Jennie Somogyi

Jennie Renee Somogyi (pronounced sa-mo-JEE ) is an American former ballet dancer. She joined the New York City Ballet in 1993, at age 15, became a principal dancer in 2000, and retired in 2015.

Early life and training Jennie Renee Somogyi was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, She first trained in gymnastics at the Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania at age 6. Due to her talents, she was placed with older children. The instructor at the center recommended Somogyi to also study dance as other children also do so. Recognizing Somogyi's talent, a family friend suggested her to train with Nina Youshkevitch, who had studied under Bronislava Nijinska, and the friend offered to drive her to New York for the lessons and to pay for them. At age 9, she entered the School of American Ballet on scholarship. One of her teachers at the school was Suki Schorer.

Career Somogyi became an apprentice with the New York City in 1993, She tore her left foot posterior tibial tendon in 2004, her right foot Achilles tendon in 2012 and the same left foot tendon again in 2013. For her last injury, she had a donor transplant, which is rarely done on a foot.

Shortly after she returned from her last major injury, she announced that she would retire. Her final performance was on October 11, 2015, in which she danced the role Violette Verdy created in Balanchine's Liebeslieder Walzer, one of her favorite ballet, and a role Nichols had danced for many years. In 2017, she opened the Jennie Somogyi Ballet Academy in her hometown of Easton, Pennsylvania.

Personal life Somogyi is married and has two children. During her dance career, she commuted between Alpha, New Jersey and New York City. After she retired, the family moved to Pohatcong Township, New Jersey.