Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, a celebrated dancer from the Paris Opera Ballet and a distinguished principal dancer at New York City Ballet, who later guided numerous dancers as a teacher and the director of the Charlotte Ballet, passed away on April 13 in Charlotte, N.C. He was 82 years old.
His former wife, Patricia McBride, a ballerina with City Ballet, stated that heart failure caused his death at an assisted living facility.
Mr. Bonnefoux (pronounced bon-FOO), also known professionally as Bonnefous during his dancing days, was an étoile (meaning “star”) at the Paris Opera Ballet for five years before joining City Ballet as a principal dancer at age 27 in 1970.
He briefly worked with George Balanchine, the co-founder and chief choreographer of City Ballet, while at the Paris Opera in 1963, when the company showcased Balanchine’s “The Four Temperaments.” In 1969, Balanchine asked Mr. Bonnefoux to step in for an injured dancer in the lead role of “Apollo,” which he was choreographing for the German Opera Ballet in Berlin.
The four days Mr. Bonnefoux spent with Balanchine, who mentored him for the role, were transformative. He recalled, “It gave me the strength to continue dancing for another 10 years,” during an interview with Barbara Newman for her 1982 book, “Striking a Balance: Dancers Talk About Dancing.”
Mr. Bonnefoux stated that knowing “someone like that exists somewhere” provided him with a goal: “You need to be constantly amazed, to stay fresh and to remain interested.”
Another motivation for wanting to join City Ballet was his infatuation with Ms. McBride, whom he met during a guest performance with the Eglevsky Ballet on Long Island in 1968. “It was love at first sight,” she reminisced. “I had never encountered anyone quite like him.” They wed in 1973.
Throughout his decade-long career with City Ballet, Mr. Bonnefoux showcased his exceptional classical technique and talent for contemporary dance in various works by Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and other choreographers.
“He had such a stunning physical presence,” said Jean-Pierre Frohlich, a former dancer and repertory director at City Ballet, in an interview. “He possessed a look that was quite distinct from other dancers—very sophisticated and elegant.”
Even though he wasn’t deemed a virtuoso, Mr. Bonnefoux infused his roles with a graceful fluidity and intensity, accompanied by keen theatricality.
“Mr. Bonnefous brought a flowing elegance to the role that resembled a Japanese woodcut,” highlighted Don McDonagh of The New York Times regarding his performance in Balanchine’s “Bugaku” in 1975. “He was strong yet graceful, like a large cat instead of a brute.”
Balanchine created parts for Mr. Bonnefoux in works such as “Stravinsky Violin Concerto” (1972), “Cortège Hongrois” (1973), “Sonatine” (1975), “Union Jack” (1976), “Étude for Piano” (1977), “Vienna Waltzes” (1977), and “Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme” (1979). Robbins likewise crafted roles for him in “A Beethoven Pas de Deux” (1973), later known as “Four Bagatelles,” and “An Evening’s Waltzes” (1973).
In 1977, noticing a lack of classes specifically for boys at the School of American Ballet, Mr. Bonnefoux spoke to Balanchine about teaching there. “I wanted the young boys to immediately feel like male dancers and grasp the technical distinctions,” he shared with The Times.
That same year, he suffered a serious ankle injury, tearing all the ligaments while performing. During his recovery, fueled by Balanchine’s encouragement, he began choreographing.
In 1978, Mr. Bonnefoux launched “Pas Degas” as part of City Ballet’s “Tricolore,” an evening dedicated to French themes. (“I have a few ideas I’ll need to share with you for your next ballet,” Balanchine noted after its debut.) That year, he also crafted “Quadrille” for students at the School of American Ballet and “Une Nuit a Lisbonne” for the Syracuse Ballet.
“This unexpected period, which was thought to be the end for me, turned out to be a remarkably enriching time in my life,” Mr. Bonnefoux confided to The Times.
Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux was born on April 9, 1943, in Bourg-en-Bresse, eastern France, along with his twin sister, Dominique, to Marie Therèse (Bouhy) Bonnefoux and Laurent Bonnefoux, a tax advisor. Shortly thereafter, the family relocated to Paris, where the twins began their dance training.
Suggestions from his teacher led Jean-Pierre to audition for the Paris Opera Ballet School. While studying there, he also dabbled in acting, featuring in several French films such as Henri-Georges Clouzot’s “Les Diaboliques” (1955).
“At one point, I was truly at a crossroads between dance and acting,” he shared with Ms. Newman.
His parents consulted “an Indian man, a Hindu, who could foresee the future,” he recounted. “He spoke highly of my future in ballet.”
At 14, in 1957, he became a member of the Paris Opera Ballet, under the direction of Serge Lifar, a former star of the Ballets Russes from Kyiv. Although he didn’t enjoy Lifar’s ballets, he appreciated his instructors: Gérard Mulys, Raymond Franchetti, and Serge Peretti, who would later shape his teaching philosophy.
Mr. Bonnefoux quickly ascended within the company, achieving the title of étoile by 21 and performing leading roles in 19th-century classics like “Swan Lake,” “Giselle,” and “Sleeping Beauty,” along with works by Roland Petit and Maurice Béjart. (Étoile is the sole title at the Paris Opera awarded at the discretion of the administration.)
He also danced as a guest artist with the Bolshoi Ballet and the Kirov Ballet. Additionally, he became friends with Rudolf Nureyev and played a role in the Russian dancer’s famous defection at Le Bourget airport in Paris in 1961. (He alerted Nureyev’s friend Clara Saint beforehand that he was being sent back to Moscow instead of proceeding to London with the rest of the Kirov company.)
Frustrated by the lack of quality performances and mediocre ballets at the Paris Opera and inspired by Balanchine, Mr. Bonnefoux made the decision to join City Ballet.
Gradually, he adapted to the City Ballet’s style. It wasn’t simply about movement for him; it was about connecting deeply with the music, anticipating it almost.
Mr. Bonnefoux retired from City Ballet in 1980 and took on the role of ballet master and choreographer at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater. Later, he relocated to Bloomington, Indiana, where he led the dance department at Indiana University.
In 1983, he initiated a summer ballet program at the Chautauqua Institution, a renowned arts community in northwestern New York State known for being home to the oldest summer arts festival in North America. He invited esteemed City Ballet alumni, such as Ms. McBride and Violette Verdy, to teach Balanchine’s works, established a professional summer company, and welcomed a range of choreographers to collaborate with the dancers.
“He was an exceptional teacher, and together with Patti, they made a powerful duo in Chautauqua,” stated Christine Redpath, a former dancer and repertory director at City Ballet. “His exquisite French training greatly enriched his teaching style.”
By the time he retired in 2021, Mr. Bonnefoux had elevated the summer program to one of the most sought-after places for aspiring dancers across the nation.
“He possessed a serene demeanor, yet beneath his gentle accent lay clarity, detail, precision, and a constant source of encouragement,” remarked Daniel Ulbricht, a principal dancer at City Ballet. “He played a significant role in motivating me, and many others, to pursue our careers.”
In 1996, Mr. Bonnefoux became the artistic director of what was then known as North Carolina Dance Theater in Charlotte, alongside Ms. McBride as the associate artistic director. He stayed in this role until 2017. Together, they transformed the company into a prominent classical ensemble while also fostering contemporary choreography, adding works by Dwight Rhoden, Alonzo King, Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, and William Forsythe to the repertoire, along with pieces by Balanchine and Robbins.
Mr. Bonnefoux was also a choreographer, creating ballets such as “Carmina Burana,” “Peter Pan,” and adaptations of “Sleeping Beauty,” “Cinderella,” and “The Nutcracker.”
In 2010, the company inaugurated the Patricia McBride and Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux Center for Dance, which houses rehearsal and administrative areas, as well as a 200-seat theater. Four years later, the company was renamed Charlotte Ballet.
Though Ms. McBride and Mr. Bonnefoux divorced in 2018, they maintained a close relationship. He is survived by their children, Christopher Bonnefoux and Melanie (Bonnefoux) DeCoudres, along with three grandchildren.
Mr. Bonnefoux’s impact as a director and teacher was transformative, according to Sasha Janes, a former Charlotte Ballet dancer who took over as director of the School of Dance at Chautauqua after him.
“He had an extraordinary ability to recognize potential in individuals that they themselves could not see,” Mr. Janes noted, adding that Mr. Bonnefoux was progressive for his era: “He wasn’t looking for perfectly uniform dancers; he sought to showcase genuine humanity on stage.”
