Biography
Jeffrey Cirio began his ballet training at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. He also studied at Boston Ballet School. In 2006, he was awarded a Grand Prix medal in the regionals and a gold medal in the New York finals of Youth America Grand Prix. He went on to win a bronze medal at the 2006 U.S. International Ballet Competition in Jackson, MS. He joined Boston Ballet II for the 2007-2008 season. Cirio then went on to train at Orlando Ballet School. He represented Orlando Ballet at the 5th Seoul International Dance Competition, where he was awarded a silver medal. Cirio’s other awards include “Best Male Dancer” at the 2006 American Ballet Competition, a gold medal at Tanzolymp Competition, a silver level award in ballet at the National Foundation for Advancement of the Arts 2009 Arts Week, the Senior Grand Prix Award and the Mary Day Award for Artistry at the 2009 Youth America Grand Prix, and a gold medal at the 2009 World Ballet Competition. He went on to win a gold medal at the 2009 Helsinki International Ballet Competition, becoming the first American to do so.
Cirio returned to Boston Ballet in 2009 as a corps de ballet member and was awarded the coveted Princess Grace Fellowship in 2009. He was promoted to second soloist in 2010, soloist in 2011, and principal in 2012, after his performance of Basilio in Rudolf Nureyev’s Don Quixote, for which he received an Honorable Mention in Pointe’s “Standout Performances of the Year 2012.”
Cirio has performed in numerous classical, neo-classical and contemporary roles with Boston Ballet. He originated and performed the principal role in Jorma Elo’s “Elo Experience” with prima ballerina, Larissa Ponomarenko, (for which they received Pointe’s “Standout Performances of the Year 2011” award.) During the company’s tour to London in 2013, Cirio was nominated for the Best Male Classical Dance Performance at the National Dance Awards in the UK for his performance in Elo’s “Plan to B.”
Cirio joined American Ballet Theatre in September 2015 as a Soloist and was promoted to Principal Dancer in June 2016. Cirio was nominated for the Benois de la Danse for his roles in Sir Frederick Ashton’s La Fille mal gardée and George Balanchine’s Prodigal Son. In 2017, Cirio was invited to be a guest artist with English National Ballet. He joined ENB as Lead Principal in 2018, dancing numerous principal roles including the Creature in Akram Khan’s Creature. Cirio was nominated as Best Male Dancer in the UK in 2019, 2021, and 2022 by the National Dance Awards. In 2022, he won Outstanding Male Classical Performance for his role in Creature.
Cirio performs in galas and events throughout the US, and internationally, including in China, Japan, Ukraine, Mexico, and Mongolia. Cirio also had the privilege of dancing at the 2014 Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C. honoring Patricia McBride, where he danced Balanchine’s Rubies pas de deux with Lauren Lovette of New York City Ballet.
He is the co-founder, with his sister and fellow Boston Ballet Principal Dancer Lia Cirio, and Artistic Director of Cirio Collective, and has created works for the Collective, Boston Ballet, Ballet Academy East, Central PA Youth Ballet, and English National Ballet’s Emerging Dancer.
Cirio joined Boston Ballet II in 2007, was promoted to artist of the Company in 2009, Second Soloist in 2010, Soloist in 2011, and Principal Dancer in 2012. He returns to Boston Ballet as a Principal Dancer in 2022.
