Damian Woetzel

Damian Woetzel (born May 17, 1967) is a retired Principal Dancer, formerly with the New York City Ballet where he performed from 1985 until 2008. In addition to his work at NYCB, he frequently performed internationally as a guest star and visiting artist with numerous internationally recognized companies including the Kirov Ballet and American Ballet Theatre, until his retirement from the stage in 2008.Woetzel currently serves as director of the Aspen Institute Arts Program, which under his leadership aims to further the value of the arts in society, focusing on education, social justice, economics, and diplomacy. He has created events and programs furthering this work in venues varying from the National Performing Arts Center in Beijing, to the Delacorte Theatre in Central Park, the home of Shakespeare in the Park. In addition to his role at the Institute, Woetzel is a producer and director of dance and music performances, including the artistic directorship of the Vail International Dance Festival, where he presents dance performances and commissions. Among his other recent projects have been Spaces for Wynton Marsalis and Jazz at Lincoln Center; Lil Buck @ Le Poisson Rouge, an award winning show featuring Lil Buck, Yo-Yo Ma and an array of stellar musicians; an arts salute to Stephen Hawking at Lincoln Center; two Turnaround Arts performances at the White House; and the first performance of the White House Dance Series, which took place in the East Room of the White House and was hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama. Woetzel has worked on numerous events and initiatives with Yo-Yo Ma, including on his Silk Road Connect program in the New York City Public Schools, and on “Arts Strike” events which they have pioneered as a format for artists to engage in public service. In 2012, Woetzel co-produced the Kennedy Center Honors tribute to honoree Natalia Makarova, and for the 2014 Honors he co-produced the salute to honoree Patricia McBride. In 2009, Woetzel became the founding director of the Jerome Robbins Foundations New Essential Works (NEW) Program, which over a five-year period initiated grants to enable the production of 35 new dance works. In March 2015, it was announced that Woetzel will curate a new series for the Kennedy Centers 2015-2016 season. To date he has produced and directed performances as part of the DEMO series on three different themes: DEMO: Time; DEMO: Place; and DEMO: Heroes.Woetzel was a Principal Dancer at New York City Ballet from 1989 until his retirement from the stage in 2008. At NYCB, he danced virtually the entire leading male dancer repertory, and had works created for him by Jerome Robbins, Eliot Feld, Twyla Tharp, Susan Stroman, and Christopher Wheeldon among others. Woetzel also frequently performed as a guest star with companies including the Kirov Ballet and American Ballet Theatre, and starred in numerous television broadcasts and as the Cavalier in the Time Warner movie version of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker. Woetzel has also choreographed a number of ballets for NYCB and other companies.Among his awards, in April 2015, Woetzel received the Harvard Arts Medal.[5]. In July 2012 Woetzel was honored with the inaugural Gene Kelly Legacy Award - an honor jointly created by the Dizzy Feet Foundation and the Estate of Gene Kelly in honor of the 100th anniversary of Kellys birth. Woetzel serves on the artists committee of the Kennedy Center Honors, the Knight Foundations National Arts Advisory Committee, and was a member of the Harvard University Task Force on the Arts. Woetzel holds an MPA degree from Harvards Kennedy School of Government. In the fall of 2010 he was a visiting lecturer at Harvard Law School where he co-taught a course on performing arts and the law.In November 2009, President Obama appointed Woetzel to the Presidents Committee on the Arts and Humanities, where he has worked on creating the Turnaround Arts Program, which now brings arts education to some of the nation’s most challenged school districts. Woetzel serves on the board of directors of NY City Center, Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, and Sing for Hope, and on the advisory board of Define American.In May 2017, Woetzel was named President of the Juilliard School, replacing Joseph W. Polisi.

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