André Prokovsky (b. Paris, January 13, 1939, d. Beausoleil, August 15, 2009) was a principal dancer with New York City Ballet from 1963 to 1967 and roles in George Balanchine’s 1965 Pas de Deux and Divertissement and 1966 Brahms–Schoenberg Quartet with Melissa Hayden his partner in both.
Born of Russian parents Prokovsky made his stage debut in 1954 with the Comédie-Française in a production of Molière’s Amants Magnifiques, then danced in ballet troupes directed by Roland Petit and Janine Charrat joining the London Festival Ballet as a soloist in 1957, where he was promoted to principal dancer in 1958.
Prokovsky joined the Grand Ballet of the Marquis de Cuevas in 1960, New York City Ballet in 1963 and returned to the London Festival Ballet in 1967, where he danced with his wife Galina Samsova. In 1972 they formed the New London Ballet, which toured Britain, Europe, Asia, South America and the United States with repertory including his first choreographic works.
After the company disbanded in 1977, Prokovsky became ballet director of the Rome Opera House for two years and then devoted himself to choreography, particularly full-evening productions of familiar stories from literature or opera:
He also staged dance sequences for operatic productions by the Paris Opera and the Washington National Opera.
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