Margaret Tracey

Margaret Tracey (born March 28, 1967) is an American ballet dancer and educator. She joined the New York City Ballet in 1986, was promoted principal dancer in 1991, and retired in 2002. She served as the director of the Boston Ballet School between 2007 and 2021, dean of the Colburn School's Trudl Zipper Dance Institute since 2023, and slated to become the artistic director of Canada's National Ballet School in 2024.

Early life and training Margaret Tracey was born on March 28, 1967, in Pueblo, Colorado, to a judge father and dance teacher mother. Her younger sister, Kathleen, would also be a New York City Ballet dancer. Tracey has two older brothers. She started dancing at a young age, trained by her mother and other local teachers. and graduated from the School of American Ballet the following year. Harlequinade, Western Symphony, Agon, Scotch Symphony, Forsythe's Herman Schmerman, Martins' Zakouski, Les Petits Riens and Reliquary.

In 1996, she performed Balanchine's Sylvia pas de deux alongside Angel Corella for President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton, when former New York City Ballet principal dancer Maria Tallchief received a Kennedy Center Honor. Whilst an active dancer, she had also taught at School of American Ballet and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. After she retired from performing, she joined the faculty of Ballet Academy West in New York.

Tracey stepped down from the Boston Ballet School in 2021, with short-term plans to teach and consult on a freelance basis, focusing on curriculums and faculty development. Tracey served as the jury president of Prix de Lausanne in 2022.

In August 2023, Tracey became the dean of the Colburn School's Trudl Zipper Dance Institute. She is slated to become the artistic director of Canada's National Ballet School in 2024.

Personal life In 1996, Tracey married Russell Kaiser, a fellow New York City Ballet dancer. They have two children.