Royes Fernández
Royes Emanuel Fernández was a prominent American ballet dancer, born on July 15, 1929, in New Orleans, Louisiana. He began his formal ballet training at the age of eight under Lelia Haller and quickly demonstrated exceptional talent, performing with the New Orleans Opera Ballet by 1944. After graduating high school, he moved to New York City, where he further honed his skills and joined the Original Ballet Russe in 1946. Throughout his career, Fernández was affiliated with the American Ballet Theatre from 1950 to 1973 and became known as one of America’s premier male dancers.
He toured internationally, performing with various esteemed companies, including the Borovansky Ballet and the Royal Swedish Ballet, and partnered with legendary ballerinas such as Margot Fonteyn. Fernández was also dedicated to teaching, sharing his expertise at the University of South Florida and later at the State University of New York at Purchase. He passed away from cancer on March 3, 1980. His legacy includes not only his impressive performances in major ballets but also his influence as a mentor to many who went on to become principal dancers themselves.
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Royes Fernández
American ballet dancer
- Born: July 15, 1929
- Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana
- Died: March 3, 1980
- Place of death: New York, New York
Fernández was one of the principal male dancers with New York City’s American Ballet Theatre. He partnered with some of the world’s premier ballerinas for more than thirty years, creating memorable moments in dance history.
Early Life
Royes Emanuel Fernández (royz eh-MAHN-oo-ehl fehr-NAHN-dehz) was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, on July 15, 1929. His father, Manuel P. Fernández, of Spanish descent, was was a professional dancer, as well as a jeweler, who gave Royes his first dance lesson. Royes’s mother, Francoise Blanchine Fernández, was of French descent. Royes’s older sister Jeanne also studied dance. Royes began his formal ballet training at age eight with teacher Lelia Haller in New Orleans. Haller once described Royes as a brilliant dancer whose moves were perfectly executed.
Fernández first performed with the New Orleans Opera Ballet in 1944. In 1945, he traveled to New York City to intern at the American Ballet School, and his dancing was so impressive that at age sixteen he was offered a dance scholarship. However, his parents insisted that he return to New Orleans to complete high school. When ballet dancers Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin performed in New Orleans, Fernández auditioned for them following an arranged meeting that was orchestrated by Haller.
After graduating from Fortier High School in June, 1946, Fernández moved to New York and studied with popular dance teacher Vincenzo Celli. Soon thereafter, Fernández joined the Original Ballet Russe (de Basil) company in September, 1946. The following year, Fernández successfully negotiated a solo spot with the Markova-Dolin Ballet.
Life’s Work
Although Fernández’s primary affiliation from 1950 to 1973 was with the American Ballet Theatre, he toured with other companies. He journeyed to Australia and appeared as a principal dancer for the Borovansky Ballet Company in 1954, and he made a return appearance with that company in 1964. He also danced with the Eliot Feld Ballet, the San Francisco Ballet, and the Royal
Swedish Ballet.
Fernández mentored a number of students who later became principal dancers with major ballet companies. Several of his students also became dance school directors.
Throughout his career, Fernández frequently appeared as a guest artist with various companies, including the Alicia Alonso Ballet Company, the Borovansky Ballet, the Original Ballet Russe, the London Festival Ballet, the San Francisco Ballet, and the New York City Ballet. He was prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn’s partner during her 1963 world tour. Fernández often toured as a guest performer, and his frequent guest performances with both major and minor companies throughout the United States received widespread press coverage.
In 1973, Fernández retired from performing and joined the dance faculty at the University of South Florida. He taught there for one year before moving to New York, where he accepted a position as dance instructor at the State University of New York at Purchase. He remained in this position until he died of cancer on March 3, 1980.
Significance
At the height of his career, Royes Fernández was hailed as America’s premier male dancer. His principal roles in choreographer David Lichine’s Nutcracker, Aurora’s Wedding, Giselle, Swan Lake, and La Sylphide were undoubtedly Fernández’s most eloquent episodes on stage. He partnered with the prima ballerinas of his time, including Fonteyn, Kathleen Gorham, Toni Lander, Peggy Sager, Lupe Serrano, Joycelyn Vollmar, and Maria Tallchief. One of Fernández’s most memorable performances was the pas de deux from choreographer Marius Petipa’s Don Quixote, which he danced with Serrano.
Bibliography
Dunning, Jennifer. “Royes Fernandez , 50, Ex-Principal Dancer with Ballet Theater.” The New York Times, March 5, 1980. Obituary details Fernández’s life and career.
“Fonteyn and Nureyev.” Australian Women’s Weekly, March 18, 1964, p. 3. Highlights the principal dancers featured in one-act ballets and divertissements with Fernández and Lupe Serrano.
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. Guide to the Fernandez, Royes (1929-1980) Papers, c. 1942-1982. http://danceheritage.org/xtf/viewdocId=ead/danfernaID.xml;query=;brand=default. Provides information about a collection of Fernández’s papers, which includes more than 1,100 items of correspondence and contracts dating from 1942 to 1982.
“Royes Fernandez.” Variety, March 12, 1980. Reviews Fernández’s life and career, including his performances with the American Ballet Theatre.
Scott, Harold George. Lelia: The Compleat Ballerina. Gretna, La.: Pelican, 1975. Chronicles the career of Fernández’s teacher Lelia Haller, who viewed her pupil’s dancing as “perfection in motion.”