ABT dancer who hauled a homeless man off the subway tracks is awarded the New York State Liberty Medal
At first I waited for somebody else to jump down there. People were screaming to get help. But nobody jumped down. So I jumped down.
Heedless of the risks and recovering from a herniated disk, Davis lifted the unconscious man to safety. The assailant was arrested shortly thereafter.
I never realized how high it was! Luckily, I’m a ballet dancer, so I swung my leg up.
Gray Davis acted when others could not. His selflessness in the face of danger symbolizes the very best of New York and sets an example for all of us. I am proud to call Gray a constituent and thrilled to bestow upon him our State’s highest civilian honour.
The Liberty Medal is intended to recognize service or achievement that goes above and beyond any other distinction. Award criteria includes “meritorious, humanitarian, selfless, noble, heroic, and exceptional actions by the recipient on behalf of their community.”
ABT’s Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie said,
We often ask ourselves what would we do if we were faced with this kind of decision. Gray asked ‘why is no one doing anything?’ and then did what many of us couldn’t. I am immensely proud of him.
Graham Spicer, aka ‘Gramilano’, is a writer, director and photographer based in Milan. He was a regular columnist for Opera Now magazine and wrote for the BBC until transferring to Italy. His articles have appeared in various publications from Woman’s Weekly to Gay Times, and he wrote the Danza in Italia column for Dancing Times magazine. Graham was the historical advisor on Codice Carla, the 2023 documentary on Italian ballerina Carla Fracci.
Graham also works as a dance photographer, and his photos have appeared in many books, theatre programmes, and magazines, including Dancing Times, Dance Spirit and Ballet2000, as well as all the major Italian newspapers.
He is a member of the Dance Section of The Critics’ Circle.
