Zachary Catazaro Promoted to New York City Ballet Principal Dancer

New York City Ballet announced today that Zachary Catazaro has been promoted to principal dancer, effective immediately.

Peter Martins, NYCB's Ballet Master in Chief, made the promotion on Thursday, October 12, 2017 before the Company's evening performance of contemporary work in which Catazaro performed a featured role in Christopher Wheeldon's Polyphonia.

During the opening week of the 2017 Fall Season Catazaro made his debut as Prince Siegfried in Peter Martins' full-length production of Swan Lake, alongside Principal Dancer Sterling Hyltin who performed the role of Odette/Odile. In addition, this fall Catazaro has debuted in featured roles in Peter Martins' The Red Violin and Jerome Robbins' In Memory Of..., as well as performing a featured role in George Balanchine's La Valse.

Zachary Catazaro was born in Canton, Ohio, and began his dance training at the School of Canton Ballet. Catazaro began studying at the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet, during the summer of 2003. In 2006 he enrolled as a full-time student. In October 2007 he became an apprentice with New York City Ballet, and joined the Company's corps de ballet in October 2008. He was promoted to soloist in February 2014.

Since joining New York City Ballet, Catazaro has performed featured roles in George Balanchine's Apollo, Episodes, Firebird, The Four Temperaments, Ivesiana, Diamonds from Jewels, Kammermusik No. 2, A Midsummer Night's Dream (Demetrius, Titania's Cavalier), The Nutcracker (Cavalier, Hot Chocolate, Dr. Stahlbaum), Robert Schumann's "Davidsbu?ndlerta?nze," La Sonnambula (The Poet), Serenade, Symphony in C (First Movement), Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3 (First Movement), and Western Symphony; Robert Binet's The Blue of Distance; August Bournonville's Bournonville Divertissements (Pas de Deux from Flower Festival in Genzano); Jerome Robbins' Dances at a Gathering, The Goldberg Variations, N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz, Watermill, and West Side Story Suite (Tony); Peter Martins' Ash, Fearful Symmetries, Morgen, Romeo + Juliet (Romeo), The Sleeping Beauty (Gold), Swan Lake (Spanish), and Symphonic Dances; Alexei Ratmansky's Pictures at an Exhibition and Russian Seasons; Liam Scarlett's Funerailles; and Christopher Wheeldon's Carousel (A Dance), Polyphonia, and Soiree Musicale. Catazaro also originated a featured role in Lauren Lovette's For Clara. Catazaro won First Place in the Youth America Grand Prix Junior Division in both 2002 and 2003.