Choreographer
Richard Tanner
Choreographer
Why They Matter
Tanner's choreography remains part of New York City Ballet's active repertory, preserving an approach to neoclassical ballet that draws dancers and audiences into intricate dialogues between movement and twentieth-century composition. His works continue to be performed and studied as examples of…
Biography
Richard Tanner is a choreographer and former ballet dancer born in Phoenix, Arizona. He began his dance training in tap and ballet, earning a BFA from the University of Utah before continuing his studies at the School of American Ballet. Tanner danced as a soloist with Ballet West from 1967 to 1970, then went on to a ten-year performing career with New York City Ballet, one of the premier institutions of American neoclassical ballet.
Tanner began choreographing for New York City Ballet in 1971, launching a creative practice rooted in the institutions that shaped his own training. His works for the company include *Ancient Airs and Dances*, which pairs dance with Respighi's orchestral music, and *Schoenberg Variations*, a work choreographed to Schoenberg's serial compositions and premiered on 24 July 1996. These ballets reflect Tanner's approach to structuring movement within complex musical frameworks, anchoring his artistic voice in the neoclassical ballet tradition.
Legacy & Impact
Tanner's choreography remains part of New York City Ballet's active repertory, preserving an approach to neoclassical ballet that draws dancers and audiences into intricate dialogues between movement and twentieth-century composition. His works continue to be performed and studied as examples of musically attentive choreography, offering insight into how American ballet choreographers of his generation engaged with modernist scores and sustained the development of the form.
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