Los Angeles Dance Theater

When I watch videos of today’s incredible male dancers I’m blown away by the high level of technique and shear beauty of physique that is now the norm. In my day male dancers with what today’s dancers have was quite unusual. 90 degree extensions were the norm, (Villella and d’Amboise, and even Peter Martins and Helgi Tomasson had less…but Martins and Tomasson did have great feet). None really did the huge acrobatic jumps, or multiple turns so common today, and even a double en dedans saut de basque was rare in America. Nureyev pushed us forward, and then Baryshnikov of course. In this clip I’m in my late 30’s and wasn’t expecting to dance, but due to injuries to a couple of my male dancers I had to dance this (Balanchine’s one-act SWAN LAKE), RUBIES, and “Melancholic” (in the same performance), and LA SOURCE, all in the same week. When I teach I use what I learned mainly from Balanchine and Stanley Williams; with a little Asaf Messerer thrown in. I emphasize musicality, style, and clean basic technique. I leave the tricks to others. STYLE to me is more important than wowing an audience with physical feats. Luckily for me Balanchine felt the same way. When he had me teaching at SAB, both men and women, he wanted me to give lots of waltzes and fun musical combos. He said, “Tricks are for the circus.” When he had me teach his company he also wanted me to give basic steps with lots of repetition. He said it kept the dancers in shape; so less injuries. Hoping to teach again in n NYC starting January.

Send a message to learn more

Clifford on Suzanne Farrell and NYCB Future, and her variation from Balanchine's DON QUIXOTE Suzanne Farrell was unarguably Balanchine's last great “Muse” and seeing them work together both before she left the company, and after her return, and watch...

Looking forward to going up to Portland to work with the wonderful students of Nancy Davis Lane and Jim Lane excellent school and pre-professional training company, THE PORTLAND BALLET. The first big full-length ballet I did for them was an extended version of LA BOUTIQUE FANTASQUE, (I added extra music of Respighi orchestrated by Benjamin Britten, and changed the name to THE ENCHANTED TOY SHOP for the kiddies) which was such a hit they’ve been doing it for over 20 + yrs. Every year they have strong new dancers; so it’s always fresh. Don’t let the name fool you. It’s a very technically challenging ballet with a huge cast, full orchestra, and elaborate sets and costumes. I never choreograph “down” for students, and would probably have made the same choreography on a professional company. I changed the original story a bit, making it more cohesive and romantic, and added several characters, like a Pinocchio, and a magical “Blue Fairy” who puts all things right. Here’s the 15 yr-old Medea Cullumbine-Robertson in that role, a fantastic talent who now dances professionally. Making new story ballets is always a challenge. Choreographing non-story ballets is so much easier. One needs to find the right balance. Since I’m a “classical” choreographer (a diminishing species) I limit my vocabulary to mainly the classical idiom, but there’s no limit to how many seemingly standard classical ballet steps can be used in novel new ways. Balanchine taught me “less is more,” and that repetition is a good thing. Just look at any of his classical ballets to see that. The trick is how the steps are put to the music, and that the music should always be your guide. I’m so bored seeing “new” ballets that have zero to do with the scores. No emotional, let alone structural, relationship. Any piece of music could be substituted and you wouldn’t know the difference. “Pas pour moi,” as Danilova would always say.

NUTCRACKER GRAND PAS DE DEUX (Kistler, Woetzel) From 1993 here are Darci Kistler and Damian Woetzel in a definitive version of Balanchine's version. Even though the lighting is too dark you can see the spe...

Another rave for my autobiography.

This is a promo I stitched together from our debut performances in Beijing at The Great Hall of the People in 2005. This better shows the spectacular sets by John Iacovelli and costumes by Christina Giannini. The score was by my music director Clyde Allen recorded in LA by 65 top Hollywood studio musicians (same as did Star Wars), and Karl Moraski was our solo pianist. This promo has my two casts of principals. Simona Noja and Giuseppe Picone in the Tango and Marife Gimenez and Douglas Gawriljuk in the end of Act I. The dancers did their own singing, and the costumes by Christina and lighting by Marc Rosenthal were in black and white except for the Paris Flashback “Dream Ballet. Mark Anthony Lopez was Victor Laszlo.

"CASABLANCA, The New Dance Musical" New Promo Here is my newly edited promo showing excerpts from both casts at our debut in China at, "The Great Hall of the People."

My newest ballet premiered Nov. 27, 2021.

A Christmas Carol Promo 2021 (Ch: John Clifford / Music Karl Moraski) Here's a promo for my latest ballet, A CHRISTMAS CAROL: The Ballet; based on the famous Christmas ghost story by Charles Dickens. This was premiered November...

Just got hired to narrate my autobiography, BALANCHINE’S APPRENTICE: From Hollywood to New York and Back. Had to audition and it was much harder than I expected.

This is their official press release.
PORTLAND, Ore. – The Portland Ballet is thrilled to announce that in a bold move it will be performing the world premiere of John Clifford’s A Christmas Carol: The Ballet this Thanksgiving weekend. Founders Nancy Davis and Jim Lane decided to return to live performances by going big and commissioning a whole new ballet.

“We are so happy and excited to be collaborating with our good friend John Clifford again and to be able to bring this timely new production of ‘A Christmas Carol’ to our Portland audiences,” said Davis, the company’s artistic director. “All new choreography, an original score and scenic designs combined with the talents of our own dancers and stellar guest artists will make for a sensational performance experience!”

Clifford, a company artistic advisor, is best known as founder and artistic director of the original Los Angeles Ballet, and a principal dancer and choreographer with New York City Ballet. He is widely considered to be George Balanchine’s choreographic protégé and has just published the highly anticipated memoir “Balanchine's Apprentice: From Hollywood to New York and Back.”

“For my new ballet, for the holidays, and as an alternative to the endless Nutcrackers, I wanted to do something fresh, but at the same time familiar and easy to understand,” said Clifford. “Most families know the tale of the miserly Scrooge, and how he was transformed from the meanest man in London, to the kindest. It’s a morality tale that children, as well as adults, love the world over.

“In my version I emphasize the love that permeates this story by Charles Dickens, and it is not as dark and scary as the original book or the various filmed and TV versions. We show why Scrooge has turned so sour, so that we actually understand him better and forgive him his flaws.

“The new music is a big plus for this new work. A totally new score was composed by Karl Moraski, a pianist composer I worked with before for my Los Angeles Ballet and my Warner Bros. financed, Casablanca, The Dance. Mr. Moraski has also rearranged some popular Christmas carols for some of the set dance sections, and I know the public will be all smiles when they hear it.”

The Portland Ballet has been mounting its biggest production of the year on Thanksgiving weekend since 2003. The cast of about 30 dancers will include four guest artists, three who are former students: Michael Jurica will play the lead role of Ebenezer Scrooge; Lauren Lane, recently retired from a long professional career at Saint Louis Ballet and who is now Assistant Artistic Director of The Portland Ballet, will play Mrs. Cratchit; featured dancer Nicholas Le-Jurica returns to the academy as Director of Community Engagement after receiving a BFA from The Juilliard School in New York City and dancing professionally with Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company in Salt Lake City.

The other talented artists who fill out the creative team include Kim Morris, who captures the charming Victorian flavor in her new scene projections, Michelle Shipton-Cook as costume designer, and James Mapes as lighting designer.

CREATIVE TEAM

Choreography by John Clifford
Music by Karl Moraski
Scenic designs by Kim Morris
Costumes by Michelle Shipton-Cook
Lighting by James Mapes