.
In late 2005, Ballet Pacifica, based in Irvine, California
Irvine, California
Irvine is a suburban incorporated city in Orange County, California, United States. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated on December 28, 1971, the city has a population of 212,375 as of the 2010 census. However, the California...
, named him as its artistic director with the aim to relaunch itself as a higher-profile ballet company. In conjunction, Stiefel announced elaborate plans for tours, a larger permanent ensemble of experienced dancers, a longer season and Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
performances of George Balanchine
George Balanchine
George Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
's "The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
" at the Orange County Performing Arts Center
Orange County Performing Arts Center
The Orange County Performing Arts Center is a performing arts complex located in Costa Mesa, California, United States.The Center offers the world’s leading dance companies, Broadway shows, award-winning classical, jazz and cabaret artists, family entertainment, special events and year-round...
. However, after the company failed to raise the USD$6.5 million necessary to realize Stiefel's plans, its executive director
Executive director
Executive director is a term sometimes applied to the chief executive officer or managing director of an organization, company, or corporation. It is widely used in North American non-profit organizations, though in recent decades many U.S. nonprofits have adopted the title "President/CEO"...
resigned followed by Stiefel himself in April 2006.
He is currently the dean
Dean (education)
In academic administration, a dean is a person with significant authority over a specific academic unit, or over a specific area of concern, or both...
of the School of Dance at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts , formerly the North Carolina School of the Arts, is a public coeducational arts conservatory in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that grants high school, undergraduate and graduate degrees. It is one of the seventeen constituent campuses of the...
in Winston-Salem and frequently teaches classes.
In November 2010 Stiefel was announced as the next director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet
Royal New Zealand Ballet
The Royal New Zealand Ballet is based in Wellington, New Zealand.The Royal New Zealand Ballet is a company of 32 dynamic dancers, performing an eclectic repertoire of outstanding dance, for national and international audiences, whilst continuing to build a style that is ultimately unique to the...
. He took up that Position in September 2011.
Television and Movie Appearances
In 2000, he starred in the film Center StageCenter Stage
Center Stage is a 2000 American drama film, directed by Nicholas Hytner, about a group of young dancers from various backgrounds who enroll at the fictitious American Ballet Academy in New York City...
, directed by Nicholas Hytner
Nicholas Hytner
Sir Nicholas Robert Hytner is an English film and theatre producer and director. He has been the artistic director of London's National Theatre since 2003.-Biography:...
with original choreography
Choreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
by Susan Stroman
Susan Stroman
Susan Stroman is an American theatre director, choreographer, film director, and performer. She has won the Tony Award for both her choreography and direction, notably for the stage musical The Producers.-Early years:...
. He also starred in the 2008 sequel Center Stage: Turn It Up
Center Stage: Turn It Up
Center Stage 2: Turn it Up or Center Stage 2 is the official sequel to the 2000 dance drama film Center Stage. The film was directed by Steven Jacobson and written by Karen Bloch Morse, based on characters created by Carol Heikkinen....
. Center Stage features a subplot in which Stiefel's character garners the financial support of a flirtatious female philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
(played by Elizabeth Hubbard
Elizabeth Hubbard
Elizabeth Hubbard is an American film, soap opera, stage and television actress. Hubbard was born in New York City]. She attended Radcliffe College, and graduated summa cum laude. She pursued her theatrical education at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, where she was the first American...
). A New York Times article entitled "How Much Is That Dancer in the Program?" revealed that Stiefel has a similar real-life sponsorship relationship with wealthy philanthropist
Philanthropy
Philanthropy etymologically means "the love of humanity"—love in the sense of caring for, nourishing, developing, or enhancing; humanity in the sense of "what it is to be human," or "human potential." In modern practical terms, it is "private initiatives for public good, focusing on quality of...
Anka Palitz.
In 2007, Stiefel appeared in an episode of Queer Eye
Queer Eye
Queer Eye is an American reality television series that premiered on the Bravo cable television network in July 2003. The program's name was changed from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy after the third season to broaden the scope of its content...
to meet a "straight guy" who considers Stiefel his "idol."
In 2010, Stiefel appeared as himself in season 4, episode 8 of Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl
Gossip Girl is an American young adult novel series written by Cecily von Ziegesar and published by Little, Brown and Company, a subsidiary of the Hachette Group. The series revolves around the lives and romances of the privileged teenagers at the Constance Billard School for Girls, an elite...
with his fiance Gillian Murphy.
Quotes
- "Somedays, I just don't want to take (ballet) class."
- "After ballet, I'd just want to work on motorcycles. I've got two."
- "American ballet, for me, is Stanley Williams."
- "Baryshnikov was and is my idol. He's the man. He was someone I've looked up to all throughout my life."