Merrill Ashley (published 1982)
Dublin Core
Title
Merrill Ashley (published 1982)
Description
Ashley talks about having preference for certain roles. She didn't think she would get the role of Sanguinic in The Four Temperaments, but then did and had very little time to prepare. She also talks about her difficulty learning certain steps.
Biographical note:
Merrill Ashley (born Linda Merrill) was born in Minneapolis and joined the School of American Ballet in 1964, and subsequently joined the New York City Ballet in 1967. George Balanchine created the principle role for her in Balade in 1980. She danced in many Balanchine creations throughout her career. She created her own touring group, Merrill Ashley and Dancers in 1981. She has retired from dance and is now a teacher at the NYCB, where she stages many Balanchine productions.
Biographical note:
Merrill Ashley (born Linda Merrill) was born in Minneapolis and joined the School of American Ballet in 1964, and subsequently joined the New York City Ballet in 1967. George Balanchine created the principle role for her in Balade in 1980. She danced in many Balanchine creations throughout her career. She created her own touring group, Merrill Ashley and Dancers in 1981. She has retired from dance and is now a teacher at the NYCB, where she stages many Balanchine productions.
Publisher
Pratt SILS 665-01, Barbara Newman
Date Created
June 14, 1980
Rights
Copyright
Access Rights
Restricted. To access full length audio or for further inquiries please visit our contact page.
Relation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjWgab_PFBQ
Is Part Of
Newman, B. (1982). Striking a balance: Dancers talk about dancing. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Newman, B. (1992). Striking a balance: Dancers talk about dancing. New York: Limelight Editions.
Identifier
ashley_1980jun14_sidea_clip.mp3
Provenance
Interviews recorded on cassette by Barbara Newman
Rights Holder
Barbara Newman, Merrill Ashley
Oral History Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Audio Cassette Tape
Digital Format
mp3
Digital Master
ashley_1980jun14_sidea.wav.mp3, ashley_1980jun14_sideb.wav.mp3
Duration
00:02:33
Bit Rate/Frequency
16-bit/44.1kHz
Interviewer
Barbara Newman
Interviewee
Merrill Ashley, 1950-
Location
New York
Additional content
"George Balanchine once said, 'You must know what you are doing because the dancers can tell if you know or you don't know. If you know, they will do whatever you say ... If you say, "Lift both your legs and stay in the air," they will do it.' Merrill Ashley is the proof - Merrill does it, whatever it is, whatever he wants. She is the ideal paradigm for today's New York City Ballet: young, fast, strong, cool. Secure in her prodigious technique, she defies gravity and reason nonchalantly, but her face betrays a delight in her own abilities that is contagious. Intoxicated by it, you begin to believe that dancing is simple, that anyone could do it, that you could do it yourself" Barbara Newman (1982).
Files
Collection
Citation
“Merrill Ashley (published 1982),” Dance Dialogues: Interviews by Barbara Newman, 1979-Present, accessed May 17, 2022, http://dancedialogues.prattsils.org/items/show/19.