Julio Bocca. Valerie Gladstone looks at the career of the American Ballet Theatre principal dancer, who will retire at the end of the current season at the Metropolitan Opera House.

“Charismatic, technically brilliant, and marvelously expressive, Julio Bocca commanded attention as soon as he joined American Ballet Theatre as a Principal Dancer in 1986. “He displayed a maturity and depth of understanding of the art form from the get go,” said Kevin McKenzie, the Artistic Director. “He instinctively understood the classicism in traditional roles and the contemporary in new works. He seems to have been blessed with an innate sense of theater.”

This season at the Metropolitan Opera House, Bocca performs with the Company for the last time, dancing in Manon, Petrouchka, Giselle, and Le Corsaire. “From the time I was a little child,” he said, “I knew I had to dance. It felt like playing games. I never want that joy to leave, so I’m stopping now. I respect ballet too much to continue at anything but my best. It’s given me a beautiful life.”

Stumble it! | |