John Clifford

John Clifford

New Haven Ballet is excited to announce that Week 1’s Ballet Talk guest speaker is John Clifford.

John Clifford, Artistic Advisor and Choreographer, is best known as founder and artistic director of the original Los Angeles Ballet, and as a principal dancer and choreographer with New York City Ballet. He is widely considered to be Balanchine’s choreographic protégé.

Trained in Los Angeles, John Clifford produced his early work for the Western Ballet Association, where he was a principal dancer and choreographer. After viewing rehearsals of Mr. Clifford’s ballets, George Balanchine invited Clifford to move to New York and choreograph for his School of American Ballet. In 1966, at the age of 19, Clifford joined the New York City Ballet, where he quickly became a principal dancer and resident choreographer. During his tenure there he choreographed numerous ballets and danced leading roles. Mr. Clifford became the first American male guest artist in history to dance with the Paris Opera Ballet.

Mr. Clifford also has a book, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: From Hollywood to Balanchine and Back,” that will coming out soon!