Robert (Wade) LaFosse Biography (1959-)

Final "e" of surname is silent; full name, Robert Wade LaFosse; born December9, 1959, in Beaumont, TX; son of Harold Wilford and Ida Pearl (Jessen) LaFosse. Career: Ballet dancer and choreographer. American Ballet Theatre,New York City, member of corps de ballet, 1977-81, soloist, 1981-83, principal dancer, 1983-85; New York City Ballet, New York City, principal dancer and choreographer, 1986-; Stars of American Ballet, artistic director, 1987-. Twyla Tharp and Dancers at City Center, guest artist, 1992; ExtraordinaryCompany, Joyce Theatre, guest artist, 1997. Awards, Honors: Antoinette Perry Award nomination, best performance by a leading actor, 1989, for Jerome Robbins Broadway; Mae L. Wien Award for young choreographers, School of American Ballet, 1991; received a grant from the New York State Councilof the Arts to choreograph Trumpet Concerto in E Flat. Addresses: Office: New York City Ballet, New York State Theatre, Lincoln Center, NewYork, NY 10023.

Nationality: American
Gender: Male
Occupation: ballet dancer, choreographer
Birth Details: December 9, 1959; Beaumont, Texas, United States

Famous Works

CREDITS
Stage Appearances
The Nutcracker, American Ballet Theatre, Metropolitan Opera House,New York City, 1977
Dancin' (musical), Broadhurst Theatre, New York City, 1979
Great Galloping Gottschalk, American Ballet Theatre, MetropolitanOpera House, 1982
Bach Partita, American Ballet Theatre, Metropolitan Opera House, 1984
Albrecht and Hilarion, Giselle, American Ballet Theatre, 1985
Romeo, Romeo and Juliet, American Ballet Theatre, Metropolitan Opera House, 1985
Piccolo Balleto, New York City Ballet, 1986
Quiet City, New York City Ballet, 1986
Poet, La Sonnambula, New York City Ballet, 1987
Sinfonia Mistica, 1987
The Newcomers, New York City Ballet, 1988
Tea-Rose, New York City Ballet, 1988
A Fool for You, New York City Ballet, 1989
Jerome Robbins Broadway, Imperial Theatre, New York City, 1989
Appeared as James in La Sylphide; also appeared as Solar, La Bayadere, as the title role, Billy the Kid, and as a champion roperRodeo, all American Ballet Theatre; also appeared in other American Ballet Theatre productions, including Cinderella, Clair de Lune, Dim Luster, Don Quixote, Fancy Free, Follow the Feet, Jardin aux lilas, The Leaves Are Fading, Les Rendezvous, N.Y. Export: Op. Jazz, Other Dances, Prodigal Son, Swan Lake, Symphonie Concertante, and The Wild Boy; appeared in the New York City Ballet productions Afternoon of a Faun, Agon, Brahms/Handel, Concerto for Two Solo Pianos, Coppelia, Dances at a Gathering, Dances Concertant, DonizettiVariations, Fanfare, The Four Seasons, Gershwin Concerto, The Goldberg Variations in G Major, I'm Old Fashioned, Interplay, Ivesiana, La source, The Nutcracker Suite, Other Dances, Prodigal Son, Scotch Symphony, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, Union Jack, Valse triste, ViennaWaltzes, Who Cares?, and Western Symphony; also danced Brahms/Handel, New York City Ballet.
Stage Work
Choreographer, Unless Otherwise Noted
Rappacini's Daughter, 1985
And song arranger, Yesterdays, School of American Ballet, Juilliard Theater, New York City, 1987
Gershwin, Three Preludes, Southwest Regional Ballet Festival, 1987
Woodland Sketches, New York City Ballet, American Music Festival,1988
Haydn Trumpet Concerto, 1989

Gretry Pas de Deux, New York City Ballet, 1991
Waltz Trilogy, New York City Ballet, 1991
Osiris, Guggenheim Museum, 1992
Four for 4, Guggenheim Museum, 1992
I Have My Own Room, New York City Ballet, 1992
October (for fund-raising benefit A Demand Performance), 1993
Life Shall Lift Them, Next Wave Festival, Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York City, 1993
Danses de Cour, New York City Ballet, 1994
Adriana LeCouvreur, Metropolitan Opera, 1994
Rags, Bavarian National Ballet, National Theatre, Munich, Germany,1994
Choreographic associate, Anyone Can Whistle, Carnegie Hall, New York City, 1995
Splendora, American Place Theatre, New York City, 1995
Stars and Stripes Forever, Les Ballets Trocadero de Monte Carlo, 1996
The Duel, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 1996
Concerto in Five Movements, New York City Ballet, 1997
Concerto in E, Alberta Ballet, 1997
The Nutcracker, Russian Ballet Theatre of Delaware, 1997
Die Fledermaus, Metropolitan Opera, 1998
Also choreographer of Puss in Boots, School of American Ballet; Spring Break, Barnard College; Die Fledermaus, New York City Opera; (with Peter Martins) Missa Sicca, New York City Ballet; 25. Counting Things, Gala Performance; (with Margi Gillis) Fallen Angels,Joyce Theater; Bach Sonata #1, Gala Performance; Three Piano Pieces, New York City Ballet; Positive Me (musical), La MaMa Etc. Theatre, New York City; A Salute to Fred and Ginger, Stars of American Ballet; The Wind Remains (opera), Alice Tully Hall; The Student Prince, New York City Opera; and (with John Kelly) Light Shall Lift Them,Brooklyn Academy of Music.
Television Appearances
Specials
"Push Comes to Shove," Baryshnikov by Tharp with the American Ballet Theatre, 1984
"Dancing Hands," Live from Off Center, PBS, 1988
"A Fool for You," Ray Charles in Concert with the New York City Ballet, PBS, 1989
"Balanchine in America," Great Performances, PBS, 1990
"Not My Girl," Great Performances Twentieth Anniversary Special, PBS, 1992
Dancer, "The Man I Love" segment of "Who Cares?," Balanchine Celebration, 1993
Appeared in the "Triad" segment of American Ballet Theatre Live at Lincoln Center; in "Who Cares?," Dance in America's Balanchine Celebration; also appeared in the "Jardin aux lilas" and "Great Galloping Gottschalk" segments of American Ballet Theatre in San Francisco.
Film Appearances
Dr. Stahlbaum, George Balanchine's The Nutcracker (also known as The Nutcracker), Warner Bros., 1993
Also appeared in the short film Central Park.
WRITINGS
Memoirs
(With Andrew Mark Wentink) Nothing to Hide: A Dancer's Life, Donald I. Fine (New York City), 1987

Further Reference

OTHER SOURCES

Periodicals:

Dance, September 1981, p. 58; May, 1985, p. 100.

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