Joy Womack

Joy Annabelle Womack is an American ballet dancer. She is the first American woman to graduate from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy’s main training program with a red diploma, and the first American woman to sign a contract with the Bolshoi Ballet. She was a principal dancer with the Universal Ballet and Kremlin Ballet, Astrakhan Opera and Ballet Theatre and got a fixed-term contract with Paris Opera Ballet in January 2023.

Early life and education Womack was born one of nine children in Beverly Hills, California, and raised in Santa Monica, California and studied under Yvonne Mounsey at the Westside School of Ballet until the age of twelve when her family moved to Austin, Texas. Her parents found her a Russian ballet teacher in the Austin area, and she attended a dance school that specialized in the Vaganova method. She was fifteen years old at the time. During her first year at the Academy, During the interview, she made allegations of extortion from an unnamed director in exchange for a solo part in a performance in September of that year. Although some dancers, such as Alexander Petukhov, denied the allegations, stating, "...If she knows something, let her name those people. Why smear the theater like that?", others, such as Natalia Vyskubeno, supported Womack's account. Womack herself described this time as "...like breaking up with your first love." In 2018, she was a principal dancer with the Universal Ballet in Seoul, South Korea. Womack also guest performed in Sofia National Opera and Ballet, Kraków Opera and Ballet, and The Russian State Ballet. She joined the Boston Ballet as an artist in 2019. The following year she joined the Astrakhan Opera and Ballet Theatre as prima ballerina. As of Oct 2021, Project Prima was no longer active and the URL redirects to Womack's official website. She modeled for Cloud and Victory in 2014. She was a Gaynor Girl Pro Ambassador for Gaynor Minden, a dance wear and ballet brand. In 2020, Gaynor Minden listed Womack as an Artist Ambassador.

Womack appeared in the documentary Joy Womack: The White Swan, made by Dina Burlis, Danila Kuznetsov and Sergey Gavrilov, detailing her journey from a young American girl to becoming prima ballerina of Kremlin Ballet. It debuted in June 2020 at the Marché du Film at Cannes and was released in late 2021.

In 2024, New Zealand filmmaking team James Napier Robertson and Tom Hern released a biopic called Joika, based on Womack's life during her time with the Bolshoi Ballet, with Womack serving as choreographer and consultant. Actress and classically trained dancer Talia Ryder To prepare for the role, Ryder worked with Womack and New York City Ballet principal dancer Daniel Ulbricht. Diane Kruger plays Womack's ballet teacher and mentor in the film. Filming began in Poland in early 2022 and wrapped in Warsaw "almost hours" before Russia invaded Ukraine.

Personal life Womack learned to speak fluent Russian while living and working in Russia. She is a Christian.

Womack announced her engagement to Andrew Hale Clay on September 30, 2020 via her personal YouTube channel.

Movies Year Title Role Notes 2013 Searching for Perfection Self Short 2017 Home & Family Self, ballerina TV series, 1 episode 2021 Joy Womack: The White Swan Self Documentary 2023 Joika Consultant, dance double

Awards In 2011 she won the Grand Prix award at the Youth America Grand Prix in Paris, France.

In 2012, Womack was awarded the Grand Prix Award at one of the 13 Youth America Grand Prix semi-finals.

In 2013, she was awarded the Asian Grand Prix Award at the Asian Grand Prix in Hong Kong.

In July 2016, Womack won silver medal at the International Ballet Competition at Varna, Bulgaria.

In 2017 she won Gold at Korea International Ballet Competition.