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Joy Womack

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Joy Womack
Born
Joy Annabelle Womack

(1994-04-20) April 20, 1994 (age 30)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationBallet dancer
Career
Current groupBoston Ballet
Former groupsKremlin Ballet Theatre of Moscow, Universal Ballet
Websitewww.joywomack.com

Joy Annabelle Womack (born April 20, 1994) is an American ballet dancer. She is the second American after Anastasia Stevens[1] to graduate from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy’s main training program, and the second American woman to sign a contract with the Bolshoi Ballet.[2] She was a leading soloist with the Universal Ballet, and is currently an artist at the Boston Ballet.

Early life and education

Though ethnically Russian, Womack was born in Beverly Hills, California and raised in California and Texas, one of nine children. She trained at the Kirov Academy of Ballet before attending the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in 2009 after Academy teachers noticed her at that year's summer intensive.[3] She was fifteen years old at the time.[4]

During her first year at the Academy,[5] Womack was among a group of students selected to perform for a regular Bolshoi audience in a special gala, along with the stars of the Bolshoi Ballet itself; she performed despite needing surgery for a bone injury.[4] She received the surgery later after a parishioner at her English-language church in Moscow offered to pay.[4]

Career

Some of Womack's classical repertoire include the roles of Giselle in Giselle, Masha in The Nutcracker, the pas de deux from Diana and Acteon, and Princess Budur in One Thousand and One Nights.[6]

In November 2013, Womack announced in an interview with Izvestia that she was leaving the Bolshoi Ballet, which she claimed was fraught with corruption.[7] During the interview, she made allegations of extortion from an unnamed director in exchange for a solo part in a performance in September of that year.[8] Although some dancers, such as Alexander Petukhov, denied the allegations stating, "...If she knows something, let her name those people. Why smear the theater like that?" Others, such as Natalia Vyskubeno, supported Womack's account.[9] Womack herself described this time as "...like breaking up with your first love."[9]

From 2014 to 2017, she was a leading soloist with the Kremlin Ballet Theatre of Moscow.[6] In 2018, she was a principal dancer with the Universal Ballet in Seoul, South Korea. Womack is scheduled to be with the Boston Ballet for the 2019-2020 season.

Womack is the founder of Project Prima, a supplement company that caters specifically to dancers and performance athletes.[10] She is also a Gaynor Girl Pro Ambassador for Gaynor Minden, and a model for Cloud and Victory, a dance wear and ballet brand.[11]

Awards

In 2012, Womack was awarded the Grand Prix Award at one of the 13 Youth America Grand Prix semi-finals.[12][13][14]

In 2013, she was awarded the Asian Grand Prix Award at the Asian Grand Prix in Hong Kong.[6]

In 2015, she won 1st Prize Ballet Professional & 2nd Prize Contemporary Professional in Bari Ballet Competition Italy.[15]

In July 2016, Womack won silver medal at the International Ballet Competition at Varna, Bulgaria.[16]

References

  1. ^ American Girl Tours With Bolshoi. The Montreal Gazette. December 4, 1962
  2. ^ Key, Lauren (August–September 2012). "Pointe magazine – Ballet at its Best". Pointe. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  3. ^ "Teen Dancer's AMAZING Accomplishment". The Huffington Post. April 9, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c J. Levy, Clifford (May 31, 2010). "Young Americans Embrace Rigors of the Bolshoi". The New York Times. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
  5. ^ Fowler, Damian (Summer 2012). "A Texan in Moscow". Listen. pp. 29–31. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  6. ^ a b c "Joy Womack". Kremlin Palace. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  7. ^ "Американская балерина обвинила руководство Большого в вымогательстве". Izvestia. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  8. ^ "American Ballerina Quits Bolshoi, Accuses Theater of Extortion". Time. November 13, 2013. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  9. ^ a b Loiko, Sergei L. (November 20, 2013). "Joy Womack tells a story of bribe request, struggles at the Bolshoi". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
  10. ^ "Home - Project Prima". Project Prima. Retrieved February 17, 2017.
  11. ^ "Gaynor Girl Pros". Gaynor Minden. April 6, 2016. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  12. ^ "YAGP 2012 - NEW YORK CITY FINALS". Youth America Grand Prix. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  13. ^ "2012 YAGP - PARIS, FRANCE SEMI-FINAL WINNERS". Youth America Grand Prix. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  14. ^ "YAGP Winners". Youth America Grand Prix. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  15. ^ "Awards | Bari Ballet Competition". BariBalletCompetition.com. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  16. ^ "IBC Varna 2016". Varna International Ballet Competition. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
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