Former dancer Runsheng Ying

[jeff-sh]

He passed away a few months ago

https://konopkafuneralhome.com/tribute/details/200/Runsheng-Ying/obituary.html

He was the only China-trained NYCB dancer. I saw him dancing in Beijing in the 1980s.

Anyone remember his dancing in NYCB? I wonder how he got in NYCB and how long he stayed. He was mentioned in this review

https://www.nytimes.com/1987/11/30/arts/dance-the-city-ballet-in-a-pair-set-to-gounod.html

 

Edited October 30, 2018 by jeff-sh
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[Helene]

I do remember Runsheng Ying from when he danced with NYCB.  He danced until at least 1993; he was mentioned in this 1993 review of Miriam Mahdaviani's "Images" from The Diamond Project:

https://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/13/arts/review-city-ballet-in-a-pose-from-matisse.html

I moved from NYC in 1994, and I'm not sure when he left the Company.

Rest in peach, Runsheng Ying.

[jeff-sh]

Thanks.

NYCB rarely hires non-SAB dancers, I wonder how he was 'discovered' by Martins (or Robbins).

I hope NYCB website can add the dates in alumni page

https://www.nycballet.com/Explore/Our-History/NYCB-Alumni.aspx

[Helene]

There have always been exceptions for men.  Around the same time, Alexandre Proia, who was trained at Paris Opera Ballet and joined NYCB as a soloist in 1983 (-1996),  Jukka Aromaa (from Finland National Ballet), and Jeppe Mydskov, who joined fellow Danes Peter Martins (through 1986), Ib Andersen, and Adam Luders and Danish-trained Icelander Helgi Tomasson, were among the male roster in addition to Runsheng Ying.  The Kozlovs, from the Bolshoi, were also NYCB company members at the time.

Vaganova-trained Latvian-born Erlends Zieminch joined NYCB in 1990, and Otto Neubert joined NYCB from Stuttgart Ballet in the 80's.  

[On Pointe]

2 hours ago, Helene said:

There have always been exceptions for men. 

And at least one woman - Sofiane Sylve.

[vagansmom]

Helene, you said the Kozlovs in the list of men, but I'm assuming - am I correct? -that one of them was Valentina Kozlova, who defected from the Bolshoi to join NYCB. So that makes 2 women that we know of, Sylve and Kozlova.  

[Helene]

Yes, the Kozlov's were then-husband and wife dancers who joined from the Bolshoi.

The exceptions were never exclusively men, and Sylve and Valentina Kozlov weren't the only exceptions; however, they didn't have many non-SAB-trained female colleagues, having not overlapped and with a seven-year gap between them, while Ying had at least eight non-SAB-trained colleagues during his tenure with the Company.  

[On Pointe]

When Lindsay Fischer joined NYCB as a principal,  his wife Mandy-Jayne Richardson,  who had been a soloist with the Royal Ballet,  was also invited to join the company in the corps.