Lawrence Rhodes

Lawrence Rhodes (November 24, 1939 – March 27, 2019) was an American premier dancer, dance teacher and director of ballet companies and the dance divisions of New York University and the Juilliard School.

Early life Lawrence Rhodes was born in Mount Hope, West Virginia on November 24, 1939. Following his second birthday, his family moved to Detroit, Michigan. At age 9, his classmate, Glenda Ann Bush, introduced Rhodes to tap dancing. The pair became a dance duo, performing at functions around the city as "Buddy and Glenda Ann." (Rhodes went by the nickname of Buddy until he was renamed by Robert Joffrey in the 1960s.)

He discovered ballet at age 14 after seeing a Ballet Theatre performance of Swan Lake.

By 1962, arts patroness and heiress Rebekah Harkness had become the company's primary sponsor.

Because all of the dancers' contracts were with the Harkness Foundation, Joffrey had little say in the matter. In February 1964, Harkness’ lawyers announced the name change and told the dancers they would be absorbed into the new company or could ask for release from their contracts. Only two dancers broke their contracts.

Rhodes' power as a dancer reached its peak with Harkness Ballet. He was lauded for performances in Stuart Hodes' "The Abyss", John Butler's "Sebastian" and "After Eden", and Rudy van Dantzig's "Monument for a Dead Boy." Reviewing "Sebastian," New York Times critic Don McDonagh wrote, "Mr. Rhodes' intensity is allowed full sway and he dominates the ballet. Emotion is the life blood of the work and no one on the ballet stage is capable of generating as much of it as Mr. Rhodes."

In 1968, Rhodes took over as Harkness Ballet's artistic director, voted in by his fellow company members. In this position, he balanced performing and administrative duties until Rebekah Harkness disbanded the troupe in 1970.

In 1989, Rhodes joined Les Grands Ballet Canadiens de Montreal as artistic director. He stayed with the company until 1999. During summers, he guest taught around the world, primarily at Nederlands Dans Theater, Ballet Frankfurt and Lyon Opera Ballet, where he returned annually until his death.

In 2002, Rhodes became the head of the Juilliard School's Dance Division, a position he held until 2017. He streamlined the dance curriculum and increased the students' performance opportunities by creating "New Dances." During Rhodes' tenure, Juilliard dancers also participated in three major performance tours in the U.S. and Europe. Juilliard's 2017 New Dances edition celebrated the legacy of Lawrence Rhodes, its creator and curator, and his impactful 15 years as head of the Dance Division.

Personal life and death In 1970, Rhodes married longtime colleague and dance partner, Danish ballerina Lone Isaksen. They had a son, Mark, Rhodes died on March 27, 2019, from a heart attack.