Jennifer Homans

Jennifer A. Homans (born 1948)[1] is an American historian, author, and dance critic. Her novel Apollo's Angels: A History of Ballet was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2010.

Jennifer Homans
Born1960 (age 59–60)
Chicago, Illinois, United States
EducationUniversity of North Carolina School of the Arts
School of American Ballet
B.A., French literature, Columbia University
PhD, Modern European History, New York University
OccupationAuthor
Notable work
Apollo's Angels: A History of Ballet
Spouse(s)
​
(
m. 1993, died)

Early life and education

Homans was raised in Chicago, Illinois, where she trained as a ballerina since the age of eight.[2] By the time she was a teenager, Homans had enrolled in dance classes at the University of Chicago and eventually left the state for more serious training at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and School of American Ballet.[3] Although she had pursued professional training in ballet, by the age of 26 Homans decided to enroll in Columbia University following an injury. After earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in French literature, she enrolled in New York University (NYU) for her PhD in Modern European History.[2] In 1986, she was cast as the Maiden Aunt/Waltz of the Flowers Dancer/Snowflake in the film Nutcracker: The Motion Picture.[4]

Career

Following her PhD, Homans accepted a position as a Distinguished Scholar in Residence at NYU where she wrote her first novel Apollo’s Angels: A History of Ballet.[5] Apollo’s Angels traced back the origins of ballet from the Renaissance to modern times and decried that ballet was dying.[6] The novel was described by The New York Times as "the only truly definitive history of ballet"[7] and it was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.[8] However, her claim that ballet was a dying art form received much criticism for being over generalized and unsubstantiated.[9] Art critic Claudia La Rocco rebuffed Homans claims and critiqued the novel for its lack of detail to post-George Balanchine developments to ballet, including William Forsythe.[10]

From 2012 to 2013, Homans was granted a Guggenheim Fellowship as she began writing her second novel, George Balanchine: A History.[11] The following year, she established the Center for Ballet and the Arts at NYU with funding from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to help "establish ballet as a serious subject of academic inquiry."[12] In its inaugural opening, the institute accepted seven fellows; John Carrafa, Gregory Mosher, J. David Velleman, Heather Watts, Frederick Wiseman, Christopher d'Amboise, and John Michael Schert.[13]

In 2016, Homans was selected as a New York Public Library's Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers Fellow.[14] In 2019, Homans' Center for Ballet and the Arts received a three-year $2 million grant.[15] She was also named The New Yorker's dance critic, replacing Joan Acocella.[16]

Personal life

Homans married Tony Judt and together they had two children before his death.[17]

References
  1. "Jennifer Homans". viaf.org. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  2. Rosenberg, Amy (Fall 2011). "Barre None". nyu.edu. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  3. McDonald, Jennifer B. (November 19, 2010). "This Ballerina Found History In Her Footsteps". The New York TImes. Archived from the original on February 2, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  4. "Nutcracker: The Motion Picture". tvguide.com. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  5. "Homans' "Apollo's Angels" Named One of "10 Best Books of 2010" by the New York Times". nyu.edu. December 20, 2010. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  6. McParland, Shellie I. (Spring 2013). "Apollo's Angels: A History of Ballet by Jennifer Homans (review)". Journal of Sport History. 40 (1): 178–179. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  7. Bentley, Toni (November 26, 2010). "Taking Flight". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 18, 2010. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  8. "Four NYU Faculty Finalists for National Book Critics Circle Awards". nyu.edu. January 25, 2011. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  9. Bomboy, Erin (December 29, 2017). "Jennifer Homans Was Wrong: Ballet Is Experiencing a Mini-Renaissance". dance-enthusiast.com. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  10. La Rocco, Claudia (November 15, 2010). "Is Ballet Really Dying?". slate.com. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  11. "JENNIFER HOMANS". gf.org. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  12. Cooper, Michael (September 2, 2014). "Think Tank to Ponder a Future for Ballet". The New York Times. Archived from the original on July 16, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  13. "Major New Research Center for Ballet and the Arts Launched at NYU". nyu.edu. September 8, 2014. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  14. "The New York Public Library's Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers Announces 2016-2017 Fellows". nypl.org. April 11, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  15. "Mellon Foundation Awards $2 Million to NYU Center for Ballet". philanthropynewsdigest.org. October 12, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
  16. @AdriaBalletBeat (March 6, 2019). "Jennifer Homans, author of Apollo's Angels: A History of Ballet (2010), has been named dance critic for The New Yorker. Joan Acocella has stepped down from the position after 20 years" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  17. Hormans, Jennifer (March 22, 2012). "Tony Judt: A Final Victory". nybooks.com. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
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