Choreographer Bruce Wells has created more than 50 ballets. His career as a dancer began under the direction of George Balanchine at New York City Ballet, where he danced as a soloist.
Mr. Wells’ choreographic career began in workshops that Mr. Balanchine coached in the early 1970s. From there, he was resident choreographer for Connecticut Ballet from 1975 to 1979, choreographing his first full-length production, Coppélia in 1976. From 1979 to 1989, he was resident choreographer for Boston Ballet under the direction of E. Virginia Williams and Bruce Marks. He created more than 20 works for the company, including The Nutcracker, La Fee Mal Gardée, Swan Lake, and a highly acclaimed A Midsummer Night’s Dream. From 1984 to 1989, Mr. Wells was also Associate Artistic Director of Boston Ballet. He next joined Patricia Wilde’s Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre for six seasons as resident choreographer, creating new productions of Romeo & Juliet, The Firebird, and The Great Gatsby, among others. Mr. Wells has also created works for the Australian Ballet, Dance Theater of Harlem, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Ballet Chicago, Cincinnati Ballet, Nashville Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, and Jacob’s Pillow, among others.
Mr. Wells was on the faculty of Pacific Northwest Ballet School for 18 years. His first children’s ballet for the School was Snow White in 2001, followed by Hansel & Gretel, and Pinocchio.