Todd Bolender

Todd Bolender (1914-2006) was a dancer, choreographer, teacher, and director who became highly instrumental in the creation and dissemination of classical dance as an American art form.

Bolender studied at the fledgling School of American Ballet under George Balanchine. and also trained with Muriel Stuart, Louis Horst, and Harald Kreutzberg. Asked why he became a ballet dancer, Bolender said simply that it was the Depression, and he needed a job.

As a dancer, Bolender had an unusually long career, lasting from 1936 to 1972. He was a member of every early permutation of the company that became New York City Ballet, originating roles in numerous works by Balanchine and Jerome Robbins.

He also danced with Littlefield Ballet in the late 1930s, American Ballet Theatre in 1944, and Les Ballets Russe de Monte Carlo in 1945-46. From 1963 to 1966, he was ballet director for the Cologne Opera House and from 1966–69, he filled the same role in Frankfurt. With Janet Reed, he was a founding director of Pacific Northwest Ballet in 1975, and for three years starting in 1977, he was ballet director in the Ataturk Opera House. In 1981, he became the artistic director of Kansas City Ballet and was named artistic director emeritus in 1996.

Bolender's choreography has been performed by Kansas City Ballet, New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, San Francisco Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He also choreographed for musical theater, opera, and television in the United States and abroad.

Throughout his career, Bolender taught in the United States, Turkey, Japan, Austria, and Germany, and he was active in the preservation of Balanchine's works.

In 2006, Bolender was awarded the Dance Magazine Award for his lifetime achievement in dance.