Jeffrey Cirio

Photo: Rosalie O'Connor.

Jeffrey Cirio began his ballet training at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, under the direction of Marcia Dale Weary. In 2006, he was awarded a Grand Prix medal in the regionals, and a gold medal in the New York finals of Youth America Grand Prix and went on to win a bronze medal at the 2006 U.S. International Ballet Competition in Jackson, MS. Cirio became a trainee with Boston Ballet School and joined Boston Ballet II for the 2007-2008 Season. He continued his training at Orlando Ballet School with Peter Stark and Olivier Munoz. Cirio was the first American to be awarded a gold medal at the Helsinki International Ballet Competition in 2009, and won a coveted Princess Grace Fellowship that same year. Cirio’s other awards include a silver level award in ballet at NFAA’S Young Arts program, a silver medal the 2008 Seoul International Dance Competition, the Senior Grand Prix Award and Mary Day Award for Artistry at the 2009 Youth America Grand Prix and a gold medal at the 2009 World Ballet Competition.  Cirio was also nominated for the Best Male Classical Dance Performance at the 2013 National Dance Awards in the UK for his performance of Jorma Elo’s Plan to B.

Cirio returned to Boston Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in 2009, was promoted to Second Soloist in 2010, Soloist in 2011 and Principal in 2012. Cirio’s repertory with Boston Ballet includes Prince Désiré and Bluebird in The Sleeping Beauty, The Prince in Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella, Basilio in Rudolf Nureyev’s Don Quixote, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, the Bronze Idol and Solor in Florence Clerc’s La Bayadère, Oberon and Puck in George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the Nutcracker, Cavalier, Snow King and Russian Lead in Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker, Mercutio and Benvolio in John Cranko’s Romeo & Juliet, the peasant pas de deux in Giselle, a Sailor in Fancy Free and the pas de deux from August Bournonville’s William Tell and Flower Festival at Genzano. His repertory includes roles in George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, Harlequinade, Ballo della Regina, Symphony in Three Movements, Melancholic in The Four Temperaments, the Third Movement in Symphony in C, Franz in Coppélia, Tarantella and Diamonds and Rubies pas de deux in Jewels.  Cirio’s repertory also includes principal roles in Jiří Kylián’s Sechs Tanze, Symphony of Psalms and Tar and Feathers, William Forsythe’s The Second Detail and The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, Wayne McGregor’s Chroma, José Martinez’s Resonance, Alexander Ekman’s Cacti, Christopher Wheeldon’s Polyphonia and Harald Lander’s Études.

Cirio originated the principal roles in Jorma Elo’s Awake Only and Elo Experience.  Cirio has been commissioned to choreograph works for Boston Ballet including of Trial in 2014 and fremd in 2015.

He joined American Ballet Theatre as a Soloist in 2015 and was appointed a Principal Dancer in August 2016.  His repertoire includes His Hope in AfterEffect, Solor in La Bayadère, Lankendem and Ali the Slave in Le Corsaire, Basilio in Don Quixote, Colas in La Fille mal gardée, Prince Guidon in The Golden Cockerel, Harlequin in Harlequinade, Chinese Dance and Russian Dance in The Nutcracker, Lensky in Onegin, Son in Prodigal Son, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, Cavalier and The Bluebird in Ratmansky’s The Sleeping Beauty, Benno in Swan Lake, Eros in Sylvia, The Boy in Whipped Cream and roles in Chamber Symphony, Company B, Mozartiana, Serenade After Plato’s Symposium and Symphonic Variations.

He created roles in After You, AFTERITE and Her Notes.