Megan Fairchild (born October 23, 1984) is an American ballet dancer. She is currently a

principal dancer A principal dancer (often shortened to principal) is a dancer at the highest rank within a professional dance company, particularly a ballet company. A principal may be male or female. The position is similar to that of '' soloist''; however, p ...

with the

New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company' ...

Early life

Fairchild was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and began her dance training at the age of four, studying with Judy Levitre and Kaelynne Oliphant at Dance Concepts in Sandy, Utah, and at the Ballet West Conservatory in Salt Lake City with Sharee Lane, Deborah Dobson, and Maureen Laird. While at the Ballet West Conservatory, Ms. Fairchild was also a Ballet West trainee. Ms. Fairchild entered the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet, in the fall of 2000. Her brother,

Robert Fairchild Robert Fairchild (born June 9, 1987) is an American dancer and actor. He is best known for originating the role Jerry Mulligan in the musical ''An American in Paris'', and as Munkustrap in the 2019 film ''Cats''. He was a principal dancer at the ...

was also a principal with the company. She and her brother are both recipients of the Mae L. Wien Award at the School of American Ballet.

Career

In November 2001, Fairchild joined the

as an apprentice, and in October 2002 she joined the Company became a member of the corps de ballet. Fairchild was promoted to the rank of soloist in February 2004, and in January 2005, she was promoted to principal dancer. In 2011, she danced the role of Sugar Plum Fairy in a telecast of ''

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchai ...

''. Fairchild made her

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

stage debut playing the role of Ivy Smith in the 2014 revival of '' On the Town'', which opened on October 16, 2014 at the Lyric Theatre. She received the 2015

Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or Off-Broadway. It was first awarded for the 1945–1946 theatre se ...

for her performance. She is currently a

Teaching Fellow A teaching fellow (sometimes referred to as a TF) is an individual at a higher education institution, including universities, whose role involves teaching and potentially pedagogic research. The work done by teaching fellows can vary enormously fr ...

with the School of American Ballet. Fairchild defended

Peter Martins Peter Martins (born 27 October 1946) is a Danish ballet dancer and choreographer. Martins was a principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet and with the New York City Ballet, where he joined George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and John Taras as ...

, then Ballet Master in Chief of the New York City Ballet, when he was accused of physical and sexual abuse. She said she felt safe working with him.

Selected repertoire

George Balanchine *''

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label= Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label ...

'' (Calliope) *'' Ballo della Regina'' *''

Coppélia ''Coppélia'' (sometimes subtitled: ''La Fille aux Yeux d'Émail'' (The Girl with the Enamel Eyes)) is a comic ballet from 1870 originally choreographed by Arthur Saint-Léon to the music of Léo Delibes, with libretto by Charles-Louis-� ...

'' (Swanilda) *"Emeralds" and "Rubies" from ''

Jewels A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, a ...

'' *''

'' (Sugarplum Fairy, Dewdrop, Marzipan, Dolls) *''Harlequinade'' (Pierrette) *'' A Midsummer Night's Dream'' (Butterfly, Divertissement) *''

Raymonda ''Raymonda'' (russian: Раймонда) is a ballet in three acts, four scenes with an apotheosis, choreographed by Marius Petipa to music by Alexander Glazunov, his Opus 57. It was first presented by the Imperial Ballet at the Imperial Mariinsk ...

'' Variations *'' Serenade'' *'' Symphony in C'' (First Movement, Third Movement) *''

Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux ''Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux'' is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to a composition by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky originally intended for act 3 of '' Swan Lake'' (Op. 20, 1875–76). With costumes by Barbara Karinska and lighting by Jack ...

'' *'' Theme and Variations'' August Bournonville *''

La Sylphide ''La Sylphide'' ( en, The Sylph; da, Sylfiden) is a romantic ballet in two acts. There were two versions of the ballet; the original choreographed by Filippo Taglioni in 1832, and a second version choreographed by August Bournonville in 1836. ...

'' (The Sylph) Peter Martins *'' The Sleeping Beauty'' (Aurora, Ruby, Princess Florine) *'' Swan Lake'' (Odette/Odile, Pas de Trois, Pas de Quatre, Neapolitan) Jerome Robbins *''

Dances at a Gathering ''Dances at a Gathering'' is a ballet choreographed by Jerome Robbins to music by Frédéric Chopin, with costumes designed by Joe Eula. The ballet premiered on May 22, 1969, at the New York State Theater, performed by the New York City Ballet ...

Created roles

*Robert La Fosse: Land of Nod (Natalie) *Peter Martins: Bal de Couture, Naïve and Sentimental Music *Angelin Preljocaj: Spectral Evidence *Alexei Ratmansky: Namouna, A Grand Divertissement, Voices *Susan Stroman: "The Blue Necklace" from Double Feature (Florence) *Christopher Wheeldon: Shambards

Personal life

In 2011, Fairchild married fellow New York City Ballet principal Andrew Veyette, but they quietly divorced in 2017. She is the mother of three daughters, including a pair of twins. She has a degree in mathematics and economics from Fordham University and is currently studying for an M.B.A. at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

. From 2014 to 2017, Fairchild was the sister-in-law of fellow dancer

Tiler Peck Tiler Kalyn Peck (born January 12, 1989) is an American ballet dancer who is a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. As well as ballet, she has performed in musical theatre shows and has made cameo appearances in films including ''Donn ...

, through Peck's marriage to Megan's brother Robert.Kennedy, Mark
"Married ballet stars Tiler Peck, Robert Fairchild split"
apnews.com, June 19, 2017

Awards and nominations

References

External links

Cupcakes & Conversation with Megan Fairchild
''

Ballet News Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

''. 9 July 2010. {{DEFAULTSORT:Fairchild, Megan New York City Ballet principal dancers Living people American ballerinas Artists from Salt Lake City School of American Ballet alumni Mae L. Wien Award recipients 1984 births Theatre World Award winners