Gillian Murphy

Gillian Murphy
Born (1979-04-11) April 11, 1979 (age 45)
Wimbledon, England
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of North Carolina School of the Arts
OccupationBallet dancer
Spouse
​
(m. 2015)​
Children1
Career
Current groupAmerican Ballet Theatre
WebsiteGillianMurphy.com

Gillian Murphy (/ˈdʒɪliən/ JIL-ee-ən; born April 11, 1979) is a British-born American ballet dancer who is a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre.[1][2]

Early life and education

Raised in Florence, South Carolina,[3] Murphy was a member of Columbia City Ballet before attending high school at University of North Carolina School of the Arts. There, under the tutelage of Melissa Hayden, she danced principal roles in several of the school's productions, including The Nutcracker[4] and George Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, Western Symphony, Tarantella and Theme and Variations.[5]

Career

Following her graduation from high school, Murphy joined American Ballet Theatre's corps de ballet in August 1996 at the age of 17. She was promoted to soloist in 1998. In 2001, her debut as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake garnered rave reviews from The New York Times.[6][7] The following year she was promoted to principal dancer.[8] That same year she was named one of Dance Magazine's 25 To Watch by Gus Solomon Jr.[9]

Murphy has performed as a guest artist with Mariinsky Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, Staatsballett Berlin, Kyiv Ballet, and The Australian Ballet. She spent 3 years as a Guest Principal with Royal New Zealand Ballet, during her husband's tenure as the company's director.[5]

Murphy celebrated her 20th anniversary with ABT on May 28, 2016, with a performance of La Fille mal gardée.[10]

After 16 years as principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre, Murphy will take her final bow in the iconic role of Odette/Odile in Swan Lake on Friday, July 18, 2025, at the Metropolitan Opera House. [11]

Selected repertoire

Murphy's repertory with the American Ballet Theatre includes:

Created roles

  • Pierrette in Alexei Ratmansky’s Harlequinade
  • Clara, the Princess in Ratmansky’s The Nutcracker
  • Leading roles in Her Notes
  • Kaleidoscope
  • Rabbit and Rogue
  • Thirteen Diversions
  • After You
  • Dream within a Dream (deferred)
  • Glow – Stop
  • One of Three
  • Praedicere
  • Within You Without You: A Tribute to George Harrison

Awards

  • Awarded the Prix de Lausanne Espoir (1995)[12]
  • Presidential Scholar nominee (1996)
  • Awarded a Dance Fellowship by the Princess Grace Foundation (1998)[13]
  • Received the Princess Grace Statue Award (2009)
  • Honorary Doctorate, University of North Carolina School of the Arts

Television and movie appearances

In 2000, she had a small part in the film Center Stage, which featured her ABT colleagues Ethan Stiefel, Julie Kent, and Sascha Radetsky in starring roles. She also appeared in the film's sequel, Center Stage: Turn It Up. In 2005 she performed the dual role, Odette and Odile, in Kevin McKenzie's version of Swan Lake with ABT. This performance was filmed and broadcast as a part of Great Performances: Dance in America on PBS.[14][15] In 2010 she appeared as herself in season 4, episode 8 of Gossip Girl with Ethan Stiefel. She also appears as the eponymous character in Royal New Zealand Ballet's documentary and filmed production of Giselle.[16][17] Behind the scenes, she served as a ballet consultant on the movie Black Swan.[citation needed]

Personal life

On September 19, 2015, Murphy married her longtime partner Ethan Stiefel, a former principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet.[18] Stiefel proposed to her following her performance in the opening night gala of American Ballet Theatre's 2011 season.[19] On December 14, 2018, Murphy announced that she was pregnant with their first child and would take maternity leave for the 2018-2019 season.[20][21] In June 2019, Murphy announced the birth of her first child, Ax Nathaniel Stiefel.[22]

Murphy graduated from St. Mary's College in 2018.[23] She completed the Crossover to Business program for professional artists and athletes at Harvard Business School.[5]

References

  1. ^ Jaffe, Susan. "The Artist as Leader: Gillian Murphy". University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
  2. ^ Woods, Astrida (October 21, 2009). "Beyond Bravura". Dance Magazine.
  3. ^ Culbertson, Todd (July 2, 2018). "Todd Culbertson column: Ballet's celestial bodies are essential in the age of the tweet". Richmond Times-Dispatch.
  4. ^ Blank, Barbara (October 31, 2017). "Family Dance: At Pennsylvania Regional Ballet, some are treated like family–others actually are". The Burg News.
  5. ^ a b c "Gillian Murphy". American Ballet Theatre.
  6. ^ Kisselgoff, Anna (June 23, 2001). "DANCE REVIEW; With the Swan, the Lake and Debuts". The New York Times.
  7. ^ Kisselgoff, Anna (July 8, 2002). "BALLET THEATER REVIEWS; Good, Evil and a Vivid Link Between Them". The New York Times.
  8. ^ "Moving Up the Ballet Company Ranks". The New York Times. June 6, 2002.
  9. ^ Escoyne, Courtney (January 2, 2017). "We Totally Nailed These Past "25 to Watch" Picks". Dance Magazine.
  10. ^ "Casting Announced for Third and Fourth Weeks of ABT's 2016 Spring Season at Metropolitan Opera House". American Ballet Theatre. May 11, 2016. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  11. ^ Susie (2024-12-09). "Gillian Murphy to Give Farewell Performance with American Ballet Theatre, Friday, July 18, 2025, at the Metropolitan Opera House". American Ballet Theatre.
  12. ^ "Gillian Murphy Profile Page". Prix de Lausanne.
  13. ^ "Gillian Murphy Profile Page". Princess Grace Foundation, USA.[permanent dead link‍]
  14. ^ DeSantis, Marissa (October 9, 2017). "Gillian Murphy on Mastering the Dual Role of Odette/Odile and Which One She Loves Dancing Mos". Pointe Magazine.
  15. ^ Mattison, Ben (June 20, 2005). "PBS Broadcasts American Ballet Theatre Swan Lake". Playbill.
  16. ^ Lancaster, Lynne. "Royal New Zealand Ballet – Giselle". Dance Magazine Australia.
  17. ^ "Giselle". NZ on Screen.
  18. ^ Patricia, Harty; Kara, Rota. "Gillian Murphy: On Her Toes". Irish America (June / July 2016). Retrieved March 8, 2019.
  19. ^ Sucas, Rosalyn (May 31, 2011). "At Ballet Theater, Popping the Question After the Plié". The New York Times.
  20. ^ Wingenroth, Lauren (December 14, 2018). "8 Reasons Why Gillian Murphy Will Be the Coolest Mom". Dance Magazine.
  21. ^ "Gillian Murphy to Take Maternity Leave". American Ballet Theatre. December 14, 2018.
  22. ^ Neenan, Cadence (June 10, 2019). "Gillian Murphy and Ethan Stiefel Welcome First Son". Pointe Magazine. Retrieved April 14, 2020.
  23. ^ Kourlas, Gia (May 31, 2018). "Clearing the Stage for a Big Graduation Number at City Ballet". The New York Times.