Robert Tracy, 52; wrote books on ballet
NEW YORK -- Robert Tracy, a prolific dance writer, died June 7. He was 52.
The cause was complications of infection with HIV, said his sister, Mary Ellen Tracy.
Mr. Tracy's first book, "Balanchine's Ballerinas: Conversations With the Muses," was published by Simon & Schuster in 1983 and described by The Wall Street Journal as "this year's great ballet book."
Subsequent books included "Goddess: Martha Graham's Dancers Remember" (1997) and "Ailey Spirit: The Journey of an American Dance Company" (2004), both published by Limelight.
Mr. Tracy also wrote on dance, theater, music, art, and film for newspapers and magazines including The
Born in Boston, Mr. Tracy was a gymnast at St. John's Prep in Danvers. He earned a bachelor's degree in classical studies and dance from Skidmore College, where he studied ballet with Melissa Hayden.
According to an interview with The Boston Globe in 1984, Hayden was Mr. Tracy's original inspiration for the Balanchine book. "I got the idea for this book when I was driving Melissa to New York," he said. "She didn't drive, so I got to be her chauffeur. I'd take her to New York and on the way ask her all about Balanchine and Stravinsky. She'd bring me to the ballet and introduce me to people."
In 1978 Hayden sent him to Balanchine's School of American Ballet, where he came into contact with such figures of legend as Alexandra Danilova and the late Felia Doubrovska, both then teaching at the school. One of Balanchine's leading ballerinas, Danilova became one of the subjects for Mr. Tracy's book.
He also studied at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater school. Mr. Tracy also performed in productions by Rudolf Nureyev on Broadway and internationally, including "Don Quixote" with the Boston Ballet.
In addition to his sister, of Atlanta, Mr. Tracy leaves a brother, Frank, of Hong Kong.
