Christopher Boatwright
Stuttgart Ballet: Principal (1974-1982)
San Francisco Ballet: Principal
Los Angeles Ballet
Arizona Dance Theatre
Alonzo King LINES Contemporary Ballet
Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Christopher Boatwright (1953-1997) started dancing in high school and studied dance at the School of American Ballet and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center. At the age of 20, he received a scholarship to study in Stuttgart. After training at the Stuttgart School, he performed with the Stuttgart Ballet, a world-renowned ballet company, from 1974 to 1982. Yet after performing there for eight years and reaching principal status, he returned to the US in 1985 and joined the corps de ballet of the San Francisco Ballet. It took two years before Boatwright was elevated to principal status there. He also performed with Los Angeles Ballet, Arizona Dance Theatre, and LINES Contemporary Ballet. He died in San Francisco in March of 1997.
Source:
Hartmut Regitz, “Christopher Boatwright, the Black Orpheus, Died,” Ballet International, May 1997, 13.
See also:
Christopher Boatwright, Dancer Known for Classicism; Was 42, The New York Times
Christopher Boatwright: transformed through dance, Dance Magazine 1996
Christopher Boatwright, SF Gate
The Black Ballet Barrier, The Washington Post
Video links:
SONATA – Nancy Davis and Christopher Boatwright – Los Angeles Ballet (1983)
Christopher Boatwright in SUMMER ’83 (Los Angeles Ballet)
Summer ’83 Kirkland and Boatwright
White Swan Pas de Deux – Pantages – Kirkland, Boatwright (1983)