Logo

12 Facts About Jonathan Stafford

1.

Jonathan Stafford is an American ballet dancer and artistic director.

2.

Jonathan Stafford danced with the New York City Ballet as a principal dancer until his retirement in 2014, then he served as a ballet master.

3.

Jonathan Stafford became the artistic director of NYCB in 2019.

4.

Jonathan Stafford attended summer intensives at the School of American Ballet in 1996 and 1997, then stayed in New York City as a full-time student.

5.

Jonathan Stafford became a soloist in 2006, and taught in the School of American Ballet as a guest faculty.

6.

Jonathan Stafford had danced lead roles in works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins and Christopher Wheeldon.

7.

Jonathan Stafford had appeared in the 2000 film Center Stage as a background dancer.

8.

In 2014, Jonathan Stafford retired from dancing after a performance of Jewels.

9.

That month, Jonathan Stafford was chosen to lead the interim leadership team, which included ballet masters Craig Hall and Rebecca Krohn, and resident choreographer Justin Peck.

10.

Jonathan Stafford brought in retired dancers who worked with Balanchine, such as Patricia McBride and Edward Villella, to coach the current dancers.

11.

In February 2019, Jonathan Stafford was appointed artistic director of the NYCB and SAB, with Wendy Whelan as associate artistic director.

12.

In 2014, Jonathan Stafford married Brittany Pollack, a soloist at NYCB.