Where is Stephanie?

[Maxi3D]

Yesterday I was at a used book store and come upon a children book called A Very Young Dancer. It was published in 1976. The book was a picture book chronicled a young SAB student name Stephanie, who was pick to dance the role of Mary in the Nutcraker. It was really a nice book and I was wondering if anyone know if Stephanie ever got into the company. I tried to look her up at the NYCB web site, but I wasn't sure. Thanks.

[Ari]

Maxi, Stephanie Selby (I believe that was her name) never did join the company. After her year or two as Marie, she appeared in the Polichinelles divertissement and then was never seen again in the children's dances at NYCB. She may have given up dancing—I don't know.

[sneds]

Hi!

I suspect that Stephanie probably did give up dancing. In all my research for my SAB website, I've never come across her name at any other company or ballet website.

Recently, I came across an article by Susie Eisner, who was the Marie in the other cast of "The Nutcracker". The article was about taking her young daughter to see the NYCB "Nutcracker". She stopped dancing a couple of years after the publication of the book and is now Susie Eisner Eley. She's a writer and has written for DanceSpirit and DanceTeacher among other publications).

Susie Eisner's Nutcracker prince, Sean Savoye (who is shown with cast on his wrist in the book) did however go on to join NYCB and was in the corps until he retired a few years ago.

It's interesting to note that the subject of "A Very Young Dancer", Katherine Healey, did go on to a highly successful ballet career. She never danced with NYCB, but was a principal dancer with the Vienna Opera Ballet and a soloist with the English National Ballet.

Her Nutcracker Prince was Peter Boal, now a principal with NYCB. There's also a small picture in that book of Kyoko Ina, who is now a 5 (?) time US Pairs champion and world bronze medalist.

Of all the other "A Very Young..." books, the only other person I know of that's gone on to success in their sport is Debbie Malloy, the older sister of the girl in "A Very Young Rider".

Kate

[Maxi3D]

Hey everybody! Thanks for the infos . "A Very Young Dancer" is a really nice little treasure that I had dug up at the used book store. The book have photos of Mr. B rehearsing with the students and also have pictures of Kay Mazzo dancing Sugar Plum Fairy and Peter Martin as the Cavalier. The other thing that the book surprised me was that Jacques d'Amboise have twin daughters; Charlotte and Catherine, but when I checked the NYCB's roster only Christopher d'Amboise and Ninette d’Amboise appeared on the list. This book is just not a children's book, but also a photo documentary of the NYCB during the Golden 70's.

[Ari]

Maxi, neither Charlotte nor Catherine d'Amboise became ballet dancers, although Charlotte is now a successful actress/dancer who has appeared in several Broadway shows. She is currently in Contact, which is closing in September but will be broadcast on PBS on Labor Day weekend—check your local listings. She is married to the actor Terrence Mann. There's an interview with them (from 1995) on his website at http://www.terrence-mann.com/articles/dancer3-95.txt.

[dirac]

Katherine Healy was actually the subject of "A Very Young Skater," although much was made of her ballet lessons in that book. I think she was actually a principal with ENB, or London Festival Ballet as it was called while she was there. She turned pro at eleven and focused on ballet after that, although she did return to the pro skating circuit when she was pushing thirty.

[liebs]

Catherine (known as Kate) d'Amboise eventually became the non-dancing member of the family. She got a degree in early childhood education, I think. And for awhile, she was a care giver at my duaghter's day care center, this was 12-13 years ago. I know she has since started her own family. She was/is a lovely woman.

[vagansmom]

Did Katherine Healey have the lead role in a movie about a dying young ballet student? She would've been a young teen, I think, at the time. Don't remember the movie name at all but I DO remember that besides being a great actress, she also was a lovely dancer for one so young.

[Mme. Hermine]

the movie was "six weeks", with mary tyler moore as katherine's mother and dudley moore as a politician, i seem to remember, who falls in love with her mother. katherine's character in the film is ill with an incurable disease and they want to give her a chance to dance in the nutcracker, and i can't remember how it's done but she does dance.

[vagansmom]

Thank you, pmja, you wiped away the fog! That's right. I think that Healey's character dances in the Nutcracker (but of course), maybe as Clara? just before she dies. A real tear jerker. But I do remember that Healey had a lovely musicality.

[Tessa]

I love "A Very Young Dancer"! I received my copy as a child and still have it, though the cover is completely tattered now. I remember reading it incessantly when I was around 8 or 9 and was startled to read, upon opening it several years later, that my ballet teacher at the time, Richard Hoskinson, was mentioned as one of the cavaliers. Anyone know whatever happened to him? Or did anyone ever see him at NYCB?

[BalletNut]

I believe Richard Hoskinson is dancing in the big theatre in the sky, if I you get my drift.

[rg]

alas the gifted richard (known as rick) hoskinson did die, can't rem. when.

he was a wonderful cavalier/partner, esp. as he showed those gifts when he was still quite young. balanchine even cast him opposite suzanne farrell on some occasions (in "monumentum pro gesualdo, for ex.) to give some indication of how highly g.b. thought of r.h's skills. he was also most handsome and was said to have had a wickedly witty sense of humor. he had a serious knee injury which cut short his stage career. after that he recovered enough to begin teaching, which i think was done to some degree in the pittsburgh PA area. i'd lost word of him until i heard that he died.