Edward Bigelow, a longtime dancer and administrator at the New York City Ballet who originated many dramatic character roles including the Mouse King in George Balanchine’s “Nutcracker,” died on Monday in a car accident in Sharon, Conn. He was 93 and lived in West Cornwall, Conn.
Mr. Bigelow lost control on Route 7 and collided head-on with a truck, the state police said. He was alone in the car, and the truck driver was not seriously injured, the police said.
Although Mr. Bigelow performed as a dancer from 1946 through the 1960s, he was also known as a versatile aide-de-camp to both Lincoln Kirstein and Balanchine, City Ballet’s founders. He became an assistant to Balanchine in 1949 while still a dancer, was a production assistant from 1951 to 1977 and had the title of manager from 1978 to 1987.
In his recent memoir “I Was a Dancer,” Jacques d’Amboise, the former City Ballet star, said,
Eddie performed in anything and everything,” he added, “and was a lifelong servant to dance and dancers.”
via Edward Bigelow, Dancer With the New York City Ballet, Dies at 93 – NYTimes.com
