Lecture

Jacques d'Amboise
Lecture Date: 3-27-1991
Click the link below to listen ot his celebrity's lecture:
Interview: Dean John Eadie and Professor Dixie Durr introduce dancer and educator Jacques d'Amboise. Durr summarizes d'Amboise's career in dance from his childhood spent attending his sister’s ballet class to the founding of the National Dance Institute. d'Amboise addresses the virtue of teaching dance to underprivileged children, suggesting that dance provides these children with a sense of order and control in their lives. The dancer explains that dance is one of the oldest and most natural arts, and humorously relates how he believes dance might have begun in primitive times. Dance, he says, is the human attempt to express space and time and allows us to take control of a small part of our lives by imposing some order on space and time. d'Amboise relates a story about a trip he took to India and his discoveries about Indian culture and dance. In response to questions from the audience, d'Amboise asserts that dance education is beneficial for all children. d'Amboise concludes his lecture by explaining his fortunate situation and the many people who contributed to his success.
Biography: Jacques d’Amboise (1934- ), recognized as one of the finest classical dancers of our time, has devoted his life to the arts and the promotion of arts education. Best known for his roles in American works such as Filling Station and Western Symphony, he has also danced in several movies, including Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) and Carousel (1956). In 1976, while still a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet, d’Amboise founded the National Dance Institute, a nonprofit organization that now exposes thousands of school children each year to dance, which he hopes will motivate and inspire children. He Makes Me Feel Like Dancin’ (1984) documents d’Amboise’s work at the institute and has earned him an Academy Award, six Emmy Awards, the Peabody Award, the Golden Cine Award, as well as the Education Association Award for the Advancement of Learning Through Broadcasting.