Jacques d'Amboise (dancer)
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Jacques d'Amboise (born Joseph Jacques Ahearn, July 28, 1934 – May 2, 2021) was an American ballet dancer, choreographer, actor, and educator. He 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 1949 and was named principal dancer in 1953, and throughout his time with the company he danced 24 roles for
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 ...
. He also made film appearances, including ''
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers ''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' is a 1954 American musical film, directed by Stanley Donen, with music by Gene de Paul, lyrics by Johnny Mercer, and choreography by Michael Kidd. The screenplay, by Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich, and Do ...
'' and ''
Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...
''. He choreographed 17 ballets for the New York City Ballet and retired from performing in 1984. D'Amboise founded the
National Dance Institute National Dance Institute (NDI) was founded in 1976 by New York City Ballet principal dancer Jacques d'Amboise. NDI works with mainstream, bilingual, and special education classes. NDI classes are taught by professional artists, who work with 6,50 ...
in 1976 to promote dance to children. His work with the institute was featured in the documentary, ''
He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' ''He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' ''is a 1983 American documentary film directed by Emile Ardolino. Summary Jacques d'Amboise, a noted former American ballet star who had dancing roles in such films as ''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' and '' Ca ...
'', which won an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
and a
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
. He received the
MacArthur Fellowship The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and commonly but unofficially known as the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the MacArthur Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation typically to ...
in 1990, the
Kennedy Center Honors The Kennedy Center Honors are annual honors given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture. They have been presented annually since 1978, culminating each December in a gala celebrating five hono ...
in 1995, and the
National Medal of Arts The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and Patronage, patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and ar ...
in 1998.


Early life and training

Joseph Jacques Ahearn was born on July 28, 1934, in
Dedham, Massachusetts Dedham ( ) is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 25,364 at the 2020 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest b ...
, to an
Irish American , image = Irish ancestry in the USA 2018; Where Irish eyes are Smiling.png , image_caption = Irish Americans, % of population by state , caption = Notable Irish Americans , population = 36,115,472 (10.9%) alone ...
father, Andrew Ahearn, and a mother of
French Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...
descent, Georgette D'Amboise. He was one of four children. His father worked as a personal telegraph operator to
Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. Joseph Patrick Kennedy (September 6, 1888 – November 18, 1969) was an American businessman, investor, and politician. He is known for his own political prominence as well as that of his children and was the patriarch of the Irish-American Ke ...
The family later moved to
Washington Heights, Manhattan Washington Heights is a neighborhood in the uppermost part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is named for Fort Washington, a fortification constructed at the highest natural point on Manhattan by Continental Army troops to defen ...
,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
. His father became an elevator operator at the Columbia Presbyterian Hospital. At age seven, d'Amboise was sent to his sister's ballet class, and within six months he entered
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 ...
's
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 ...
. In 1946 his mother managed to convince the family to change their surname from Ahearn to hers, d'Amboise, as "it's aristocratic, it's French...and it's a better name". Thus his name was legally changed to Joseph Jacques d'Amboise. The same year he started performing child roles with
Ballet Society Ballet Society is a non-profit educational institution founded in 1946 by Lincoln Kirstein and George Balanchine. At its founding, Balanchine was the Artistic Director and Kirstein served as the Secretary. The president of Ballet Society is Nanc ...
. He left high school at age fifteen when he 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' ...
.


Career

In 1949, 15-year-old d'Amboise was recruited to the New York City Ballet. Soon he was cast in lead roles, including the lead in
Lew Christensen Lewellyn Farr Christensen (May 6, 1909 – October 9, 1984) was a ballet dancer, choreographer and director for many companies. He was largely associated with George Balanchine and the San Francisco Ballet, which he directed from 1952–1984. ...
's ''Filling Station''. In 1953 he was promoted to principal dancer. Balanchine created 24 roles for him, including ''
Western Symphony ''Western Symphony'' is a ballet made by New York City Ballet co-founder and founding choreographer George Balanchine to American folk tunes arranged by Hershy Kay. It premiered on September 7, 1954 at the City Center of Music and Drama in New ...
'' (1954), '' Stars and Stripes'' (1958), '' Episodes'' (1959), ''
Movements for Piano and Orchestra ''Movements'' is a sequence of five pieces for piano and orchestra by Igor Stravinsky lasting under ten minutes altogether. It was written during his Serial period and shows his dedication to that idiom as well as the influence of Anton Webern. ...
'' (1963), ''
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'' (1967), ''
Who Cares Who Cares or Who Cares? may refer to: * "Who Cares?" (George and Ira Gershwin song) (1931) * "Who Cares?" (Gnarls Barkley song) (2006) * "Who Cares" (Paul McCartney song) (2018) * ''Who Cares?'' (ballet), a 1970 ballet by George Balanchine made ...
'' (1970), ''
Robert Schumann's Davidsbündlertänze ''Robert Schumann’s “Davidsbündlertänze”'' is one of the last major works made by New York City Ballet's founding choreographer and balletmaster-in-chief, George Balanchine. It is set to Robert Schumann's ''Davidsbündlertänze'' (''Dance ...
'' (1980), as well the New York City Ballet 1957 revival of Balanchine's ''
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= ...
'', in which d'Amboise danced the titular role. He also choreographed 17 ballets for the company. Outside of the New York City Ballet, d'Amboise had also appeared in films. In 1954 he played Ephraim in
Stanley Donen Stanley Donen ( ; April 13, 1924 – February 21, 2019) was an American film director and choreographer whose most celebrated works are '' On the Town,'' (1949) and ''Singin' in the Rain'' (1952), both of which he co-directed with Gene Kell ...
's film, ''
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers ''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' is a 1954 American musical film, directed by Stanley Donen, with music by Gene de Paul, lyrics by Johnny Mercer, and choreography by Michael Kidd. The screenplay, by Albert Hackett, Frances Goodrich, and Do ...
'', after Donen spotted d'Amboise in a performance of ''Filling Station''. In 1956 he appeared in two films, ''
Carousel A carousel or carrousel (mainly North American English), merry-go-round (List of sovereign states, international), roundabout (British English), or hurdy-gurdy (an old term in Australian English, in South Australia, SA) is a type of amusement ...
'' as Starlight Carnival barker and ''
The Best Things in Life Are Free "The Best Things in Life Are Free" is a duet between American singers Luther Vandross and Janet Jackson, recorded for the Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis-produced soundtrack to the 1992 American film '' Mo' Money'', starring Damon Wayans. The song was ...
''. In 1957 he performed in the Broadway musical, '' Shinbone Alley''. In 1976 he founded the
National Dance Institute National Dance Institute (NDI) was founded in 1976 by New York City Ballet principal dancer Jacques d'Amboise. NDI works with mainstream, bilingual, and special education classes. NDI classes are taught by professional artists, who work with 6,50 ...
to promote dance to children. At first the group only had 30 boys. As of 2021 the program had reached 2 million children. In 1978 he was named dean of dance at
State University of New York at Purchase The State University of New York at Purchase (commonly Purchase College or SUNY Purchase) is a public liberal arts college in Purchase, New York. It is one of 13 comprehensive colleges in the State University of New York (SUNY) system. It was fo ...
. D'Amboise was the subject of
Emile Ardolino Emile Ardolino (May 9, 1943 – November 20, 1993) was an American television and film director and producer, best known for his work on the films '' Dirty Dancing'' (1987) and ''Sister Act'' (1992). He has won an Academy Award for Best Document ...
's documentary, ''
He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' ''He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin' ''is a 1983 American documentary film directed by Emile Ardolino. Summary Jacques d'Amboise, a noted former American ballet star who had dancing roles in such films as ''Seven Brides for Seven Brothers'' and '' Ca ...
'', which followed his works with the National Dance Institute. The film won the
Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...
in 1983 and the
Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Children's Program was presented to television programming aimed towards children in any format. Series, specials and non-fiction programming were all eligible for the award. Prior to 1974, both daytime an ...
in 1984. He retired from the New York City Ballet in 1984, shortly before he turned 50. He later stated he decided to retire as there were few roles he could dance at that age. He then shifted his focus to the National Dance Institute. In 1986 he appeared in the Disney film, '' Off Beat'', with his character teaching dance to
New York City police The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the New York City, City of New York, the largest and one of ...
. In 1994, he co-founded the National Dance Institute New Mexico (NDI New Mexico) with Catherine Oppenheimer.


Awards and honors

Honors d'Amboise received include the
MacArthur Fellowship The MacArthur Fellows Program, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship and commonly but unofficially known as the "Genius Grant", is a prize awarded annually by the MacArthur Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation typically to ...
in 1990, the
Kennedy Center Honors The Kennedy Center Honors are annual honors given to those in the performing arts for their lifetime of contributions to American culture. They have been presented annually since 1978, culminating each December in a gala celebrating five hono ...
in 1995, the
National Medal of Arts The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the United States Congress in 1984, for the purpose of honoring artists and Patronage, patrons of the arts. A prestigious American honor, it is the highest honor given to artists and ar ...
in 1998, and the
Fred and Adele Astaire Awards The Chita Rivera Awards for Dance and Choreography (previously titled the Fred and Adele Astaire Awards) celebrate outstanding dance and choreography in theatre, both on Broadway and Off-Broadway and in film at an annual ceremony in New York City ...
in 2011. He also received the
Heinz Award The Heinz Awards are individual achievement honors given annually by the Heinz Family Foundation. The Heinz Awards each year recognize outstanding individuals for their innovative contributions in three areas: the Arts, the Economy and the Enviro ...
, the New York Governor’s Award, and honorary doctorate degrees from
Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...
and
Montclair State University Montclair State University (MSU) is a Public university, public research university in Montclair, New Jersey, with parts of the campus extending into Little Falls, New Jersey, Little Falls. As of fall 2018, Montclair State was, by enrollment, ...
.


Personal life

In 1956 d'Amboise married Carolyn George, a New York City Ballet dancer and later a photographer. They had four children, including
Christopher Christopher is the English language, English version of a Europe-wide name derived from the Greek language, Greek name Χριστόφορος (''Christophoros'' or ''Christoforos''). The constituent parts are Χριστός (''Christós''), "Jesus ...
, a dancer and choreographer, and
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, also a dancer and actress. Carolyn George died in 2009.


Death

D'Amboise died at his home in Manhattan on May 2, 2021, following complications from a stroke at the age of 86.


References


External links

*
National Dance Institute National Dance Institute (NDI) was founded in 1976 by New York City Ballet principal dancer Jacques d'Amboise. NDI works with mainstream, bilingual, and special education classes. NDI classes are taught by professional artists, who work with 6,50 ...
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:D'Amboise, Jacques 1934 births 2021 deaths American choreographers American male ballet dancers American male dancers American people of French-Canadian descent American people of Irish descent Artists from Dedham, Massachusetts Ballet teachers Dance teachers Dancers from Massachusetts Dancers from New York (state) Jacques d'Amboise Kennedy Center honorees MacArthur Fellows New York City Ballet principal dancers People from Washington Heights, Manhattan School of American Ballet alumni United States National Medal of Arts recipients