- Danced in the corps with the New York City Ballet until getting an offer as principal with the American Ballet Theatre.
- Was called by ballet legend and superstar Mikhail Baryshnikov: "One of the brightest lights in the entire ballet world".
- Was romantically linked to ABT soloist Amy Rose, at the time of his death in 1987.
- He and his brother were victims of very severe emotional child abuse.
- He first got into ballet when his sister would bring him to her dance classes and ask him to be her dance partner.
- He also had a twin brother (fraternal, not identical).
- His mother wrote a magazine article about the untimely (but inevitable) death of her son called "A Mother's Plea."
- His interest in ballet began with his oldest sister, Susan. A tall girl, she recruited her lanky 10-year-old brother to be her dance-class partner. He was a natural - so much so that at 14 he left home to study at the National Academy of Dance in Champaign, Illinois, and later at the North Carolina School of the Arts.
- Had danced with 'Martine van Hamel', Cynthia Gregory, Gelsey Kirkland, Susan Jaffe, Leslie Browne, Alessandra Ferri, Natalia Makarova, Karen Kain, Galina Samsova and others.
- Was a student of the School of American Ballet, the most prestigious academy in the United States, and moved into the top ranks of American Ballet Theatre.
- Was thrown into the role of principal very early because of the lack of leading men in the American Ballet Theatre. Many thought he seemed "green and unfinished" early on in his career, although he quickly picked up the pace and soon became in great demand as a partner, particularly for the very tall women in ABT, whom were in dire need of large partners.
- His role as the "Solor" in "Kingdom of the Shades" from La Bayadère with the American Ballet Theatre in Los Angeles marked his debut as a principal dancer with the ABT, with rising ABT ballerina Jolinda Menendez. They went on to marry.
- During his stint with the ABT, at his peak, his salary was almost $250,000 a year, including guest appearance fees.
- He spent a great deal of time at the Betty Ford Center due to his drug addiction and numerous injuries (the drugs were burning him out at both ends).
- With salary dancing with the ABT and guest appearance fees combined, he made almost a quarter of a million dollars a year.
- While dancing with ABT, he was promoted to principal dancer at the tender age of 21, due mostly to the shortage of men in the company.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content