Patricia McBride (born August 23, 1942 in

Teaneck, New Jersey Teaneck () is a township in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 39,776, reflecting an increase of 516 (+1.3%) f ...

) is a ballerina who spent nearly 30 years dancing 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 ...

. McBride joined the New York City Ballet in 1959. She became a principal in 1961, becoming the company's youngest principal. She danced with the company for 30 years, including roles created for her by choreographers George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins.

New York City Ballet career

In the 30 years she spent dancing with the company she had numerous roles created for her by

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 ...

such as: Hermia in ''A Midsummer Night's Dream''; Tarantella; Colombine in ''Harlequinade''; the ballerina role in the Intermezzo of the ''Brahms–Schoenberg Quartet''; ''Rubies''; '' Who Cares?'' ("The Man I Love" pas de deux and "Fascinatin' Rhythm" solo); Divertimento from '' Le Baiser de la Fée''; Swanilda in ''

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-Étie ...

''; ''Pavane''; the paper ballerina in ''The Steadfast Tin Soldier''; the Pearly Queen in ''Union Jack'' and the "Voices of Spring" section of ''Vienna Waltzes''.

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 ...

created roles for McBride in ''Dances at a Gathering'' (pink), ''In the Night'' (third nocturne), ''The Goldberg Variations'', ''The Four Seasons'' (fall) and '' Opus 19/The Dreamer'', among other ballets. In 1979, she danced in '' Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme'', a ballet based on the 1670 play by

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

. Her role was minor, and danced well, in contrast to that of

Rudolf Nureyev Rudolf Khametovich Nureyev ( ; Tatar/ Bashkir: Рудольф Хәмит улы Нуриев; rus, Рудо́льф Хаме́тович Нуре́ев, p=rʊˈdolʲf xɐˈmʲetəvʲɪtɕ nʊˈrʲejɪf; 17 March 19386 January 1993) was a Soviet ...

and Jean‐Pierre Bonnefoux. The dance had been first choreographed by Balanchine, then picked up by Jerome Robbins. McBride was featured in the documentary film ''

A Portrait of Giselle ''A Portrait of Giselle'' is a 1982 documentary film, produced by Joseph Wishy and directed by Muriel Balash. It features Patricia McBride and Anton Dolin along with famous ballerinas who danced the role of Giselle in the past. It was nom ...

''.

Honors

McBride was honored with a special performance of the City Ballet on June 4, 1989 at the

New York State Theater The David H. Koch Theater is a theater for ballet, modern and other forms of dance, part of the Lincoln Center, at the intersection of Columbus Avenue and 63rd Street in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. Original ...

at New York City's Lincoln Center on her retirement. McBride was recognized on December 7, 2014, as a

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 ...

recipient.

Charlotte Ballet

McBride is the Associate Artistic Director and Master Teacher of Charlotte Ballet.

Personal life

She, her husband

Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux (born 9 April 1943, in Bourg en Bresse, France) is a French ballet dancer and instructor. He is the former artistic director of the Charlotte Ballet and the Chautauqua Institution. At 14, Bonnefoux joined the Paris Opera ...

, also a dancer and teacher of dance, and two children reside in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most popu ...

References

External links

Ballerina's award-winning, groundbreaking career
''CBS This Morning'' {{DEFAULTSORT:McBride, Patricia Living people American ballerinas People from Teaneck, New Jersey New York City Ballet principal dancers 1942 births Prima ballerinas School of American Ballet alumni Dance in North Carolina Kennedy Center honorees