Patricia Neary

born in Miami, Patricia took her first dance lessons with George Milenoff and Thomas Armour in her native town. Later, she was trained at the School of American Ballet. In 1959 she was engaged by the National Ballet of Canada, one year later she joined the New York City Ballet, where she was promoted to principal in 1962. She danced exemplary performances of almost all important roles of the company’s repertory. Balanchine’s Raymonda Variations (1961) und Rubies (Jewels, 1967) were created especially for her. During various guest appearances, she gave illuminating moments to such roles as Odette/Odile (Swan Lake) and Myrtha (Giselle). Her almost photographic memory, her musicality and her ability to learn a role literally at the last moment, were to lead her into a new career: she has become one of the finest of the many official assistants sent around the world to stage George Balanchine’s ballets. Having left the New York City Ballet in 1967, she worked as a ballet mistress with the Ballet of Deutsche Oper Berlin from 1970 to 1973.

In 1973 she was appointed Ballet Director at the Grand-Théâtre in Geneva, a post she also held in Zurich (1978-85), Milan (1986-87) and Vancouver (1989-90). Since 1990 she concentrated on her role as ambassador and of George Balanchine’s choreographic heritage.

Patricia’s first visit to Munich dates back to spring 1974, when she staged Balanchine’s Apollo. Since then, she was responsible for almost all Balanchine productions staged in the National Theatre, including The Four Temperaments (1980), La Valse (1982), Symphony in C (1991) and Concerto barocco (1995). Her most recent debut in a premiere at the Bavarian State Ballet was in Agon in spring 2005.