Dance Legend Jacques d'Amboise Passes Away at 86

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that dance legend Jacques d'Amboise, father of Tony nominee Charlotte d'Amboise, has passed away, according to published reports. He was 86 years old.

D'Amboise was a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, where ballets were created especially for him by choreographer George Balanchine. D'Amboise also choreographed for the New York City Ballet.

As well as ballets, d'Amboise danced in films, including Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, where he played the part of Ephraim, one of the brothers-and Carousel (1956), where he danced the ballet role of the Starlight Carnival barker, in which he partnered Susan Luckey in Louise's Ballet and the Disney movie Off Beat (1986), built around a dance class he taught to New York City police.

D'Amboise founded National Dance Institute in 1976, which has been teaching school children how to dance for the past 40 years. The NDI program often combines music and art with studies of other cultures, histories, and literature, offering a unique and comprehensive performing arts experience, while fostering curiosity and a sense of achievement. The documentary film about Jacques d'Amboise and National Dance Institute, He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin', won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature in 1983 and an Emmy Award in 1984 for Best Children's Programming.

D'Amboise has received many honors and awards, including a 1990 MacArthur Fellowship, a 1995 Kennedy Center Honors Award, a 1998 National Medal of the Arts, a New York Governor's Award and an honorary doctorate degree from Boston College and several others. The last honorary doctorate he received was Montclair State University in May 2012. He has also received many other awards and honors for his contribution to the arts and dance education, such as the 7th Annual Heinz Award in the Arts and Humanities.

Fellow dancer, Chita Rivera, released a statement on the passing of her longtime friend and colleague. She writes, "I am so sad about Jacques' passing. The world has lost a great artist and humanitarian. I shall always remember his infectious smile and dedication to building more wonderful male dancers. He shared his love of dance by creating more. Jacques always had a brilliant light surrounding him. One of my first memories of Jacques was when I first arrived at the School of American Ballet. I was 16 years old. Thank you Jacques for all you have done."