Chase Finlay Explained

Chase Finlay (born 1990) is a former ballet dancer and former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet who has also danced with the Mariinsky Theatre in Russia.^[1]

Early life

Born in Fairfield, Connecticut, Finlay began his dance training at the age of 8, at Ballet Academy East in New York City. During the summer of 2007, he began studying at the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet (NYCB). He subsequently enrolled there as a full-time student.^[2]

Career

Finlay became an apprentice with NYCB in September 2008. He became a member of the corps de ballet in September 2009. While still a member of the corps de ballet, he danced the title role in George Balanchine's Apollo.^{[3] [4]}

He was promoted to soloist in July 2011, and to principal in February 2013.^[2]

Alexandra Waterbury lawsuit

In September 2018, Finlay was sued by his 20-year-old ex-girlfriend, Alexandra Waterbury, for allegedly sharing nude photos of her and other female dancers with male company members without their consent.^{[5] [6] [7] [8]} Finlay resigned from the New York City Ballet in August 2018 during the company's investigation.

Roles

Featured roles since joining the New York City Ballet:^[2]

George Balanchine

• Apollo
• Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet (First Movement)
• Divertimento No. 15
• Duo Concertant
• Liebeslieder Walzer
• A Midsummer Night's Dream (Divertissement, Lysander)
• Mozartiana
• George Balanchine's The Nutcracker™ (Cavalier, Hot Chocolate)
• Robert Schumann's "Davidsbündlertänze"
• Stars and Stripes
• Symphony in C (First Movement)
• Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux

Ulysses Dove

• Red Angels

Sean Lavery

• Romeo and Juliet

Peter Martins

• Fearful Symmetries
• Morgen
• River of Light
• The Sleeping Beauty (Gold)
• Swan Lake (Pas de Quatre)
• Todo Buenos Aires

Jerome Robbins

• 2 & 3 Part Inventions
• Glass Pieces
• Interplay
  • West Side Story Suite

Christopher Wheeldon

• Polyphonia
• Soirée Musicale

Originated featured roles in:

• Peter Martins: Bal de Couture, Mirage
• Angelin Preljocaj: Spectral Evidence

Originated corps roles in:

• Alexey Miroshnichenko: The Lady with The Little Dog
• Alexei Ratmansky: Namouna, A Grand Divertissement
• Lynne Taylor-Corbett: The Seven Deadly Sins
• Christopher Wheeldon: Estancia

Honors

In 2010, Finlay became the first recipient^[9] of the Clive Barnes Award^{[2] [10]} for dance.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Chase Finlay.
2. Web site: Chase Finlay. New York City Ballet. December 23, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141222141207/http://www.nycballet.com/Dancers/Dancers-Bios/chase-finlay.aspx. December 22, 2014. dead.
3. News: Macualay . Alastair . Youth, Balanchine and Fans Are Served . The New York Times . May 6, 2011. June 18, 2011.
4. News: Fearless Ascent, as a God or a Jet. The New York Times. Gia. Kourlas. June 2, 2011. January 24, 2019.
5. News: City Ballet and Chase Finlay Sued by Woman Who Says Nude Photos of Her Were Shared. September 23, 2018. en. The New York Times. Cooper. Michael. Pogrebin. Robin. September 5, 2018.
6. News: City Ballet Fires Two Male Dancers Named in Photo Sharing Scandal. September 23, 2018. en. The New York Times. Cooper. Michael. Pogrebin. Robin. September 15, 2018.
7. Web site: Ballerina Sues New York City Ballet Over Nude Photos. September 6, 2018. The Daily Beast. en. September 23, 2018.
8. News: Former NYC Ballet Dancer Accused Of Sharing Naked Pictures Of Girlfriend With Fellow Dancers And Donors. Gothamist. September 23, 2018. en-US. https://web.archive.org/web/20180906114936/http://gothamist.com/2018/09/05/nyc_ballet_lawsuit.php#. September 6, 2018. dead.
9. http://theclivebarnesfoundation.com/the-clive-barnes-award/ The Award. Past Award Finalists and Winners
10. http://theclivebarnesfoundation.com/the-clive-barnes-award/ About The Clive Barnes Award