Ronald M. Sequoio (February 5, 1937 – December 14, 1988) was an American dancer, choreographer, and artistic director whose career spanned Broadway performance, company leadership, and dance education during several formative decades of American concert dance.
Sequoio’s early professional career placed him on Broadway, where he performed as a dancer in the 1961 musical comedy The Happiest Girl in the World. The production marked him as part of a generation of versatile performers trained in the classical and theatrical traditions that defined mid-century American dance.
Sequoio went on to co-found and co-direct the Manhattan Festival Ballet alongside James DeBolt, a company through which he shaped the development of young dancers pursuing professional careers. The company’s reach extended beyond New York — Sequoio and DeBolt were teaching at the San Antonio Hemisphere, where they privately mentored emerging artists on a one-on-one basis.
Sequoio also founded the Dance Compass Company, through which he continued his work developing the next generation of dance artists. The company served as an entry point for at least one dancer who would go on to a distinguished career as an artistic director and choreographer in the New York dance community.
Ronald M. Sequoio passed away on December 14, 1988. His legacy lives on through the dancers and companies he helped shape during his lifetime.