John Clifford (choreographer)
Encyclopedia
John Clifford, is best known as the creator of “Casablanca, The Dance,” produced by Warner Bros. Theatre Ventures, Inc. and his Los Angeles Dance Theater, and founder / artistic director of the original Los Angeles Ballet
(1974–1985), and the chamber sized touring ensemble, Ballet of Los Angeles (1988–1991). Before that time, however, Clifford was a world-renowned principal dancer and choreographer with George Balanchine
’s New York City Ballet
, (1966–1974) and guest artist from 1974–1981, and was widely considered to be Balanchine’s protégé (Saturday Review).
Trained in Los Angeles by the legendary teachers Carmelita Maracci, David Lichine, Eugene Loring, Maria Bekefi, and Irina Kosmovska, his first ballet appearance was at the age of eleven as the “Nutcracker Prince” in Balanchine’s New York City Ballet production of “The Nutcracker
” at the Greek Theater. Other early performances were as a regularly featured dancer on the Danny Kaye and Dinah Shore television shows. He also was a child actor often seen on the Donna Reed Show and Death Valley Days
(hosted by Ronald Reagan). His first major choreography, at age 16, was for a production of West Side Story
(conducted by Leonard Slatkin) for the Los Angeles Youth Theater. His other Los Angeles choreography was for an early attempt at the establishment of a resident ballet for Los Angeles, the “Western Ballet Association.” Clifford was a principal dancer and choreographer for this company, which was founded in 1965 by Balanchine under the name of “Ballet of Los Angeles.” The name was changed when Eugene Loring followed Balanchine as director of this short-lived company, but this is where Balanchine first became aware of Clifford’s choreography (he created two original ballets in the summer of 1966). After seeing rehearsals of these ballets Balanchine invited Clifford to New York to begin choreographing for his School of American Ballet.
In October of the same year, at the age of 19, he was invited to join the New York City Ballet
(NYCB). He choreographed his first of eight ballets for that company at the age of twenty, thus making him the second youngest resident choreographer in history attached to a major company, the first being George Balanchine himself, who was the same age when he choreographed his first ballet for “Les Ballets Russes” of Serge Diaghilev. At NYCB Clifford quickly rose to principal dancer status and had numerous principal roles created for him by Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, John Taras, Todd Bolender, and Jacques d’Amboise, and danced the leading roles in over 45 ballets. Before he founded the Los Angeles Ballet, Clifford was the first American male guest artist in history to dance with the Paris Opera Ballet. He was also a popular guest star on numerous European galas, dancing on the same programs as the legendary Russian dancers Yuri Soloviev and Irina Kopalkova to name but two great artists. During these early years, he was also commissioned to choreograph new ballets by the San Francisco Ballet, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Deutsche Oper Ballet (Berlin), and was also invited by this same company, at the age of twenty-five, to become their artistic director. He felt he was too young at that time, and did not want to leave Balanchine’s tutelage, or the New York City Ballet, so he declined their offer.
Established in 1974 under his direction, the Los Angeles Ballet went on to perform five critically successful U.S. National tours, including New York City (twice at Lincoln Center with the New York Philharmonic, and at the Joyce Theater and the Brooklyn Academy of Music); dance in the Far East, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Canada, and appear in numerous films and television programs.
This company also appeared twice at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and at the Greek Theater, the Los Angeles Music Center, Ambassador Auditorium, the Shrine Auditorium, the Pantages Theater, and virtually every theater and University of note in Southern California. They also renovated the John Anson Ford Theater thus transforming it into a major dance venue. The company performed approximately 100 times annually in the Los Angeles area, as well as offering free performances to over 150,000 local school children. This company also supported the largest ballet school in Southern California, the Los Angeles Dance Center, which supplied numerous dancers to not only the Los Angeles Ballet, but also to the NYC Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Zurich Ballet, and American Ballet Theater.
As a free-lance choreographer Clifford has created ballets for Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, (4) Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires, (4) Deutsche Oper Ballet, Berlin, (2) Zurich Ballet, (2) Maggio Danza, (Florence, Italy) and has staged his works for the Ballet du Nord, France, (4) the Rome Opera Ballet, (2) and Ballet British Columbia. In America, in addition to his eight works for the New York City Ballet, his ballets have been commissioned by the San Francisco Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet (Seattle), Dallas Ballet, Santa Fe Festival Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theater, Atlanta Ballet, Chicago Ballet, Oakland Ballet, and the Sacramento Ballet.
Clifford is also a Ballet Master/Repetiteur for the George Balanchine Trust. In that capacity he has staged the master choreographer’s ballets for: The Bolshoi Ballet, (3) The Paris Opera Ballet, (10) The Kirov Ballet, (2) The Royal Ballet, (2) Ballet of La Scala, (3) Rome Opera Ballet, (2) Ballet di Opera San Carlo, (Naples, Italy) Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, (4) Deutsche Oper Ballet and Staats Oper Ballet, (Berlin) The Universal Ballet, and the National Ballet (Korea) The Zurich Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, (Montreal) Ballet Belles Artes, (Mexico City) National Ballet Theresa Carreneo, (Caracas, Venezuela) and virtually every major American company. Clifford has also been a most popular guest teacher for all of these companies teaching classes to Rudolph Nureyev, Sylvie Guillem, and virtually all the great dancers of the late 20th and early 21st century.
Clifford was the artistic director of Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute Video/Choreographer Program and produced “The Art of the Pas De Deux,” a video distributed by VIA (Video Arts International).
Currently, Clifford is overseeing the international tour of his “Casablanca, The Dance,” which received its world premiere at, “The Great Hall of the People,” in Beijing, China.
Los Angeles Ballet
The Los Angeles Ballet, located in Los Angeles, California was founded in 2006.It is led by the husband and wife team of Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary, who serve as artistic directors. Christensen danced with the Royal Danish Ballet, and he and Neary both performed with the New York City...
(1974–1985), and the chamber sized touring ensemble, Ballet of Los Angeles (1988–1991). Before that time, however, Clifford was a world-renowned principal dancer and choreographer with George Balanchine
George Balanchine
George Balanchine , born Giorgi Balanchivadze in Saint Petersburg, Russia, to a Georgian father and a Russian mother, was one of the 20th century's most famous choreographers, a developer of ballet in the United States, co-founder and balletmaster of New York City Ballet...
’s New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company...
, (1966–1974) and guest artist from 1974–1981, and was widely considered to be Balanchine’s protégé (Saturday Review).
Trained in Los Angeles by the legendary teachers Carmelita Maracci, David Lichine, Eugene Loring, Maria Bekefi, and Irina Kosmovska, his first ballet appearance was at the age of eleven as the “Nutcracker Prince” in Balanchine’s New York City Ballet production of “The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker
The Nutcracker is a two-act ballet, originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The libretto is adapted from E.T.A. Hoffmann's story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King". It was given its première at the Mariinsky Theatre in St...
” at the Greek Theater. Other early performances were as a regularly featured dancer on the Danny Kaye and Dinah Shore television shows. He also was a child actor often seen on the Donna Reed Show and Death Valley Days
Death Valley Days
Death Valley Days is an American radio and television anthology series featuring true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was broadcast on radio until 1945. It continued from 1952 to 1975 as a syndicated television series...
(hosted by Ronald Reagan). His first major choreography, at age 16, was for a production of West Side Story
West Side Story
West Side Story is an American musical with a script by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and choreographed by Jerome Robbins...
(conducted by Leonard Slatkin) for the Los Angeles Youth Theater. His other Los Angeles choreography was for an early attempt at the establishment of a resident ballet for Los Angeles, the “Western Ballet Association.” Clifford was a principal dancer and choreographer for this company, which was founded in 1965 by Balanchine under the name of “Ballet of Los Angeles.” The name was changed when Eugene Loring followed Balanchine as director of this short-lived company, but this is where Balanchine first became aware of Clifford’s choreography (he created two original ballets in the summer of 1966). After seeing rehearsals of these ballets Balanchine invited Clifford to New York to begin choreographing for his School of American Ballet.
In October of the same year, at the age of 19, he was invited to join the New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet
New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Leon Barzin was the company's first music director. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company...
(NYCB). He choreographed his first of eight ballets for that company at the age of twenty, thus making him the second youngest resident choreographer in history attached to a major company, the first being George Balanchine himself, who was the same age when he choreographed his first ballet for “Les Ballets Russes” of Serge Diaghilev. At NYCB Clifford quickly rose to principal dancer status and had numerous principal roles created for him by Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, John Taras, Todd Bolender, and Jacques d’Amboise, and danced the leading roles in over 45 ballets. Before he founded the Los Angeles Ballet, Clifford was the first American male guest artist in history to dance with the Paris Opera Ballet. He was also a popular guest star on numerous European galas, dancing on the same programs as the legendary Russian dancers Yuri Soloviev and Irina Kopalkova to name but two great artists. During these early years, he was also commissioned to choreograph new ballets by the San Francisco Ballet, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Deutsche Oper Ballet (Berlin), and was also invited by this same company, at the age of twenty-five, to become their artistic director. He felt he was too young at that time, and did not want to leave Balanchine’s tutelage, or the New York City Ballet, so he declined their offer.
Established in 1974 under his direction, the Los Angeles Ballet went on to perform five critically successful U.S. National tours, including New York City (twice at Lincoln Center with the New York Philharmonic, and at the Joyce Theater and the Brooklyn Academy of Music); dance in the Far East, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Canada, and appear in numerous films and television programs.
This company also appeared twice at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and at the Greek Theater, the Los Angeles Music Center, Ambassador Auditorium, the Shrine Auditorium, the Pantages Theater, and virtually every theater and University of note in Southern California. They also renovated the John Anson Ford Theater thus transforming it into a major dance venue. The company performed approximately 100 times annually in the Los Angeles area, as well as offering free performances to over 150,000 local school children. This company also supported the largest ballet school in Southern California, the Los Angeles Dance Center, which supplied numerous dancers to not only the Los Angeles Ballet, but also to the NYC Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Zurich Ballet, and American Ballet Theater.
As a free-lance choreographer Clifford has created ballets for Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, (4) Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires, (4) Deutsche Oper Ballet, Berlin, (2) Zurich Ballet, (2) Maggio Danza, (Florence, Italy) and has staged his works for the Ballet du Nord, France, (4) the Rome Opera Ballet, (2) and Ballet British Columbia. In America, in addition to his eight works for the New York City Ballet, his ballets have been commissioned by the San Francisco Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet (Seattle), Dallas Ballet, Santa Fe Festival Ballet, North Carolina Dance Theater, Atlanta Ballet, Chicago Ballet, Oakland Ballet, and the Sacramento Ballet.
Clifford is also a Ballet Master/Repetiteur for the George Balanchine Trust. In that capacity he has staged the master choreographer’s ballets for: The Bolshoi Ballet, (3) The Paris Opera Ballet, (10) The Kirov Ballet, (2) The Royal Ballet, (2) Ballet of La Scala, (3) Rome Opera Ballet, (2) Ballet di Opera San Carlo, (Naples, Italy) Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, (4) Deutsche Oper Ballet and Staats Oper Ballet, (Berlin) The Universal Ballet, and the National Ballet (Korea) The Zurich Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, (Montreal) Ballet Belles Artes, (Mexico City) National Ballet Theresa Carreneo, (Caracas, Venezuela) and virtually every major American company. Clifford has also been a most popular guest teacher for all of these companies teaching classes to Rudolph Nureyev, Sylvie Guillem, and virtually all the great dancers of the late 20th and early 21st century.
Clifford was the artistic director of Robert Redford’s Sundance Institute Video/Choreographer Program and produced “The Art of the Pas De Deux,” a video distributed by VIA (Video Arts International).
Currently, Clifford is overseeing the international tour of his “Casablanca, The Dance,” which received its world premiere at, “The Great Hall of the People,” in Beijing, China.