Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, the esteemed principal dancer at New York City Ballet and a celebrated star dancer at the Paris Opera Ballet, passed away at age 82 from heart failure. He joined City Ballet in 1970 after a distinguished tenure in Paris. Notably, he worked closely with George Balanchine, which had a profound impact on his career. As a teacher and director of the Charlotte Ballet, Bonnefoux inspired countless dancers, leaving a lasting legacy in the ballet community.
Mr. Bonnefoux had been an etoile at the Paris Opera Ballet for five years when he joined City Ballet as a principal dancer in 1970.
He had worked briefly with George Balanchine, at the Paris Opera in 1963, when the company performed Balanchine's The Four Temperaments.
The four days Mr. Bonnefoux spent with Balanchine, who coached him in the role, were life-changing. It gave me the strength to go through 10 more years of dancing.
Knowing that someone like that exists somewhere, he said, gave him a goal: You need to be amazed all the time, to be fresh, to be interested always.
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