Damian Woetzel, Festival Director

Born in Boston in 1967, Damian Woetzel was a Principal Dancer at the New York City Ballet (NYCB) from 1989 until June of 2008, where new roles were created for him by Jerome Robbins, Eliot Feld, Christopher Wheeldon, Twyla Tharp and Susan Stroman, among others. In addition to his work at NYCB, Woetzel has performed frequently as an international guest artist and he has starred with many of the world’s great ballet companies including American Ballet Theatre and the Kirov Ballet. He has also frequently led his own touring production of "Damian Woetzel and Friends," which includes stars of American and international ballet in performances around the world. Woetzel has performed frequently on television throughout his career, and he starred in the movie version of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker.

Woetzel has been the Director of the Vail International Dance Festival since 2006. Among his awards are the Dance Magazine Award, the Choo San Goh Award for new choreography, and an award from New York State in recognition of his contributions to arts education. Woetzel was Artistic Director at the New York State Summer School for the Arts from 1994-2007. Also a choreographer, Woetzel has created a number of ballets for New York City Ballet, as well as other ballet and opera companies

Woetzel holds a Master in Public Administration Degree from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and in the fall of 2007, Harvard President Drew Faust appointed Woetzel to the new Harvard Task Force on the Arts. Woetzel is a charter member of the National Committee on U.S. China Relations’ Young Leaders Forum, dedicated to forming bonds between future leaders from the United States and China. Since 2004, Woetzel has been a member of the Artists Committee of the Kennedy Center Honors, and he was a juror for the Astaire Awards of 2008. Woetzel is a 2008 Harman-Eisner Artist-in-Residence at the Aspen Institute.