John Clifford (choreographer)

John Clifford
Born
John Charles Povilaitis

(1947-06-22)June 22, 1947
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
EducationHollywood High School
School of American Ballet
OccupationsBallet dancer, choreographer
Years activec. 1958 – present

John Charles Clifford[1] (né Povilaitis;[2][3] June 12, 1947) is an American producer, director, author, choreographer, and a dancer. He was the founder and artistic director of the original Los Angeles Ballet[4] (1974–1985) and the chamber-sized touring ensemble Ballet of Los Angeles (1988–1991). Before that time, Clifford was a principal dancer and a choreographer (8 ballets before age 26) with George Balanchine’s New York City Ballet (1966–1974). Balanchine invited him back as a guest artist numerous times, and his last performances with the company were in 1980.

Early life

Born June 12, 1947,[5] at Queen of Angels Hospital in Los Angeles, Clifford spent his formative years in Hollywood.[6] He is the son of Robert Charles Clifford[7] (né Povilaitis[3])—of the popular vaudeville acrobatic team, Park & Clifford[2]—and singer Betty Louise Cadwell.[6] Beginning at age 11, he studied ballet with Katherine Etienne and then jazz and tap with Eugene Loring, before attending Hollywood High School, whre he majored in music and art.[8]

Career

Clifford was the artistic director of Robert Redford's Sundance Institute Video/Choreographer Program and produced “Pas De Deux,” a video distributed by Video Artists International (VAI).[9]

His new[when?] for-profit dance company Los Angeles Dance Theater produced a dance version of Casablanca, Casablanca: The Dance, for Warner Bros Theatre Ventures, Inc. The production premiered on April 5, 2005, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China.[10]

Clifford is a senior répétiteur for the George Balanchine Trust and has staged numerous Balanchine ballets for companies, including the Paris Opera Ballet (9), the Bolshoi Ballet (3), the Mariinsky Ballet (2), and the San Francisco Ballet (3), and most of the ballet companies in the United States. As a choreographer, companies such as the Deutsche Oper Ballet, Zurich Ballet, Le Ballet de Monte Carlo, Ballet du Nord (France), Maggio Danza, Rome Opéra Ballet, and the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires produced an all-Clifford program in 1985.

His autobiography, Balanchine's Apprentice: From Hollywood to New York and Back, published by the University Press of Florida, has received reviews in the Wall Street Journal,[11] Publishers Weekly, and Library Journal.

References

  1. ^ Vega, Phyllis (2007). What Your Birthday Reveals About You: 366 Days of Astonishingly Accurate Revelations About Your Future, Your Secrets, and Your Strengths. Edison, NJ : Castle Books. p. 244. ISBN 9780785822387. "Born Today: Marv Albert (sportscaster); Irwin Allen (producer); Brigid Brophy (writer); George Herbert Walker Bush (U.S. president); John Charles Clifford (choreographer);"
  2. ^ a b "Choreographer gives 'Tommy' new look". El Paso Herald-Post Accent. April 20, 1984. p. 9. "My father was part of the Los Angeles acrobatic team, Park and Clifford, in the Earl Carroll Vanities, and my mother was an opera singer."
  3. ^ a b "Home Is Best, Vaudeville Team Realizes on Australian Tour". The Grand Rapids Press. p. 22. Retrieved February 21, 2026. "Robert Clifford of Park and Clitford, one of the principal acts in the Harry Howard Hotel Revue Company which returned in July after an 11-month tour of 'down under,' said. 'It takes a trip and long absence like that to make you really appreciate your home town.' Clifford, son of Mrs. Millie Povilaitis of 730 Nason St., N. W., and a graduate in 1929 of Union High school, found things different in Australia."
  4. ^ DANCE:JOHN CLIFFORD AND HIS LOS ANGELES BALLET
  5. ^ Willis, John (1973). Dance World, Vol. 7. Crown Publishers. p. 180. ISBN 9780517501610. "I was born on June 12, 1947, at the Queen of Angels Hospital in Los Angeles. My parents were Robert Clifford and Betty Louis Cadwell, and they met while poerforming in the Earl Carroll Vanities, one of the last bastions of vaudeville. My father was the top half of a two-man adagio acrobatic act called 'Park and Cliiford,' and my mother sang light opera and pop songs, like a latter-day Deanna Durbin. [...] It wasn't til I was 32 that I found out Clifford was a stage name. My family name is Povailitis [sic], which is the Greek spelling of a Lithuanian name. [...] When I told Balanchinbe"
  6. ^ a b Clifford, John (2007). Balanchine's Apprentice. University Press of Florida. p. 3. ISBN 9780813072012. ""
  7. ^ Shellenburger, Pat (August 8, 2001). "BALANCING ACT: Ex-vaudeville tumbler stays upright and active at 93". The Grand Rapids Press. p. B1. Retrieved February 22, 2026. "Bob Clifford supports a handstand by partner Frank Park in an acrobatic performance captured in an old photo taken during the duo's national touring days. Immediately above is Clifford's lifetime pass to school activities from the Kent Regional Community Education Association. [...] Lifetime Golden Ages Pass: THIS CARD ENTITLES ROBERT CHARLES CLIFFORD ADMISSION TO SCHOOL SPONSORED ACTIVITIES OFFERED BY MEMBER SCHOOLS OF THE KENT REGIONAL COMMUNITY EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION"
  8. ^ Rowes, Barbara (August 12, 1969). "Young Choreographer Gives Freshness to Ballet Scene". Austin American-Statesman. p. 15. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
  9. ^ "Pas de Deux: Live at LA International Ballet Festival (1984) (DVD)".
  10. ^ "CasablancaSpectacle - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  11. ^ Schwartz, Lloyd (2021-09-03). "'Balanchine's Apprentice' Review: Memories of the Master". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
allikas: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Clifford_(choreographer)