Runqiao Du to teach Partnering Class
This is an open call for male ballet dancers interested in studying partnering during the spring of 2009. Classes will be held at the Center for the Arts of Towson University between 1-2:00 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from January 26th until May 12th. Transfer credit is available, and scholarships may be awarded if appropriate. Please contact Maria DeMeo at 410.704.2760 for further information or to learn how to sign up for this class. Registration opens in November, and will continue through the first week of class.
Biography
Runqiao Du, of Shanghai, China, received his academic and ballet training at Shanghai Dance Academy  where he was awarded scholarships and graduated with honors as well as receiving a bronze medal in the junior division of the China National Ballet Competition.
In his professional career, he has performed with American Ballet Theater, Chautauqua Dance Company, Cincinnati Ballet, and Ballet Theatre of Lima (Peru).
Currently, he is a principal dancer with The Washington Ballet where he has performed various classical and neoclassical ballets, including the lead roles of Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Prince Charming in Cinderella, Albrecht in Giselle, and the Cavalier in The Nutcracker.
He has also had the privilege of performing featured roles by choreographers such as Nacho Duato, Jiri Kylian, Twyla Tharp, Mark Morris, Christopher Wheeldon, Trey McIntyre, Kirk Peterson, Mark Dendy, Carol Armitage, and Septime Webre.
Since 2000, while maintaining his position with The Washington Ballet, Mr. Du’s dancing career had a major advance when he was invited by the legendary ballerina, Suzanne Farrell, to join her new company, The Suzanne Farrell Ballet, a creation of The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Under the artistic direction of Ms. Farrell, Mr. Du has had the opportunity to perform leading roles in some of the world’s most beloved ballets, including George Balanchine’s Apollo, Scotch Symphony, Monumentum Pro Gesualdo, Movements for Piano and Orchestra, Tzigane, Who Cares?, Divertimento No. 15, Serenade, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Meditation, Duo Concertante, La Source, La Valse, Chaconne, Ballade, the full-length Don Quixote, Jerome Robbins’ Afternoon of a Faun, and Maurice Bejart’s Romeo and Juliet.
In addition to his performing, Mr. Du is a faculty member with American Dance Institute where he teaches an adult ballet program. He is also a faculty member at Berrand Dance Center, teaching ballet technique, pointe, and partnering. He has participated in The Washington Ballet’s “Ballets From Within”, a choreographic workshop for the members of the company. He also choreographed a ballet with three movements for Olney Dance Theater, “Handel Suite”, which won first place in the New Jersey Youth Festival ensemble division. Most recently, he created a solo, “Little German Dance,” that was performed in the Capital Talent show on the Millennium Stage at the John F. Kennedy Center.
In 2005, Mr. Du married his long-time colleague, Erin Mahoney. In August of 2008, they were blessed with a beautiful daughter, Olivia. His family currently resides in Clarksburg, Maryland.
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