Heather Jurgensen

from Carlisle, Pennsylvania, started her ballet training at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. At 16, she was invited to attend the School of American Ballet in New York where she finished her training, and attended Fordham University. She joined the New York City Ballet, under the direction of Peter Martins, then moved to Europe, where she joined the Hamburg Ballet, directed by John Neumeier. Within a short time, she was promoted to soloist and then principal dancer. 

In addition to dancing and creating numerous roles within choreographer John Neumeier’s repertoire, Heather has also worked with Jerome Robbins, Natalia Makarova, Irina Jacobsen, Mats Ek, Hans Van Manen, Lar Lubovitch, Laura Dean and has had original works created for her by Peter Martins, Mats Ek, Kevin Haigen, Yaroslav Ivanenko and Christopher Wheeldon among others. Also in her repertoire are works by George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, Kevin O’Day and Jiri Kylian. A winner of the Dr. Wilhelm Oberdörffer Prize, Heather was also nominated for the prestigious “Benois de la Danse”. 

After retiring from the stage, Heather studied postgraduate Culture and Media Management at the Academy of the Arts in Riga, Latvia. In 2011, she was engaged as Associate Artistic Director and repertory director of Ballet Kiel. She serves on international juries and guest teaches throughout Europe. Also since 2011, she is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Stiftung Tanz- Transition Zentrum Deutschland, which supports dancers in their professional reorientation after their active dance careers.