Roman Mejia (born ) is an American ballet dancer. He joined the New York City Ballet in 2017, and was promoted to principal dancer in 2023.
Early life and education
Mejia was born in Fort Worth, Texas. Both of his parents were ballet dancers. His father Paul Mejia, who is Peruvian, was a dancer at the New York City Ballet (NYCB) during the 1960s.
Mejia began dancing at age three at the Metropolitan Classical Ballet, where his father was a co-artistic director. At age twelve, he became interested in attending 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 ...
(SAB), NYCB's school, therefore his parents began training him and his sister in the
Balanchine technique
Balanchine technique or Balanchine method is the ballet performance style invented by dancer, choreographer, and teacher George Balanchine (1904–1983), and a trademark of the George Balanchine Foundation. It is used widely today in many of Bala ...
. In 2014, the 14-year-old Mejia was accepted into SAB's summer program. He returned the following summer, then was accepted into the school full-time. He graduated in 2017.
Career
In August 2017, Mejia performed at the Vail Dance Festival in Vail, Colorado, in Balanchine's '' Tarantella'', opposite NYCB principal dancer
Lauren Lovette
Lauren Lovette (born November 10, 1991) is an American ballet dancer and choreographer who was previously a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet.
Early life and education
Lovette was born in Thousand Oaks, California, and started her ...
, and in the world premiere of Matthew Neenan's ''Farewell''. The opportunity came about when the festival's director
Damian Woetzel
Damian Woetzel (born May 17, 1967) is an American choreographer.
Woetzel was a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, where he performed from 1985 until 2008. He also frequently performed with companies like the Kirov Ballet and America ...
asked NYCB principal dancer Tiler Peck about new talents, and she had spotted him at SAB. Mejia began his apprenticeship at NYCB later that month, and joined the company as a member of the corps de ballet three months later. He soon took on featured roles, including in Balanchine's '' Allegro Brillante'', ''
A Midsummer Night's Dream
''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' is a comedy written by William Shakespeare 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict amon ...
'' (as Puck), '' The Nutcracker'' (as Candy Cane), and ''
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 Y ...
The Runaway
Runaway, Runaways or Run Away may refer to:
Engineering
* Runaway reaction, a chemical reaction releasing more heat than what can be removed and becoming uncontrollable
* Thermal runaway, self-increase of the reaction rate of an exothermic proce ...
'', Alexei Ratmansky's ''Voices'', Edwaard Liang's ''Lineage'', and Gianna Reisen's ''Composer's Holiday''.
Mejia also returned to Vail each summer, where he danced Ratmansky's ''Fandango'', which was originally choreographed for a woman, and originated roles for Tiler Peck and Alonzo King. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he worked with choreographer William Forsythe and dancers Peck,
Brooklyn Mack
Brooklyn Devon Mack is an American ballet dancer. He is currently a freelance dancer and previously at The Washington Ballet.
Early life
Mack was born in Elgin, Kershaw County, South Carolina, and is the youngest of four children. When the nurse ...
and Lex Ishimoto on ''The Barre Project (Blake Works II)''. The performance was filmed in an empty theatre and released online in 2021.
In October 2021, soon after NYCB resumed performing after the pandemic, Mejia was named soloist. He took on more featured roles, including in Balanchine's "Rubies" from '' Jewels'', ''A Midsummer Night's Dream'' (as Oberon), ''The Nutcracker'' (as the Cavalier), Robbins' ''
Piano Pieces
''Piano Pieces'' is a ballet choreographed by Jerome Robbins to music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The ballet was made for New York City Ballet's Tchaikovsky Festival, and premiered on June 11, 1981, at the New York State Theater.
Choreography
...
'', and Martins' '' The Sleeping Beauty'' (as Bluebird and Gold). He originated roles in Justin Peck's ''Partita'' and Silas Farley's ''Architects of Time''.
Outside of the New York City Ballet, in 2021, he appeared in Twyla Tharp's ''Twyla Now'' program at the New York City Center, dancing in ''Cornbread'' and ''All In''. In 2022, he appeared in Tiler Peck's program at the City Center, dancing in King's ''Swift Arrow'' and Forsythe's ''The Barre Project (Blake Works II)''. He was also an artist in residence at the 2022 Vail Dance Festival.
In February 2023, Mejia was promoted to principal dancer at NYCB.