Damian Woetzel
Damian Woetzel
Damian Woetzel 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...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionDancer
CountryUnited States of America
exit focused good high intended leave timing tough tricky
The retirement timing is always a tricky thing for a dancer. I think it's different for everyone. How you say goodbye to the thing you have really focused on that much is a tough one. I've always intended to leave in good shape, to exit on a high note.
best feeling letting
I like that feeling of letting loose, of not planning every step. The best performances are the ones that you just let happen.
areas certainly consulting directly
I'm going to do some consulting for nonprofits and arts agencies. These are areas I'm interested in that didn't come directly out of Harvard, but certainly I started looking at things in a different manner.
sure teenager
I last went to a gym when I was a teenager to make sure I could lift ballerinas.
awaken learning science spark
I want to go into science class and awaken that spark that makes learning possible.
arts education general good great nations remembered
We say arts education is good for general education, but that's not the point. The arts are what great nations are remembered for. They are a mirror.
whether
As a dancer running around the world, I always questioned whether that's what I wanted to do.
That's how you live. You participate. You take risks.
looking options yield
I am always looking for options that yield something unexpected.
advancing interested relationships society valuable
I have long been interested in exploring and advancing the valuable relationships between the arts and society.
dropped ended hobbies left until
Dancing was one of the hobbies my brother and I had when we were kids, and dance ended up being the one that stuck. I dropped everything else until that was what was left in the end.
It's a false proposition that we have to take the arts away to fund something else.
life spent traveled york
I traveled so much to dance that I feel a part of many places, but New York is where I spent most of my life and where my career has been - it's the place where I exist.
stuck tend whatever
It's all about progression, not getting stuck and about having aspirations, which can lead you to do more and not just be satisfied. I was always that way about my dancing, and that's how I am about whatever it is I tend to pursue.