Fernando Bujones

Fernando Bujones (March 9, 1955 – November 10, 2005) was an American ballet dancer.

Born in Miami, Florida to Cuban parents, Bujones is regarded as one of the finest male dancers of the 20th century (along with: Rudolf Nureyev, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Edward Villela, Anthony Dowell, Patrick Dupond, Frank Andersen, David Wall, Desmond Kelly, Arthur Mitchell, Vladimir Vassiliev, Jean-Charles Gil, Richard Cragun, Denys Ganio, Bjarne Hecht, Jean Guizerix, Patrice Touron – and many, many others) and hailed as one of the greatest American male dancers of his generation ^[1]

Bujones' first formal ballet classes were in Alicia Alonso's Cuban National Ballet school for about a year and a half. In 1967 he won a scholarship to the School of American Ballet, the official school of the New York City Ballet Company. He studied there for about five years; his teachers were some of the world’s premier ballet instructors, such as Stanley Williams, André Eglevsky, and Zeida Cecilia Mendez, his private coach.

He joined the American Ballet Theatre, one of the world's preeminent dance companies, in 1972. By the following year he became a soloist, and in 1974 a Principal Dancer where, at 19, he was not only one of the youngest principal dancers in the world, but the youngest principal male dancer in ABT's history. It was during that period that Mikhail Baryshnikov defected from the Soviet Union and joined ABT in 1974. They worked together as dancers for six years, after which Bujones worked under Baryshnikov's artistic direction.^[2]

Throughout his 30 year dancing career he performed as a guest artist in 34 countries and with more than 60 companies including such luminary ones like American Ballet Theatre, the Royal Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, the Paris Opera, the Royal Danish Ballet, La Scala of Milano, the Vienna State Opera Ballet, the Australian Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada, Boston Ballet and others. He has partnered many of the 20th century's celebrated ballerinas such as Dame Margot Fonteyn, Natalia Makarova, Carla Fracci, Cynthia Gregory,Marcia Haydee,Gelsey Kirkland, and Marianna Tcherkassky. [2]

Just before his death, Bujones completed his autbiography, which was released in 2009 by his long-time coach Zeida Cecilia Mendez. Fernando Bujones: An Autobiography[3] has been described by Dance Europe as "a great read" and "Fernando's story reads as a movie script on the theme of the American Dream!"

He was buried at Caballero Rivero Woodlawn North Park Cemetery and Mausoleum.

Autobiography

The Book: Fernando Bujones: An Autobiography

Beginning with his Cuban childhood in Miami, this autobiography of famed dancer Fernando Bujones covers his life from his years as a gifted student at the School of American Ballet to his 13-year career as principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre (ABT). Among these recollections are his incredible rise as the youngest principal dancer with ABT, how he became the first American dancer to win the gold medal at the Varna International Ballet Competition, and his time spent in the tumultuous years following Mikhail Baryshnikov's takeover of ABT. Bujones took an abrupt departure from his beloved company and subsequently found superstar status with his international career. He continued to touch the lives of those around him—as well as those who watched his performances—until his unexpected death in 2005.

REVIEW

• “The overriding quality that leaps out from this book is the total honesty of Fernando Bujones. He pulls no punches even though he avoids sensationalism and gossip . . . His story is like a movie script on the theme of the American Dream.” —Mike Dixon, Dance Europe

• “The greatest American male dancer of his generation.” —Anna Kisselgoff, The New York Times

• “Fernando Bujones . . . American-trained premier danseur whose exuberance and technical excellence in roles ranging from classical to contemporary have stimulated audiences around the world to deeper insight into the beauty and joy of dance.” —Lucia Chase, founding artistic director, American Ballet Theatre

• "Even though Fernando has been the greatest ballet dancer of his generation, he was a very sincere and down-to-earth man; and you get this from this book - the true essence of this great man." Amazon.com

• "I strongly recommend this book not only to Ballet fans but everyone interested in how the human passion, dedication and discipline can triumph over all obstacles." Amazon.com

• "The Bujones' honesty is another important feature in the book, he describes the events with the sincerity of a boy, with the passion of an artist and the vision and commitment of a producer." Amazon.com

Movie

The Extraordinary Journey of Fernando Bujones

Israel Rodriguez's The Extraordinary Journey of Fernando Bujones uses generous samples of the dancing of the late Orlando Ballet artistic director and interviews with his peers to remind us how special Bujones was.

"A must have" - José Fajardo, WMFE-TV President & CEO

"A work of wit and beauty" - Roger Moore, Movie Critic, Orlando Sentinel

References

External links

• Official Website
• Official Orlando Ballet Website
• The Extraordinary Journey of Fernando Bujones
• Fernando Bujones: An Autobiography (Amazon.com)"Outstanding Book" "a mesmerizing journey through a fantastic life"

See also

• List of Cubans

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