{{short description|American ballet dancer}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2021}} {{Infobox dancer | name = Jennie Somogyi | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_name = Jennie Renee Somogyi | birth_date = {{birth based on age as of date|37|2015|07|22}} | birth_place = Easton, Pennsylvania, U.S. | nationality = | citizenship = | education = School of American Ballet | occupation = ballet dancer | years_active = | height = | spouse = | partner = | children = 2 | website = {{URL|http://jsballet.co/}} | current_group = | former_groups = New York City Ballet | dances = | module = }}
'''Jennie Renee Somogyi''' (pronounced sa-mo-JEE<ref name=Smith/> or sum-O-gee;<ref name=mcall/> born {{birth based on age as of date|37|2015|07|22|noage=1}}<ref name=Cooper>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/23/arts/dance/farewell-is-in-view-for-jennie-somogyi-a-city-ballet-lifer.html|title=Farewell Is in View for Jennie Somogyi, a City Ballet Lifer|newspaper=New York Times|last=Cooper|first=Michael|date=July 22, 2015}}</ref>) is an American former ballet dancer. She joined the New York City Ballet in 1993, at age 15, became a principal dancer in 2000, and retired in 2015.
==Early life and training== Jennie Renee Somogyi was born in Easton, Pennsylvania,<ref name=Cooper/> to a mechanic father and receptionist mother, and was raised in Alpha, New Jersey.<ref name=Woods>{{cite news|url=https://www.dancemagazine.com/jennie-somogyi-2306862501.html|title=Jennie Somogyi|magazine=Dance Magazine|last=Woods|first=Astrida|date=June 22, 2007}}</ref><ref name=Smith>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/11/arts/dance-two-rising-stars-on-different-arcs.html|title=Dance;Two Rising Stars, On Different Arcs|newspaper=New York Times|last=Smith|first=Dinitia|authorlink=Dinitia Smith|date=February 11, 1996}}</ref> She first trained in gymnastics at the Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania at age 6. Due to her talents, she was placed with older children. The instructor at the center recommended Somogyi to also study dance as other children also do so.<ref name=mcall>{{cite news|url=https://www.mcall.com/news/local/easton/mc-nws-easton-new-ballet-school-20170623-story.html|title=Former New York City Ballet dancer opens new school in Easton|newspaper=The Morning Call|last=Tatu|first=Christina|date=July 3, 2017}}</ref> Recognizing Somogyi's talent, a family friend suggested her to train with Nina Youshkevitch, who had studied under Bronislava Nijinska, and the friend offered to drive her to New York for the lessons and to pay for them.<ref name=playbill>{{cite news|url=https://www.playbill.com/article/20-years-70-roles-and-several-injuries-later-a-star-ballerina-bids-farewell-to-the-spotlight-com-365093|title=20 Years, 70 Roles and Several Injuries Later, a Star Ballerina Bids Farewell to the Spotlight|magazine=Playbill|last=Trucco|first=Terry|date=October 1, 2015}}</ref><ref name=Macaulay>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/13/arts/dance/review-jennie-somogyi-stirs-memories-in-her-city-ballet-goodbye.html|title=Review: Jennie Somogyi Stirs Memories in Her City Ballet Goodbye|newspaper=New York Times|last=Macaulay|first=Alastair|date=October 12, 2015}}</ref> At age 9, she entered the School of American Ballet on scholarship.<ref name=Smith/> The following year, she danced Marie in Balanchine's ''The Nutcracker'' with the New York City Ballet.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/10/arts/dance/jennie-somogyis-last-steps-after-all-it-took-to-get-to-them.html|title=Jennie Somogyi's Last Steps, After All It Took to Get to Them|newspaper=New York Times|last=Kourlas|first=Gia|date=October 9, 2015}}</ref> One of her teachers at the school was Suki Schorer.<ref name=Smith/> She won the Princess Grace Award in 1992 and the Mae L. Wien Award in 1993.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pgfusa.org/award-winners/|title=Princess Grace Award Winners|website=Princess Grace Foundation-USA|access-date=January 3, 2021|archive-date=August 3, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190803215520/https://pgfusa.org/award-winners/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://sab.org/our-supporters/the-mae-l-wien-awards/|title=The Mae L. Wien Awards|work=School of American Ballet}}</ref>
==Career== Somogyi became an apprentice with the New York City in 1993,<ref name=Smith/> at age 15 and while she was still a high school sophomore. She became one of the youngest dancers ever to join the company.<ref name=mcall/><ref name=Woods/> She was offered the apprenticeship after she performed the lead role in Balanchine's ''Allegro Brillante'' in the School of American Ballet workshop performance. She joined the corps de ballet the following year. She was promoted to soloist in 1998 and principal dancer in 2000.<ref name=Woods/> Over the course of her career, she had danced over 70 roles, and was also often cast in Balanchine ballets that are associated with Kyra Nichols. She had created roles for Jerome Robbins, Christopher Wheeldon, Benjamin Millepied and Susan Stroman.<ref name=playbill/><ref name=Macaulay/>
In her entire career, she had only been injured three times, but all three were "catastrophic" and happened while she was performing.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/a-ballerina-just-suffered-a-terrible-injury-is-her-career-over/2018/06/29/86cb5740-68ff-11e8-bf8c-f9ed2e672adf_story.html|title=When rips, tears and falls kill a dancer's career (or don't)|newspaper=Washington Post|last=Kaufman|first=Sarah L.|date=June 29, 2018}}</ref> She tore her left foot posterior tibial tendon in 2004, her right foot Achilles tendon in 2012 and the same left foot tendon again in 2013. For her last injury, she had a donor transplant, which is rarely done on a foot.<ref name=pointe>{{cite news|url=https://www.pointemagazine.com/true-grit-2412831299.html|title=True Grit: Why NYCB's Jennie Somogyi Didn't Let Her Injuries Have the Last Word|magazine=Pointe Magazine|last=Perron|first=Wendy|date=October 1, 2015}}</ref>
Shortly after she returned from her last major injury, she announced that she would retire.<ref name=playbill/> Her final performance was on October 11, 2015, in which she danced the role Violette Verdy created in Balanchine's ''Liebeslieder Walzer'', one of her favorite ballet, and a role Nichols had danced for many years.<ref name=playbill/><ref name=Macaulay/> In 2017, she opened the Jennie Somogyi Ballet Academy in her hometown of Easton, Pennsylvania.<ref name=mcall/>
==Personal life== Somogyi is married and has two children. During her dance career, she commuted between Alpha, New Jersey and New York City. After she retired, the family moved to Pohatcong Township, New Jersey.<ref name=mcall/>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[http://jsballet.co/ Jennie Somogyi Ballet Academy website]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Somogyi, Jennie}} Category:Living people Category:People from Easton, Pennsylvania Category:People from Alpha, New Jersey Category:People from Pohatcong Township, New Jersey Category:1970s births Category:New York City Ballet principal dancers Category:School of American Ballet alumni Category:Princess Grace Awards winners Category:Mae L. Wien Award recipients Category:American prima ballerinas Category:20th-century American ballet dancers Category:21st-century American ballet dancers Category:Dancers from Pennsylvania Category:Dancers from New Jersey Category:21st-century American women Category:Year of birth missing (living people)