Amar Ramasar Will Retire In May After 20 Years With City Ballet

The New York Times reports that Amar Ramasar will retire from City Ballet in May after 20 years with the company. Ramasar was previously, per the Times, "accused of sending inappropriate texts and photos of other City Ballet dancers." His final performance will be Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Ramasar was fired from the company over the alleged incidents but was reinstated in arbitration where it was found that the Ballet had "overstepped." His casting in Broadway productions was met with backlash, including protests.

City Ballet intends to return to live performances on September 21st with Balanchine's Serenade.

Amar Ramasar made his Broadway debut in Carousel and was appearing in West Side Story before the shutdown. He was born in the Bronx, NY, and began his studies in 1993 at the School of American Ballet. In 2000 he was invited to become an apprentice at New York City Ballet and in 2001 he joined the company as a member of the Corps de Ballet.

Ramasar was promoted to the rank of soloist in 2006 and in 2009 was promoted to principal dancer. In addition to his numerous ballet credits, he is featured in the film adaptation of Jerome Robbins' NY Export: Opus Jazz and the documentary Ballet 422, which follows the creation of Justin Peck's Paz de la Jolla. Ramasar received a Bessie Award for Outstanding Performer in 2015 and was a recipient of the Mae L. Wien Award for Outstanding Promise in 2000.