Andy de Groat

Andy de Groat (November 1947 – January 10, 2019) was an American choreographer best known for his collaborations with interdisciplinary impresario Robert Wilson.

Early life and education Born in November 1947 in Paterson, New Jersey, de Groat grew up in a working-class family with little involvement in the arts. His father, a truck driver, was unsupportive of his interests, and de Groat had little contact with his family after leaving high school. He was studying painting at the School of Visual Arts in New York when he met Robert Wilson in late 1966 at the Bleecker Street Cinema in Greenwich Village, where de Groat had a part-time job.

In 1982, de Groat moved his dance company to France. Henceforth he lived in Paris, Tarbes, and Montauban. He specialized in spinning, and applied it to works such as The Nutcracker, La Bayadère, and Giselle.

Personal life He was romantically involved with Robert Wilson for many years. Almost 20 years prior to his death, de Groat had a stroke impairing his movement and speech.

Choreographic works Fan Dance (1978) Stabat Mater (1991) La Bayadère (1993) Tangos (1995) Swan Lake (1996) The Nutcracker (1996) Igitur or Elbehnon's Folly (2009)