Greenwich Arts Council

MARY ANN HOBERMAN RECEIVES THE GREENWICH ARTS COUNCIL’S ARTIST LAUREATE AWARD AT THE 35TH ANNIVERSARY OPEN HOUSE

Poet, children’s author, and inspiring educator Mary Ann Hoberman received the Artist Laureate Award from the Greenwich Arts Council at a presentation ceremony at the Council headquarters, 299 Greenwich Avenue, on Saturday, May 16. The presentation took place as part of the Greenwich Arts Council’s 35th Anniversary Open House celebration.

The Artist Laureate Award is presented every few years by the GAC to recognize exceptional achievement in the arts and contributions to the cultural life of the community. Hoberman, a Greenwich resident for over forty years, is currently Children’s Poet Laureate of the United States. She is the critically acclaimed author of over forty books for children, including the beloved “A House is a House for Me”, which won a National Book Award.

Author and poet Mary Ann Hoberman receives the Artist Laureate Award from Greenwich Arts Council President Emily Ragsdale

On October 8, 2006, The Greenwich Arts Council presented the Artist Laureate Award to Greenwich resident Cynthia Gregory in recognition of her outstanding contribution to the world of dance. In a remarkable career that spanned more than 30 years, Cynthia was celebrated as one of the world’s greatest ballerinas. For most of those years she was a prima ballerina with American Ballet Theatre, where she performed lead roles in Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, Raymonda, La Bayadere, Don Quixote and La Sylphide. Her performance as Odette-Odile in ABT’s Swan Lake (first performed by her in 1967) is still recognized as definitive.

As a young girl in Los Angeles, Cynthia studied with Carmelita Maracci. By the age of 14 she was awarded a Ford Foundation Scholarship to study with the San Francisco Ballet, where she soon became a principal dancer. She joined ABT in 1965 and danced in more than 80 works with the company, including roles that were created for her by choreographers Eliot Feld, Alvin Ailey and Twyla Tharp. She has performed as a guest with many of the great dance companies of the world, and in 1974 she was one of the first American artists to perform in Cuba after diplomatic relations had been broken in 1961.

Much of Cynthia’s energy today is devoted to her family - her husband Hilary Miller and her son Lloyd. She is actively involved in Career Transition for Dancers, a not-for-profit organization that provides career counseling and other vital services to dancers who are making career changes. She is also an author and artist. Her watercolors and pen-and-ink drawings, interpretations of her most memorable roles, have been seen for the past three years as part of the Arts Council’s Art to the Avenue event.

A full house joined in celebrating the woman whom Rudolph Nureyev called “America’s prima ballerina assoluta” and whose performances have been described as “electrifying.” The program included Jacques D'Amboise, Kevin McKenzie, and Susan Jaffee - all prominent figures of the dance world, a dance performance by Ballet Academy East choreographed by Ms. Gregory, and a video presentation of Cynthia Gregory dancing in some of her most celebrated roles. The event took place Sunday, October 8, at 4 pm at the Massey Theater of the Wallace Performing Art Center at Greenwich Academy. A champagne and dessert reception immediately followed the presentation, with wine provided by Le Wine Shop and desserts compliments of Restaurant Jean-Louis.

GAC: Where did you first study dance?
CG: I started classes when I was five years old, in Los Angeles. My parents were ballroom dancers and loved to dance. We were a musical family and I loved to move to music. On the suggestion of our family doctor, I was enrolled in ballet classes for exercise, and when it became evident that I had talent, I started studying with a number of different teachers six days a week.

GAC: What made you want to study? What did you envision for yourself – did you see yourself as a dancer with a major company, a Broadway star, or a film icon like Cyd Charisse?
CG: I was just so happy to be dancing. I was most comfortable and felt quite at home around dancers and the dance. At fourteen I received a Ford Foundation Scholarship to the San Francisco Ballet. My parents moved us north to San Francisco and there I started as an apprentice to the company. I was inspired by the professional dancers and by great teachers, especially Lew Christensen. At sixteen I toured with the company. The dancers become your family and your social structure. It was a wonderful world and a wonderful time.

GAC: When did you start studying and dancing with ABT? What was a typical day at class?
CG: In 1965 I left San Francisco with every intention of coming to New York to study with Ballanchine and the NY City Ballet. When I arrived it was the 25th anniversary season for ABT and I took some classes at the school on West 57th Street. There were three or four little studios and at that time, classes were open to anybody. So in a typical class you would find Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn dancing alongside a novice dancer. The struggling students would watch the serious dancers and learn from their example. And the best teachers taught by intellect, not intimidation, and always gave you something to think about.

GAC: When did you start performing with ABT and how did your day at class change?
CG: Within two weeks I was able to arrange an audition with then ABT director, Lucia Chase. Although I was a soloist in San Francisco, I joined ABT as a corps de ballet. It was a very important time for me. As a member of the corps, you rehearsed eight hours a day, learning parts, music and dance styles, and especially building a sense of community with your colleagues. In nine months I was chosen as a soloist and then a principal dancer.

GAC: After 31 year of dancing, you are retired professionally. Do you want to teach?
CG: I love to coach dancers and work with them on the finer points and variations, in preparation for their roles.

GAC: Have dance students changed over the years?
CG: Dancers now are more aware of the world around them. It is something I strived to do as well growing up. I loved concerts, rock music, theatre – I always wanted to enlarge my world. That makes you a better dancer and overall a stronger and more balanced person.