Adrian Danchig-Waring, principal dancer at New York City Ballet, will mark his farewell performance on Sunday, concluding a distinguished career shaped by resilience and artistic exploration. At 42, Danchig-Waring’s departure from the stage comes a year after a near-fatal spinal infection threatened not only his dance career but his life.
In late 2024, Danchig-Waring suffered a herniated disk in his spine and received an epidural injection that led to a severe bacterial infection. The illness caused a rapid decline in his health, including loss of mobility, fever, and significant weight loss over two months. Medical imaging revealed that his disk had deteriorated to fluid, resulting in excruciating pain. The bacterial strain he contracted is associated with an 85 percent mortality rate when untreated, underscoring the gravity of his condition.
After nine months of antibiotic treatment and surgery, he made a cautious return to performance in the fall of 2025, appearing in the final movement of George Balanchine’s “Episodes” in a limited capacity that excluded lifts and jumps. He had resolved to dance for no longer than a year upon his recovery, focusing only on works that held personal meaning.
Danchig-Waring’s final program honors his refined presence on stage, featuring two Balanchine ballets—“The Four Temperaments” and “Agon”—alongside a duet by Lar Lubovitch and a world premiere by choreographer Pam Tanowitz. The new work, created specifically for him, will include dancers Mira Nadon, Unity Phelan, and Indiana Woodward, with whom he shares close artistic connections.
Phelan, a frequent partner and close friend, described feeling as if she were mourning the end of a profound partnership. Danchig-Waring characterized their relationship as a deep, affectionate bond acknowledged by their spouses. He is married to Thomas Rom, an art adviser and board chair at Performance Space New York. Prior to this marriage, he was involved with fellow principal dancer Joseph Gordon.
Danchig-Waring, a native of San Francisco, began dancing at a young age through a Russian folk dance program and Chinese acrobatics before embracing ballet. He entered the School of American Ballet just days before the September 11 attacks and joined New York City Ballet in 2003. Despite early setbacks, including a broken foot in 2004, he advanced to soloist in 2009 and principal dancer in 2013.
Since 2018, Danchig-Waring has also served as artistic director of the New York Choreographic Institute, an incubator that supports new works by giving choreographers access to studio space and dancers. He is expanding the institute’s role to provide long-term support for artists and build partnerships beyond City Ballet, including a forthcoming collaboration with the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Danchig-Waring views the institute as a hub for innovation, likening it to a fusion of “Bell Labs” and the Ballets Russes. His interest in fostering diverse artistic experimentation reflects his own multifaceted career and philosophy of dance as a vessel for complex human experience.
His near-death experience and caregiving for a terminally ill aunt have profoundly shaped his perspective, deepening his engagement with dance as a spiritual and emotionally expressive practice. After his recovery, he described shedding prior perfectionism and hierarchical expectations, embracing a more open and porous creative process.
As he steps away from performing on stage, Danchig-Waring will remain active in the dance community through his leadership at the Choreographic Institute, continuing to influence ballet’s evolution by supporting emerging voices and new artistic directions.