PAULL MEJIA

FACULTY

Paul Mejia, born in Lima, Peru, joined the School of American Ballet in 1958, where he first appeared as the "Little Prince" in the New York City Ballet's production of The Nutcracker. While a student, he was invited by George Balanchine to attend his seminars on teaching and on choreography, and to study music with acclaimed Russian piano teacher Kiriena Siloti. At age fourteen, Paul Mejia choreographed his first ballets, which were performed by dancers from the School ofAmerican Ballet.

Mr. Mejia joined the New York City Ballet as a professional dancer in 1964. During the next five years, he danced principal roles in many Balanchine ballets, including A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Nutcracker, Jewels, Agon, and Symphony in C. In 1972, Paul Mejia joined Maurice Bejart's Ballet of the Twentieth Century where he danced many principal roles throughout Europe. He created two ballets for ballerina Suzanne Farrell and himself, which were presented in Belgium and in Monte Carlo.

In 1977, Mr. Mejia staged a season of ballet in Guatemala, where he created four new ballets including Romeo and Juliet, the first of his Shakespearean ballet series. (Additionally, a ballet was created in Cuba for American Ballet Theater's ballerina, Eleanor D'Antono.) During this time period, Mr. Mejia directed "Stars of the American Ballet" through its United States tour.

Paul Mejia joined the Chicago City Ballet as co-artistic director with Maria Tallchief. During the next seven years, Mejia created fifteen new ballets, including his full-length version of Cinderella. First created for ballerina Suzanne Farrell, this audience favorite toured nationally and internationally in New York City, Japan and Taiwan to great acclaim. His ballet Eight by Adler, set to music by Richard Adler, was later filmed for PBS and won an Emmy Award for Suzanne Farrell.

From 1987 to 1998, Paul Mejia was artistic director of the Fort Worth Dallas Ballet. During these ten years, Mejia added thirty-two of his own works to the company's repertoire, introducing sixteen world premiers. The extensive repertoire also included thirty-five Balanchine ballets, with Mejia's staging of Prodigal Son, Firebird, and Bugaku, making Fort Worth Dallas Ballet one of the world's premier Balanchine companies.

Dedicated to the artistic vision and philosophy of George Balanchine, Mejia has choreographed works in the neoclassical style, as well as dramatic story ballets such as Swan Lake, Cinderella, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and Romeo and Juliet. Mejia's Webern Pieces, performed with ballerina Maria Terezia Balogh and Dallas Cowboys football star Herschel Walker, garnered national media attention. Under Meiia's direction, Fort Worth Dallas Ballet enjoyed the distinction of not only artistic excellence, but also financial excellence by producing on-budget and finishing with a yearly surplus. In addition to ballet, Paul Mejia has choreographed several operas for Chicago Lyric Opera, Dallas Opera, Fort Worth Opera, and San Antonio Festival, as well as for musicals, theatre, and fashion. Paul Mejia has been a guest teacher and lecturer in various schools and universities throughout the United States. In 1984, he was selected by Esquire Magazine as one of the "Outstanding Americans under 40."