Karole Armitage: Dancer, Choreographer

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Karole Armitage is based in New York City where she is Artistic Director of Armitage Gone! Dance.

She began her professional dance career as a member of Ballet du Grand Théâtre de Genève in Switzerland, which was directed by George Balanchine. Following this, she was a member of Merce Cunningham Dance Company where she danced in leading roles around the world.

In 1984, she was invited by Mikhail Baryshnikov to create a work for American Ballet Theatre. Three years later, Rudolph Nureyev commissioned one of her works for Paris Opéra Ballet.

She served as director and choreographer of the company MaggioDanza in Florence, Italy, was resident choreographer of Ballet de Lorraine in Nancy, France, and director of the International Festival of Contemporary Dance at the Venice Biennale.

Karole created dances for numerous companies including Paris Opera Ballet, White Oak Dance Project, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bayerische Staatsoper in Munich, Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, Lyon Opera Ballet, Ballet Nacional de Cuba, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Kansas City Ballet, Bern Ballet, Washington Ballet, and Rambert Dance Company. She directed operas for many of the prestigious houses of Europe, including Teatro di San Carlo in Naples, Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, Lyric Opera in Athens and Het Muzik Theater in Amsterdam.

She created choreography for Michael Jackson’s "In The Closet", and Madonna’s "Vogue."

Vanity Fair magazine once dubbed her the “punk ballerina”.  

She was nominated for a Tony Award for her choreography of the Broadway musical Hair.

In the spring of 2009, Karole was awarded France’s most prestigious award, "Commandeur dans L’ordre des Arts et des Lettres."

Photograph copyright 2013 Larry F. Levenson. 

All rights reserved.

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