Gillian Murphy (OG).Gillian Murphy
Gillian Murphy is a renowned ballet dancer born on April 11, 1979, in Wimbledon, England, who later moved to Florence, South Carolina. She began her ballet training at a young age and quickly showcased her talent, notably performing the Black Swan Pas de Deux. After joining the Columbia City Ballet as a teenager, she attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where she honed her skills further. Murphy gained international recognition after winning awards at prestigious competitions, including the Prix de Lausanne in 1995.
In 1996, she joined the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) where she was promoted to principal dancer in 2002, earning acclaim for her performances in classics like Swan Lake and Giselle. Murphy has expanded her influence beyond the stage, appearing in films like Center Stage and serving as a ballet consultant for the film Black Swan. She continues to perform, teach, and advocate for ballet education, including directing a program for aspiring young dancers. Murphy is married to former principal dancer Ethan Stiefel, and they have one son. Her contributions to ballet and her commitment to promoting diversity and education in the art form have made her a significant figure in the dance community.
Gillian Murphy
- Born: April 11, 1979
- Place of Birth: Wimbledon, England
Background
Ballet dancer Gillian Murphy was born on April 11, 1979, in Wimbledon, England. Her family eventually moved her and her sister, Tessa, to Florence, South Carolina. While living there, Murphy began taking ballet classes. Her talent became evident to her instructors and family when she performed in her ballet company’s performance of the Black Swan Pas de Deux.
She joined the Columbia City Ballet as a teenager and attended the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNSCA), where she received ballet training under Melissa Hayden. She was given several principal roles in various productions, including The Nutcracker. In 1995, when she was fifteen, she performed in the Prix de Lausanne international ballet competition at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow and won the Prix de Lausanne Espoir. She went on to win an award in dance with the National YoungArts Foundation in 1996.
After Murphy graduated high school in 1996, she was invited to join the corps de ballet of the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) in New York City. She was given a promotion to a soloist dancer in 1998 and had her first solo the same year as Gulnare in Le Corsiare. In 1998, she was also given a Princess Grace Foundation grant to help her to continue to study ballet with the ABT. In 2018, Murphy graduated from St. Mary’s College of California with a Bachelor of Arts and completed Harvard Business School’s “Crossover into Business” program.
Life’s Work
In 2001, Murphy had her professional debut in the dual role of Odette-Odile in Swan Lake and received rave reviews from critics. As a result of her success, in 2002, she was promoted to become a principal dancer with ABT and has continued in the role of a principal dancer. In 2002, Murphy was cast in the leading role in Giselle with the ABT, and this performance earned her critical acclaim from The New York Times and dance journals.
After becoming a principal dancer, she appeared as a guest artist with ballet companies throughout the US and internationally, including with the Mariinsky Ballet in 2008 as Odette-Odile in Swan Lake. Her other roles have included Swanilda in Coppélia; Giselle and Myrta in Giselle; the Sugar Plum Fairy in Kevin McKenzie’s The Nutcracker; Princess Aurora and the Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty; and Sylvia in Sylvia.
In 2000, the movie Center Stage, which was about ballet, featured several ABT dancers, such as Murphy, Ethan Stiefel, Julie Kent, and Sacha Radetsky. She reprised her role in the 2008 sequel, Center Stage: Turn It Up. She further was used in the film industry as a ballet consultant for the 2010 psychological horror movie Black Swan starring Natalie Portman, who dances in the role of Odette in Swan Lake. The same year, Murphy appeared as herself in a season four episode of Gossip Girl.
Several of Murphy’s onstage ballet performances have been televised, such as her 2005 performance in her signature role of Odette-Odile in Keven McKenzie’s version of Swan Lake on PBS’s Great Performances: Dance in America. From 2011 to 2014, Murphy was a guest principal dancer with the Royal New Zealand Ballet. In 2013, while dancing with that company, she appeared in the title role in the documentary and film production of Giselle. In 2014, after returning to the United States, Murphy went on to star in a new production of The Nutcracker, which was directed and choreographed by Stiefel for UNCSA. In 2015, she was featured in Ric Burns’ American Masters documentary, American Ballet Theatre: A History.
In 2009, she was awarded the Statue Award by the Princess Grace Foundation for her accomplishments in dance. In 2014, UNCSA awarded her an Honorary Doctorate degree. A scholarship fund in her name was also established at the school to provide a prospective ballet dancer with a full-tuition scholarship each year.
On May 28, 2016, Murphy performed La Fille mal gardee with the ABT in celebration of her twentieth anniversary with the company. She remained a principal dancer with the ABT into the 2020s and appeared in such shows as Études and Sylvia Pas de Deux.
Murphy has also worked to promote ballet education to the next generation of dancers. In 2020, she piloted and directed a dance program in Martha’s Vineyard for children aged twelve through fourteen called “Dreamcatchers,” which has continued each summer since. She also has taught master classes in Japan and throughout the US and continues to perform with the ABT, as a guest artist with other dance companies, and in various other international engagements and galas featuring ballet.
Impact
Murphy is a successful dancer who has won many awards for her technical skill and engaging performances, making her influential in the world of ballet. In addition, her onscreen presence in movies and television has brought attention to her work of leadership in dance and advocacy for diversity and inclusivity in ballet.
Personal Life
Murphy married Ethan Stiefel, a former principal ballet dancer and artistic director, in 2015. They have a son, Ax Nathaniel Stiefel, who was born in 2019.
Principal Works
Ballet
Giselle, 2002
Swan Lake, 2001
La Fille mal gardee, 2016
Sylvia Pas de Deux, 2024
Études, 2024
Film
Center Stage, 2000
Center Stage: Turn It Up, 2008
Black Swan, 2010
Television
Great Performances: Dance in America, 2005
Gossip Girl, 2010
American Ballet Theatre: A History, 2015
Bibliography
“Gillian Murphy.” American Ballet Theatre, 2024, www.abt.org/people/gillian-murphy/. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.
“Gillian Murphy” Juneau Dance Theatre, 2024, juneaudance.org/guest-faculty-gillian-murphy/. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.
“Gillian Murphy.” University of North Carolina School for the Arts, 2023, www.uncsa.edu/faculty-staff/gillian-murphy.aspx. Accessed 28 Aug. 2024.
Murphy, Gillian. “The Artist as a Leader: Gillian Murphy.” Interview by Susan Jaffe. University of North Carolina School for the Arts, 2023, www.uncsa.edu/kenan/artist-as-leader/gillian-murphy.aspx. Accessed 6 May 2023.
Woods, Astrida. “Beyond Bravura.” Dance Magazine, 20 Oct 2009, www.dancemagazine.com/beyond-bravura/. Accessed 6 May 2023.