Ashley, Merrill definition of Ashley, Merrill in the Free Online Encyclopedia.

Ashley, Merrill, 1950–, American ballerina, b. St. Paul, Minn. as Linda Michelle Merrill. She studied (1964–67) at the School of American Ballet, joining the parent New York City Ballet New York City Ballet, one of the foremost American dance companies of the 20th cent. It was founded by Lincoln Kirstein and George Balanchine as the Ballet Society in 1946.
..... Click the link for more information. (NYCB) in 1967 and becoming a principal dancer a decade later. Ashley was one of the last dancers to be mentored by and to become the muse of the choreographer George Balanchine. Balanchine, George (băl`ənshēn'), 1904–83, American choreographer and ballet dancer, b. St.
..... Click the link for more information. Her personal style, which featured amazing speed, clarity, precision, and a joyous musicality, was ideal for a Balanchine soloist. Dances for which she was known include The Four Temperaments, Chaconne, Jewels, Concerto Barocco, Square Dance, and two ballets the maestro choreographed for her, Ballo della Regina (1978) and Ballade (1980). Jerome Robbins Robbins, Jerome, 1918–98, American choreographer and dancer, b. New York City as Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz. Robbins began his career dancing in musical comedy (1937).
..... Click the link for more information. and Twyla Tharp Tharp, Twyla (twī`lə), 1941–, American dancer and choreographer, b. Portland, Ind.
..... Click the link for more information. also choreographed expressly for Ashley. She briefly had her own company in the early 1980s. She retired from the stage in 1997 but continues to teach at the NYCB.

Bibliography

See her Dancing for Balanchine (1984).

Ashley, Merrill (b. Linda Merrill) (1950– ) ballet dancer; born in St. Paul, Minn. After graduating from the School of American Ballet in 1966, she became one of the New York City Ballet's most acclaimed "Balanchine ballerinas."