Linda Michelle Merrill (born December 2, 1950), known professionally as Merrill Ashley, is an American former ballet dancer and ''

répétiteur A (from the French verb meaning 'to repeat, to go over, to learn, to rehearse') is an accompanist, tutor or coach of ballet dancers or opera singers. A feminine form, , also appears but is comparatively rare. Opera In opera, a is the perso ...

''. She joined 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' ...

in 1967, was promoted to principal dancer in 1977, and retired in 1997. She is one of the last dancers to have worked with

George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze; ka, გიორგი მელიტონის ძე ბალანჩივაძე; January 22, 1904 (O. S. January 9) – April 30, 1983) was ...

, and coaches his works since she stopped performing.

Early life

Linda Michelle Merrill was born on December 2, 1950, in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

, and raised in

Rutland, Vermont Rutland, Vermont may refer to: *Rutland (city), Vermont * Rutland (town), Vermont *Rutland County, Vermont *West Rutland, Vermont West Rutland is a town in Rutland County, Vermont, United States. The population was 2,214 at the 2020 census. The t ...

. She started ballet at age seven. In 1964, at thirteen, she entered the

School of American Ballet The School of American Ballet (SAB) is the most renowned ballet school in the United States. School of American Ballet is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New ...

full-time with a scholarship.

Career

She joined the

in 1967, making her debut as a corps dancer in ''

A Midsummer Night's Dream ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...

''. As there was another dancer named Linda Merrill, she performed under the stage name Merrill Ashley. She was promoted to soloist in 1974 and principal dancer in 1977. Ashley was known for her speed. She was one of the last dancers to have worked with

, and created two lead roles for him, in '' Ballo della Regina'' and ''Ballade''. Balanchine also revived ''

The Four Temperaments ''The Four Temperaments'' or Theme and Four Variations (''The Four Temperaments'') is an orchestral work and ballet by Paul Hindemith. Although it was originally conceived as a ballet for Léonide Massine, the score was ultimately completed a ...

'' and ''

Square Dance A square dance is a dance for four couples, or eight dancers in total, arranged in a square, with one couple on each side, facing the middle of the square. Square dances contain elements from numerous traditional dances and were first documente ...

'' for her. Ashley also originated roles in Robbins' ''

Requiem Canticles ''Requiem Canticles'' is a 15-minute composition by Igor Stravinsky, for contralto and bass soli, chorus, and orchestra. Stravinsky completed the work in 1966, and it received its first performance that same year. The work is a partial setting of ...

'', Robbins' and Tharp's '' Brahms/Handel'' and Martins' ''Fearful Symmetries''. Other Balanchine ballets she was known for include ''

Concerto Barocco ''Concerto Barocco'' is a neoclassical ballet made for students at the School of American Ballet by George Balanchine, subsequently ballet master and co-founder of New York City Ballet, to Johann Sebastian Bach's Concerto in D minor for Two V ...

'', ''Donizetti Variations'', ''Gounod Symphony'' and ''

Chaconne A chaconne (; ; es, chacona, links=no; it, ciaccona, links=no, ; earlier English: ''chacony'') is a type of musical composition often used as a vehicle for variation on a repeated short harmonic progression, often involving a fairly short rep ...

''. Outside of the New York City Ballet, Ashley toured with Jacques d'Amboise's troupe around the US and with her own group, Merrill Ashley and Dancers, in Hawaii. She also performed ''

Paquita ''Paquita'' is a ballet in two acts and three scenes originally choreographed by Joseph Mazilier to music by Édouard Deldevez and Ludwig Minkus. Paul Foucher received royalties as librettist. History ''Paquita'' is the creation of French compo ...

'' and '' The Sleeping Beauty'' with the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet (now the Birmingham Royal Ballet). Her book, ''Dancing with Balanchine'', was published in 1984. Ashley retired from the New York City Ballet in 1997, shortly before she turned 47, after 30 years of dancing. She was the longest-serving dancer at New York City Ballet at the time. She remained in the company as a teaching associate until 2008, then went freelance to coach Balanchine ballets in other companies. The documentary ''The Dance Goodbye'' follows her ten years after she retired dealing with injuries sustained during her dance career.

Personal life

In 1974, Ashley married Kibbe Fitzpatrick, a

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Linguis ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashley, Merrill 1950 births Living people People from Saint Paul, Minnesota People from Rutland (city), Vermont American ballerinas New York City Ballet principal dancers School of American Ballet alumni Balanchine Trust repetiteurs Prima ballerinas 20th-century American ballet dancers Dancers from Minnesota Dancers from Vermont