Program Announced for Joaquin De Luz's Farewell Performance

New York City Ballet announced today the programming for Principal Dancer Joaquin De Luz's farewell performance, which will take place on October 14 at 3pm, closing the Company's 2018 Fall Season. After a 15-year career with New York City Ballet, for his final performance De Luz will dance "Theme and Variations" from George Balanchine's Tchaikovsky Suite No. 3, Jerome Robbins' A Suite of Dances, and Peter Martins' Todo Buenos Aires. Also on the program will be Balanchine's Concerto Barocco, a personal favorite of De Luz's, which he will not perform that afternoon.

Born in Madrid, Spain, De Luz received his training at the Victor Ullate School of Ballet in Madrid. From 1992 until 1955, he danced with Victor Ullate Ballet Company. In March 1996, De Luz won the Gold Medal at the Second Nureyev International Ballet Competition in Budapest, and in August of that year, he joined the Pennsylvania Ballet as a soloist. In 1997, De Luz joined American Ballet Theatre as a member of the corps de ballet and was promoted to soloist in 1998. He joined NYCB as a soloist in 2003, and was promoted to principal dancer in 2005.

During his career at NYCB, De Luz has danced featured roles in a variety of works from the Company's unparalleled repertory including ballets by George Balanchine, August Bournonville, Peter Martins, Justin Peck, Alexei Ratmansky, Jerome Robbins, and Christopher Wheeldon. In addition to originating the role of Tybalt in Peter Martins' Romeo + Juliet, he originated featured roles in Jorma Elo's Slice to Sharp, Peter Martins' Bal de Couture, Wayne McGregor's Outlier, Justin Peck's Year of the Rabbit, Alexei Ratmansky's Concerto DSCH and Odessa, Jerome Robbins' Something to Dance About (direction and musical staging by Warren Carlyle), and Christopher Wheeldon's Shambards. Most recently during the Company's 2018 Spring Season, De Luz made his debut in Robbins' A Suite of Dances.

De Luz has appeared as a guest artist in numerous dance events. In addition to performing with the Ballet Mediterraneo with Fernando Bujones, he toured with the American Ballet Stars 1997 Tour of China and The Kings Of the Dance 2008 tour in Russia. De Luz also represented Spain at the Expo '98 in Lisbon, Portugal, dancing in the Stars of Spanish Ballet gala. Furthermore, he is the recipient of the 1997 Rising Star prize by Seven Arts Magazine, the 2009 Benois de la Danse award for best male performance for his role in Prodigal Son, and, most recently, the 2016 National Dance Award by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports.

Tickets for De Luz's farewell performance will be available starting August 5, 2018. Tickets can be purchased online at www.nycballet.com, by phone at 212-496-0600, or at the David H. Koch Theater box office, located at Columbus Avenue and West 63rd Street.

Photo: Joaquin De Luz in Jerome Robbins' Dances at a Gathering attached. (Credit Paul Kolnik)