Edward Villella (born October 1, 1936, Bayside, New York) is an American ballet dancer and choreographer, frequently cited as America's most celebrated male dancer. October 1 is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Bayside is the name of a neighborhood in Queens County of New York City, New York in the United States of America. ... The Waltz of the Snowflakes from Tchaikovskys The Nutcracker. ... Choreography (also known as dance composition) is the art of making structures in which movement occurs, the term composition may also refer to the navigation or connection of these movement structures. ...

Villella enrolled in the School of American Ballet at age ten, but then interrupted his studies to complete his college education. He attended the New York Maritime Academy, where he lettered in baseball and was a championship boxer. He graduated with a marine science degree in 1955, and rejoined the School of American Ballet. The School of American Ballet is located in New York City, in Lincoln Center. ... A view of the playing field at Busch Stadium II St. ... Professional boxing bout featuring Ricardo Domínguez (left) versus Rafael Ortíz Boxing, also called Western Boxing, prizefighting (when referring to professional boxing) or the sweet science (a common nickname among fans), is a sport and martial art in which two participants of similar weight fight each other with their...

Villella became a member of the New York City Ballet in 1957, rising to Soloist in 1958 and Principal Dancer in 1960. Among his most noteworthy performances were Oberon in A Midsummer Night's Dream, "Tarantella", "Rubies" in the George Balanchine ballet "Jewels", and "Prodigal Son." Logo of the New York City Ballet The New York City Ballet is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein originally known as the American Ballet. ... Oberon, also Auberon, King of the Fairies, is most famous as a character in William Shakespeares play, A Midsummer Nights Dream, written in the mid-1590s. ... Title page of the first quarto (1600) A Midsummer Nights Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare written sometime in the mid-1590s. ... George Balanchine (January 9 (O.S.) = January 22 (N.S.), 1904–April 30, 1983) was one of the 20th centurys foremost choreographers, and one of the founders of American ballet. ...

Villella was the first American male dancer to appear with the Royal Danish Ballet, and the only American ever asked to dance an encore at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow. He danced at the inaugural for President John F. Kennedy, and performed for Presidents Johnson, Nixon and Ford. He produced and directed the PBS series "Dance in America", and in 1975 won an Emmy Award for his CBS television production of "Harlequinade". He danced in television versions of The Nutcracker and A Midsummer Night's Dream, and in a 1966 TV production of Brigadoon. In 1983, he guest-starred on the soap opera Guiding Light. The Royal Danish Ballet is one of the oldest ballet troupes in Europe. ... Bolshoi Theatre The Bolshoi Theatre is a theatre and opera company in Moscow, Russia, which gives performances of ballet, opera, and plays. ... Location Position of Moscow in Europe Government Country District Subdivision Russia Central Federal District Federal City Mayor Yuriy Luzhkov Geographical characteristics Area  - City 1,081 km² Population  - City (2005)    - Density 10,415,400   8537. ... John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), also referred to as John F. Kennedy, JFK, John Kennedy, or Jack Kennedy, was the 35th President of the United States. ... Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973), often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States (1963–1969). ... Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th President of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. ... Gerald Rudolph Ford, Jr. ... PBS re-directs here; for alternate uses see PBS (disambiguation) PBS logo The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is a non-profit public broadcasting television service with 349 member TV stations in the United States. ... An Emmy Award. ... It has been suggested that CBS evening news anchors be merged into this article or section. ... A performance of The Nutcracker The story of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King was written by E. T. A. Hoffmann (1816). ... Title page of the first quarto (1600) A Midsummer Nights Dream is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare written sometime in the mid-1590s. ... DVD cover Brigadoon is a musical by Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, first produced in 1947. ... The first TIME cover devoted to soap operas: Dated January 12, 1976, Bill Hayes and Susan Seaforth Hayes of Days of our Lives are featured with the headline Soap Operas: Sex and suffering in the afternoon. A soap opera is an ongoing, episodic work of fiction, usually broadcast on television... Guiding Light (known as The Guiding Light prior to 1975) is an American television program credited by the Guinness Book of World Records as being the longest-running soap opera in production and the longest running drama in television history. ...

After retirement as a performer, Villella was the artistic coordinator of the Eglevsky Ballet from 1979-84, and the director of the Oklahoma Ballet from 1983-85. He founded the Miami City Ballet in 1986 and still serves as its artistic director and chief executive officer. He is also currently artist-in-residence at Florida Atlantic University. Nickname: The Magic City, Location in Miami-Dade County and the state of Florida. ... Florida Atlantic University, also commonly referred to as FAU or Florida Atlantic, is a state university located in Boca Raton, Florida, USA. The university is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. ...

In 1997, Villella was named a Kennedy Center Honors recipient, and was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President Bill Clinton. The Kennedy Center Honors have been awarded annually, since 1978 by the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. ... The National Medal of Arts is an award and title bestowed on selected honorees by the National Endowment for the Arts. ... William Jefferson Bill Clinton (born William Jefferson Blythe III on August 19, 1946) was the 42nd President of the United States, serving from 1993 to 2001. ...

External links

• Kennedy Center biography of Edward Villella
• Edward Villella at the Internet Movie Database
• Miami City Ballet website