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Abi Stafford is an American ballet dancer. She joined the New York City Ballet in 2000 and was promoted to principal dancer in 2007.[2] She retired in 2021.
Abi Stafford | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1981 or 1982 (age 42–43)[1] |
| Occupation | Ballet dancer |
| Years active | 1999-present |
| Children | 1 |
| Career | |
| Current group | New York City Ballet |
Stafford was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. She started ballet when she was six. In 1998, she was admitted to the School of American Ballet in New York City as a full-time student.[2][3]
Stafford became an apprentice with the New York City Ballet in November 1999. Two months later, she became a member of the corps de ballet. Stafford received the Janice Levin Dancer Award in 2000-01, which was given to promising corps dancers of NYCB.[4]
Stafford was promoted to soloist in 2002 and principal dancer in 2007. She had danced lead roles in nearly 60 ballets, among them are The Nutcracker, Apollo and Dances at a Gathering.[2][5] She was one of the eight NYCB dancers that performed in Cuba in 2010.[6] She also served as motion capture dancer for Barbie in the Nutcracker and Barbie of Swan Lake.[7]
Stafford was a teaching fellow at School of American Ballet between 2012 and 2016. She became a member of the permanent faculty in 2016.[8]
Stafford's brother, Jonathan Stafford, was also a principal dancer at NYCB. Though the two were seldom paired together, she danced with him in his farewell performance.[9] Jonathan Stafford is now the artistic director of NYCB.[10]
Stafford retired from performing in 2021. In her final performance, she danced Ratmansky's Russian Seasons, in a role she originated.[5]
Stafford's repertoire with the New York City Ballet includes:[2]
- Apollo (Polyhmnia)
- Ballo della Regina
- Concerto Barocco
- Coppélia (Dawn)
- Dances at a Gathering
- "Emeralds" from Jewels
- A Midsummer Night's Dream (Hermia, Divertissement)
- The Nutcracker (Sugarplum Fairy, Dewdrop)
- Raymonda Variations
- La Source
- The Sleeping Beauty (Vivacity, Ruby, Princess Florine)
- Swan Lake (Balanchine version) (Pas de Quatre, Russian)
- Swan Lake (Martins version) (Pas de Trois, Pas de Quatre, Russian)
- Symphony in C (First Movement, Third Movement)
- Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux
- Walpurgisnacht Ballet
- Western Symphony (First Movement)
Created roles
- Bal de Couture
- Namouna, A Grand Divertissement
- Pictures at an Exhibition
- Russian Seasons
- Swerve Poems
- Toccata
- Twilight Courante
- Viva Verdi
In 2015, Stafford gave birth to a son.[11]
Stafford has a history degree from Fordham University. She spent eight years to study part-time and graduated in 2018. She started to study law afterwards, and interned at The Legal Aid Society. She is expected to graduate in 2022.[12][13]
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