Christopher d'Amboise (born 1960) is an American danseur,

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

, writer, and theatre director. Born and raised in New York City, the son of dancers Jacques d'Amboise and

Carolyn George Carolyn George (September 6, 1927 – February 10, 2009) was an American ballerina, photographer, and dance instructor. Life and career Born in Dallas, Texas, George was descended from some of the first settlers in Waco, Texas. She studied a ...

, d'Amboise became a principal dancer in the New York City Ballet, where he worked closely 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 Jerome Robbins, dancing all the major roles as well as originating several new works. He quit the company in 1983 to pursue other interests, including the Broadway production of '' Song and Dance'', which earned him a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for a role in which he only danced. From 1990-94, d'Amboise was the Artistic Director, President, and CEO of the Pennsylvania Ballet, where he presented classic repertoire as well as introduced new works by contemporary choreographers. As a choreographer, d'Amboise has created more than fifty ballets for numerous international companies, including those in San Francisco, Amsterdam, and Flanders. For the

musical theatre Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

, he has choreographed productions of '' High Society'' and the rock musical '' William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet'', a project conceived by his brother-in-law, Terrence Mann. Television credits include two appearances on 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 ...

'', ''Live from Studio 8H'', and the

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

-winning documentary ''He Makes Me Feel Like Dancing''. In 2007, d'Amboise wrote, directed, and choreographed ''The Studio'', a "play with dance" about a Manhattan-based choreographer with a public image larger than life, for South Coast Repertory. Currently, d'Amboise teaches dance at

George Mason University George Mason University (George Mason, Mason, or GMU) is a public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia with an independent City of Fairfax, Virginia postal address in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Area. The university was origin ...

and has been teaching unique curricula for aspiring professional dancers and choreographers, including Moving Story and other master's level classes. Conceived by d'Amboise prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, d'Amboise and the university launched the LIVE Center (also known as The Center for Live Interactive Virtual Education) in late 2020, during the height of the US COVID-19 resurgence, further uniting location-disparate and socially-distanced dancers and masters. Chris married a fellow dancer, Kelly Crandall, in late summer of 2008. His sister Charlotte d'Amboise is also a professional dancer.

References

*''Leap Year: A Year in the Life of a Dancer'' by Christopher D'Amboise, published by Doubleday, 1982

External links

* * *
''The Studio''
at South Coast Repertory {{DEFAULTSORT:Amboise, Christopher D American male ballet dancers American choreographers Ballet choreographers American theatre directors 1960 births Living people New York City Ballet principal dancers New York City Ballet Diamond Project choreographers Christopher d'Amboise Choreographers of New York City Ballet Christopher d'Amboise American people of Irish descent American people of French-Canadian descent Collegiate School (New York) alumni