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Robert Joffrey

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Choreographer

The Resume

    (December 24, 1930-March 25, 1988)
    Born in Seattle, Washington
    Birth name was Abdullah Jaffa Bey Khan
    Dancer and choreographer
    Founded the Joffrey Ballet (1954)
    Works included Gamelin (1962) and Astarte (1967)

Why he might be annoying:

    He claimed he took up ballet as a child as therapy for his asthma, but it was actually to correct his bowleggedness.
    He listed housekeeping as a hobby. (Calling it ‘very therapeutic’)
    He denied having AIDS, with liver failure being given as the cause of his death.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He was one of the first choreographers to blend elements of classical ballet and modern dance.
    Twyla Tharp and Alvin Ailey developed their first works for his ballet company.
    He was the first choreographer to stage Nijinsky’s ballet for ‘The Rite of Spring’ since its 1913 premier.
    Every member of his company was allowed to dance major roles (instead of the usual practice of reserving major roles for a handful of dancers and relegating the rest of the company to supporting and backup roles).

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 10 Votes: 70.0% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 7 Votes: 85.71% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 40 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 3 Votes: 66.67% Annoying