| Ethan starred as Conrad in the 1999 ABT production of "Le Corsaire." |
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He won wide praise for his feature film debut in CENTER STAGE, portraying Cooper Nielson, a star dancer who faces crises in his artistic and romantic lives. He danced excerpts by George Balanchine, Kenneth MacMillan, and two dances created for Mr. Stiefel by Tony Award winner Susan Stroman. The film was directed by Oscar nominee and Tony Award winner Nicholas Hytner and produced by Laurence Mark. The film was released in May 2000. According to Sony Pictures, the DVD and video of CENTER STAGE are among the company's fastest selling releases.
Mr. Stiefel's association with The Royal Ballet began in November 1999 in Twyla Tharp's "Junk Man Pas de Deux " from "Known by Heart." He performed the Tharp piece in the opening programs presented in the two theaters at the renovated Covent Garden -- the newly created Studio Theater and the Opera House. His subsequent repertoire with The Royal includes Franz in Ninette de Valois's "Coppelia"; Colas in Ashton's "La Fille mal gardée," both in London and on a U.S. tour; Solor in "La Bayadère"; Albrecht in "Giselle"; "In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated"; and the company premiere of John Cranko's "Onegin." Sir Anthony Dowell, former artistic director of The Royal, invited Mr. Stiefel to appear as Oberon in the Scherzo from Ashton's "The Dream" in a gala honoring Sir Anthony's years with the company.
In the summer of 2001, Mr. Stiefel produced a concert program, "Stiefel and Stars," for the Vail International Dance Festival. Ballerina Amanda McKerrow and other American Ballet Theatre dancers were featured in a varied repertoire including a complete performance of "The Sleeping Beauty," Act III. Mr. Stiefel made his debut with the Kirov Ballet in February 2001, appearing as Apollo with three St. Petersburg ballerinas. His first appearance at the Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires, was in December 1999, dancing Prince Florimund in "The Sleeping Beauty" in a production by Sir Peter Wright.
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| Ethan in "Le Corsaire." |
Mr. Stiefel has received many honors for his artistry, including a silver medal at the prestigious Prix de Lausanne in 1989. The Princess Grace Foundation-USA awarded him an "Emerging Artist" grant in 1991. The committee for the 1998 Benois de la Danse Award considered Mr. Stiefel "one of the rising stars of ballet." His Royal Highness Crown Prince Albert of Monaco presented Mr. Stiefel with the Statue Award of the Princess Grace Foundation at a gala dinner in October 1999. The award, the foundation's highest honor, is given "in recognition of exceptional and continuing professional achievements."
Mr. Stiefel has toured extensively in France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Korea, Denmark, Italy, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Russia, and throughout the United States.
Ethan Stiefel appeared in the world premieres of two works during American Ballet Theatre's 2002 October season at New York's City Center: "A Tribute to George Harrison" with choreography by Natalie Weir and David Parsons, and an untitled work by Lar Lubovitch to the music of Richard Rodgers. Mr. Stiefel will be seen on tour with Ballet Theatre in Boston, Cleveland, and the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, California. During February-March 2003, Mr. Stiefel will dance with The Royal Ballet in London as Prince Florimund in "The Sleeping Beauty," a new production by Natalia Makarova. He returns to the Metropolitan Opera House with Ballet Theatre in May-June 2003 dancing Romeo in "Romeo and Juliet," Oberon in "The Dream," Colas in "La Fille mal gardée," Siegfried in "Swan Lake," Basil in "Don Quixote," and Solor in "La Bayadère."
Source: American Ballet Theatre. © 2001 American Ballet Theatre.
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