Gelsey Kirkland, one of the well-known and admired dancers of our time, speaks about her life and experiences in her autobiography, "Dancing on My Grave". Although she had to struggle through many obstacles, physical, emotional, and mental, on the stage she was always a magnificent dancer. She could actually delve into the dance and become the role she was dancing. Through her dancing and acting abilities, she was able to draw the audience into the story. Kirkland would plan out very gesture and the meaning behind every step. To her, everything had a meaning.
Gelsey Kirkland, one of the well-known and admired dancers of our time, speaks about her life and experiences in her autobiography, "Dancing on My Grave". Although she had to struggle through many obstacles, physical, emotional, and mental, on the stage she was always a magnificent dancer. She could actually delve into the dance and become the role she was dancing. Through her dancing and acting abilities, she was able to draw the audience into the story. Kirkland would plan out very gesture and the meaning behind every step. To her, everything had a meaning.
From the start, she was a hard-worker. Dance became her obsession from an early age. Through her strong-will and determined attitude, she was able to survive the trials of love affairs, serious eating disorders, and cocaine abuse. Yet, with all of these troubles, she became one of the most famous ballerinas.
Gelsey Kirkland was born in Bethlehem, PA, in 1953. She had a troubled family life - her father was very demanding and an alcoholic. He put her sister first and made Kirkland feel like a lesser person. This was a stepping-stone for the problems she would develop later on - and also her successes, due to her competitive spirit and need to prove herself to her father. She started studying ballet at the School of American Ballet in New York. Kirkland started as one of George Balanchine's favorite dancers. Working her way up the ranks in his company, she joined the New York City Ballet, one of the best and most selective companies at the time, at age 15, in 1968. Balanchine created "The Firebird" as her first principal role in 1970, when she was 17. Of this role, she says, "The nature of my passion was such that I danced with a passion to spite the music in my sleep. The entire household was sometimes awakened by loud thumping noises coming from my room."
Peter Goldberg chose her for his "Goldberg Variations" in 1971. She soon attracted the attention of audiences, including other well-known dancers such as Mikhail Baryshnikov and Rudolf Nureyev. Kirkland stayed with NYCB for 6 years.
She eventually left NYCB and moved to the American Ballet Theatre in 1975 when Baryshnikov sought her out. Her and Baryshnikov danced in partnership, as in "Giselle". The pair also began a romantic relationship around the same time, which was ultimately unsatisfying and traumatic for Kirkland. She also had the chance to dance with famous dancers such as Nureyev, Anthony Dowell, Peter Martins, and Ivan Nagy. She debuted at ABT in "Don Quixote", dancing the role of Kitri. Her performance was the start of her national acclaim. Kirkland soon graced the covers of magazines, including "Dance" and "Life". She had principal roles in ballets such as "Sleeping Beauty", "Romeo and Juliet". She is perhaps most famous to the general public for dancing the role of "Clara" in Baryshnikov's 1977 television production of The Nutcracker. She left the ABT in 1984.
In 1986, Kirkland, with then-husband Greg Lawrence, published Dancing on My Grave, a tell-all autobiography detailing her struggles with eating disorders and drug addiction. The book also sharply criticizes George Balanchine and speaks about many of her partnerships, both on stage and off, with some of the most famous dancers of the time, including Baryshnikov, Peter Martins, Ivan Nagy, Anthony Dowell, Patrick Bissell, Peter Schafuss, and Stephen Jeffries. Following Dancing on My Grave, Kirkland and Lawrence published The Shape of Love: The Story of 'Dancing on My Grave' Continues in 1990, which focuses on Kirkland's return to the stage in 1986. She and Lawrence collaborated on one more book, "Little Ballerina and Her Dancing Horse," for children in 1994.
