Verdy
 “Violette is truly a ‘living treasure,’ one of the greatest ballerinas from an era of great dancers and choreographers whose teaching now transmits her skill, her art and her impeccable style to new generations of young dancers.” — Gwyn Richards, dean, School of Music, IU Bloomington |
Distinguished Professor
Violette Verdy was one of the premier ballet dancers of the
20th century and has dedicated her post-performance life to
training future generations of dancers. Her remarkable achievements
as a dancer, teacher and administrator in several of the world’s
foremost dance companies and ballet schools have garnered
her international acclaim.
Born in Pont-L’Abbe, France, Verdy began her dancing career in 1945 as a soloist with Roland Petit’s Ballets des Champs Elysée (later called Les Ballets de Paris). She toured the United States for the first time in 1953 and, five years later, was invited by Lincoln Kirstein and George Balanchine to join the New York City Ballet as principal dancer, a position she held for 18 years until her retirement from the stage in 1976.
While at the New York City Ballet, Verdy danced more than 25 principal roles. Balanchine, the legendary choreographer and director, created many roles especially for her, including roles in such ballets as Liebeslieder Waltzer, Episodes, Jewels, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux and Sonatina. Distinguished American choreographer Jerome Robbins also created roles for her in Dances at a Gathering and In the Night, among other works.
Verdy has received a dizzying array of honors, including three honorary doctorates and numerous awards, including the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres, conferred by the president of France. President and Mrs. Gerald Ford invited her to dance at the White House in 1976. Brittany, France honored her in 1992 by naming its new theater auditorium in her honor. In 2003, she received the Artistic Achievement Award of the School of American Ballet in New York City.
Upon her retirement, Verdy undertook a new career as an administrator and teacher. In 1977, she was the first woman to be appointed artistic dancer of the Paris Opera Ballet. She held the position until 1980, when she was invited to be co-artistic director of the Boston Ballet. In 1984, she began an active teaching career with the New York City Ballet, an association that has continued beyond her appointment to the IU faculty in 1996.
In a letter published as a preface to Victoria Huckenpahler’s 1978 biography of Verdy, the legendary Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev wrote, “To me she illustrated all the finest qualities of the Kirov school in which I had been trained.”
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