Alexander Tressor, world-famous ballet dancer and choreographer, will receive visitors at Chapman Cultural Center on Thursday, Nov. 19th, during Spartanburg ArtWalk.
He will focus this reception on his work with Parkinson’s Disease, a disorder he has suffered from for many years. The public is invited to meet Tressor.
Diagnosed with PD almost nine years ago at the age of 47, he is living proof to the benefits of diet and exercise, as well as music and movement to living well with the disease. He is quite accomplished artistically, but at this point in his life and career, he is most interested in helping and encouraging others with PD through his message, program and methodology.
Tressor was born and reared in Moscow, Russia. In 1976, his family immigrated to New York City, and at 17 years old he started studying ballet with David Howard and later at Balanchine’s School of American Ballet (SAB) with his step-father, Andrei Kramarevsky, former principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet. In 1981, he danced in SAB’s annual workshops with the New York City Ballet in The Tchaikovsky Festival. Other ballet theatre credits include Malmö State Theater in Sweden and the Connecticut Ballet Theater. After making a leap to the Broadway stage, he continued his dance education in jazz. His theatre credits on Broadway and in national and international tours include Teddy and Alice, On Your Toes, Zorba, Woman of the Year, Ain’t Broadway Grand, Sophisticated Ladies, and Hello Dolly.
After directing and choreographing numerous industrial shows and commercials, in 1998 he began working on new theatre projects and created his own company, TressorGroup, which has received critical acclaim from The New York Times, The Village Voice, and numerous Russian-language media publications.
Currently, he teaches ballet and jazz in the United States, Europe, and Russia. His teaching credits include New York University, Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Ballet Academy East, Broadway Dance Center, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and Steps Studios in Manhattan. He is a frequent Guest Ballet Master at the National Opera Theaters in Zagreb and Split in Croatia and National Theater in Kosovo. In 2011, he was selected to be the Cultural Envoy of the American Embassy in Kosovo.
Tressor is scheduled to be in Spartanburg for the next several weeks. In addition to his ArtWalk reception, he will have a community presentation and various teaching and speaking engagements.
Each month, Ballet Spartanburg hosts two dance and movement classes at Chapman Cultural Center for people with Parkinson’s disease.