• Born in Pennsylvania
• Dance training at 8 in Madison, Wisconsin
• 2 years of Dance training at the Milwaukee Ballet School
• Studied with the Pennsylvania Youth Ballet
• Attented ABT's school of classical ballet and school of American Ballet on scholarship
• At 16 - Joined the Corps de Ballet of New York City Ballet
• 1992 : Joined the Zurich Ballet
• 1993 : Returned to NYCB
• 1995 : Promoted to Principal of the NYCB
• April 1997 : Joined American Ballet Theater as Principal
• 2000 : Center stage (best movie ever about ballet)
• 2007 : Appointed Dean of the School of Dance for the North CArolina School of the Arts
• 2008 : Turn it up (Center stage 2)
• September 2011 : Artistic Director of the Royal New Zealand Ballet

Awards :

• 1989 : Silver Medal at The Prix de Lausanne
• 1991 : Recipient of a Princess Grace Fondation USA grant
• 1998 : Nominated for Benois de la Danse  as one of the rising stars in ballet