Maria Kowroski is an American

ballet dancer A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on yea ...

. She is a principal dancer at 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

Kowroski was born in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...

. She started ballet at the age of five. In 1992, 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 ...

in New York City.

Career

In 1994, at the age of 17, Kowroski entered the

as an apprentice, and became a member of the corps de ballet a year later. She was promoted to soloist in 1997 and principal dancer in 1999. She has danced classical productions such as ''

Swan Lake ''Swan Lake'' ( rus, Лебеди́ное о́зеро, r=Lebedínoye ózero, p=lʲɪbʲɪˈdʲinəjə ˈozʲɪrə, link=no ), Op. 20, is a ballet composed by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky in 1875–76. Despite its initial failur ...

'',

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 works including ''

Tchaikovsky 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 Owe ...

'' and ''

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 Tchaiko ...

'', and originated roles such as Christopher Wheeldon's '' After the Rain''. Before her retirement she was the company's most senior dancer, and the only remaining dancer to have worked with founding choreographer

Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...

. Kowroski had danced with

Mariinsky Ballet The Mariinsky Ballet (russian: Балет Мариинского театра) is the resident classical ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russ ...

and Munich Ballet as guest artist. She also performed in Dance Against Cancer's 2019 concert. Also in 2019, Kowroski and fellow principal dancer

Tyler Angle This is a list of New York City Ballet dancers. Principal dancers Soloists This is a list of New York City Ballet soloists. Corps de ballet The following is a list of the current members of the corps de ballet. * Victor Abreu * Devin Albe ...

staged '' Agon'' for the School of American Ballet's showcase. Kowroski served as motion capture dancer of

Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll manufactured by American toy company Mattel, Inc. and launched on March 9, 1959. American businesswoman Ruth Handler is credited with the creation of the doll using a German doll called Bild Lilli as her inspiration. ...

for ''

Barbie in the Nutcracker ''Barbie in the Nutcracker'' is a 2001 computer-animated fantasy film directed by Owen Hurley and written Linda Engelsiepen and Hilary Hinkle from a screenplay by Rob Hudnut. Featuring the voice of Kelly Sheridan as Barbie, it marked the firs ...

'', ''

Barbie of Swan Lake ''Barbie of Swan Lake'' is a 2003 computer-animated fantasy film directed by Owen Hurley. It was released to video and DVD on September 30, 2003, and made its television premiere on Nickelodeon on November 16, 2003. Based on the Tchaikovsky ball ...

'' and ''

Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses ''Barbie in the 12 Dancing Princesses'' is a 2006 computer-animated dance film. It first premiered on Nickelodeon on September 10, 2006, and it was later released to DVD on September 19. The film was directed by Greg Richardson and loosely based ...

''. She also appeared in a documentary regarding the latter. She retired in October 2021 and became the acting artistic director of the

New Jersey Ballet The New Jersey Ballet is a ballet company based in Livingston, New Jersey in the United States, founded in 1958 by native New Jerseyan Carolyn Clark and her fellow dancer, George Tomal. History Carolyn Clark's mother established New Jersey Sch ...

Selected repertoire

Kowroski's repertoire with the New York City Ballet includes:

Personal life

Kowroski is married to actor and former

Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...

dancer Martin Harvey. They have a son, born in 2016. Kowroski's mother died due to cancer.

Filmography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kowroski, Maria 1976 births Living people Prima ballerinas American ballerinas New York City Ballet principal dancers Princess Grace Awards winners School of American Ballet alumni People from Grand Rapids, Michigan Dancers from Michigan 21st-century American ballet dancers Morphoses dancers 21st-century American women