- Born
- Birth nameRoberta Sue Ficker
- Nickname
- Alabaster Princess
- Height5′ 9″ (1.75 m)
- Suzanne Farrell was born on August 16, 1945 in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. She is an actress, known for A Midsummer Night's Dream (1967), Romeo e Giulietta (1972) and Davidsbündlertänze (1981). She was previously married to Paul Mejia.
- SpousePaul Mejia(February 21, 1969 - 1997) (divorced)
- Often danced with Peter Martins
- Usually danced choreography by George Balanchine
- Early on, she preferred tap to ballet as "she liked to hear her own movements" and disliked the values of conformity and exact technique that were necessary in ballet.
- Ballerina with New York City Ballet
- A Prima Ballerina with the New York City Ballet, she was one of the Stars of the ballet company.
- Recipient of a (USA) National Medal of Arts, 2003.
- Recipient of the 2005 Kennedy Center Honors. Other recipients were Robert Redford, Tina Turner, Tony Bennett and Julie Harris.
- "He [George Balanchine] had worked with dancers whose legs were thinner and went higher and could turn and jump better. I didn't think I excelled in anything at that time. I even asked him, 'What do you see in me?' I thought everyone looked better than I did. He said, 'You moved different; I like the way you move'".
- I organized a ballet company from the girls in my ballet class. I called it the NYCB [New York City Ballet] Juniors.... I was twelve and my dancers were ten. I made up nice little dances for them, tutu roles. They would be the snowflakes, and I would be the snowman. I was the boss because I organized the company and I was the tallest. Dance magazine used to publish 'directions' or notations for various dances, and once I deciphered a dance from 'Swan Lake' for my company.
- I was a kind of good jack-of-all trades, which could be very dull indeed except for the one thing I did have, probably the thing Diana had seen in Cincinnati: I could move, and if I could incorporate what Balanchine wanted with my movement, it might blossom into something --it could be anything. I think that was interesting to Balanchine. With no image to uphold and no glory in any single area of technique, I never had the debilitating worry that I might lose my strongest point.
- I can never hope to make a lot of money. But I only need enough for cat food [she has nine] and the apartment. Union stagehands get much more for pushing a button than what most dancers get.
- There is pain and sacrifice in everyone's world. That's why, when I was dancing, I had no pain.
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