Who

Eliot Feld is a dancer, choreographer and the founder of Ballet Tech.

Backstory

Brooklyn-born Feld studied at the School of American Ballet, and as a fourth grader became the first prince in George Balanchine's original 1954 production of The Nutcracker. (Not that the school had much choice about whom to cast: there was only one other boy enrolled besides Feld.) Three years later, Feld was part of the original Broadway production of West Side Story (he later played Baby John in the 1961 film version). He joined the corps de ballet of the American Ballet Theatre in 1963, became a soloist in 1965, and then left in 1968 to found his own dance company. Since then Feld has choreographed more than 130 ballets performed by countless companies around the world, including the ABT, Atlanta Ballet, Boston Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet.

Of note

Like many arts companies, Ballet Tech has always had trouble sustaining itself financially and it disbanded in 2003. Feld revived it a year later and it now produces shows every 12 to 18 months. Perhaps his greatest contribution to the city, though, has been Ballet Tech, a tuition-free ballet school for New York City public school children that Feld founded in 1978. One other contribution to the cultural landscape: In the late 1970s, Feld championed a plan to acquire The Joyce Theater, turning the former gay porn palace on 8th Avenue into a world-renowned dance venue. Feld's contributions to dance earned him a rare honor in 2006 when the New York City Ballet devoted an entire evening to his ballets. The evening included a new work, "Étoile Polaire," set to music by Philip Glass.

Habitat

Feld lives on West 79th Street.