Lawrence Rhodes

Lawrence Rhodes (born 24 November 1939) is an American premier dancer and ballet director for the Juilliard Dance Division.

Lawrence Rhodes was born in Mount Hope, West Virginia on November 24, 1939. After his second birthday his family had moved to Detroit, Michigan. Around the age of 9 Lawrence was inspired by Fred Astaire, an American dancer, and started tap dancing. He then discovered ballet at age 14. Lawrence Rhodes started his studies in ballet at the Ballet Russe School, this is where his career takes off. From 1958-1960 Lawrence danced with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. Lawrence Rhodes became a principal dancer in 1960 for the Joffrey Ballet expressing his dramatic and technically disciplined styles of ballet. The performances he was known for were Gerald Arpino's Partita for Four and Ropes; and Brian MacDonald's Time Out of Mind.

In 2002 Lawrence Rhodes became the Artistic Director of the Juilliard Dance Division. While directing at Juilliard, Lawrence received the Lifetime Career Achievement Award from Dance Teacher Magazine in July 2009. Juilliard Dance Division is being awarded the 64th Capezio Award in November, 2015. Lawrence Rhodes will be accepting this award for the Dance Division. The Capezio Award is given to any individual, company or institution who show a respectful dignity through their exhibition of dance qualities such as creation, innovation, and imagination.