Stanley Williams (1925–1997) was a

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

r and, later, a renowned

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

instructor.

Early days

Stanley Williams was born in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

but grew up in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

, and was enrolled at the Royal Danish School of Ballet. His instruction was steeped in the Bournonville tradition, training with

Harald Lander Harald Alfred Bernhardt Stevnsborg Lander (25 February 1905 – 14 September 1971) was a Danish dancer, choreographer and artistic director of the Royal Danish Ballet. Lander was born in Copenhagen. He started as a dancer, studying under ballet ...

, although he also studied with Vera Volkova, a disciple of Agrippina Vaganova. In 1943, Williams joined the Royal Danish Ballet, becoming a

principal dancer A principal dancer (often shortened to principal) is a dancer at the highest rank within a professional dance company, particularly a ballet company. A principal may be either gender. The position is similar to that of ''Soloist (ballet), solois ...

six years later, and by 1950 he had begun teaching at the Royal Danish School of Ballet in

. In the 1950s, Stanley Williams was performing as a principal dancer with George Krista's Ballet Comique in London, where he also stood as balletmaster. By 1964, Williams's reputation had reached

George Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze;, Romanization of Georgian, : April 30, 1983) was a Georgian-American ballet choreographer, recognized as one of the most influential choreographers ...

, who invited him to instruct at the

School of American Ballet The School of American Ballet (SAB) is the associate school of the New York City Ballet, a ballet company based at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. The school trains students from the age of six, with professional voc ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

New York

From 1964 until his death in 1997, Stanley Williams was first among instructors at the

. As a teacher, he was soft-spoken. His original teaching style relied a lot on exercises to develop speed, foot work and petit allegro (small jumps), in the tradition of the Bournonville and

Balanchine George Balanchine (; Various sources: * * * * born Georgiy Melitonovich Balanchivadze;, : April 30, 1983) was a Georgian-American ballet choreographer, recognized as one of the most influential choreographers of the 20th-century. Sty ...

ballet styles. Williams contrasted slow movement with sudden, almost spastic moves, and spoke in vague terms that some students found hard to understand. One of his famous phrases was "You're going out, you have to go in," which he constantly repeated to correct many different types of movements and steps without being too specific. Williams often stressed his dislike of certain features of the

Russian ballet Russian ballet () () is a form of ballet characteristic of or originating from Russia. Imperial Russian ballet Ballet had already dawned in Russia long before start of the 17th century as per the previous publications by certain authors. In this ...

style, which in his opinion, lacked the movement flow, continuity and contrast he was seeking. He smoked a pipe and was the only person allowed to smoke in the Rose building, where SAB and NYCB are situated. He apparently accepted the job as a teacher on the condition that he be allowed to smoke in the building. The smell of his pipe, which often pervaded the SAB corridors, became associated with him and SAB. He often worked in class with pianists like Lynn STANFORD or Katerina BAPTIST. They played for him using triolet giving an impression of a soft circle music. Katerina BAPTIST released a CD of music for the class "in memory of Stanley Williams". In 1992 he was awarded the Mae L. Wien Award of $10,000 by the

Notable students

Peter Martins Peter Martins (born 27 October 1946) is a Danish former ballet dancer and choreographer. Martins was a principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet and with the New York City Ballet, where he joined George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and J ...

: Patrick Bissell :

Gelsey Kirkland Gelsey Kirkland (born December 29, 1952) is an American prima ballerina. She received early ballet training at the School of American Ballet. Kirkland joined the New York City Ballet in 1968 at age 15, at the invitation of George Balanchine. She ...

: Peter Boal :

Lawrence Leritz Lawrence Leritz (born September 26, 1952) is an American actor, dancer, singer, producer, director, fitness expert and choreographer. Life and career Born in Alton, Illinois, Leritz made his stage debut in the children's chorus of the world stag ...

Fernando Bujones Fernando Bujones (March 9, 1955 – November 10, 2005) was an American dancer. Born in Miami, Florida to Cuban parents, Bujones is regarded as one of the finest male dancers of the 20th century and hailed as one of the greatest American male da ...

Edward Villella Edward Villella (born October 1, 1936) is an American ballet dancer and choreographer. He is frequently cited as America's most celebrated male dancer of ballet at the time. He has won numerous awards, including the Daytime Emmy Award for Out ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Stanley English male ballet dancers Danish male ballet dancers 20th-century Danish ballet dancers British emigrants to Denmark Ballet teachers 1925 births 1997 deaths Mae L. Wien Faculty Award recipients Danish expatriates in the United States 20th-century English educators