Adrian Danchig-Waring, a principal dancer with New York City Ballet, is preparing for his final stage performance after a remarkable journey marked by serious injury and recovery. On Sunday, he will conclude a distinguished dancing career that has spanned more than two decades, transitioning his focus toward his role as artistic director of the company’s New York Choreographic Institute, which he has led since 2018.
Danchig-Waring’s decision to retire from performing follows a protracted health crisis that began in late 2024, when he suffered a herniated spinal disc. An epidural injection intended for relief resulted in a severe bacterial infection, causing him to lose the ability to walk temporarily and endure intense pain. Medical imaging revealed his disc had effectively deteriorated to a fluid state, producing bone-on-bone contact. Left untreated, the bacteria involved carries an 85 percent mortality rate. After a period of misdiagnosis and uncertainty, Danchig-Waring spent nine months on antibiotics and underwent surgery before returning to the stage in fall 2025.
His comeback began with a restrained role in George Balanchine’s “Episodes,” performed without lifts or jumps but requiring grace and stature. On his farewell program, Danchig-Waring will appear in a diverse lineup that includes Balanchine’s “The Four Temperaments” and “Agon,” a duet by Lar Lubovitch, and a new piece choreographed by Pam Tanowitz. Preferring to share the stage rather than perform a solo, he will dance alongside long-time partners Mira Nadon, Unity Phelan, and Indiana Woodward.
Danchig-Waring’s collaborations reflect deep artistic and personal connections. Phelan described their partnership as a source of comfort and trust from her earliest days with the company. Danchig-Waring characterized his relationship with Phelan as profoundly loving, with mutual understanding among their spouses. He views Woodward as akin to a sister and Nadon as a wellspring of authenticity, whose artistry has influenced his own. Tanowitz’s new work, a gift rather than a commission, highlights different facets of Danchig-Waring’s movement—combining classical ballet with more experimental, nuanced expressions.
Raised in San Francisco, Danchig-Waring’s early dance training included Russian folk dance and Chinese acrobatics before focusing on ballet. He attended the School of American Ballet beginning just before the September 11 attacks and joined New York City Ballet’s company in 2003. After overcoming multiple injuries, he rose to soloist in 2009 and principal dancer in 2013. Wendy Whelan, the company’s associate artistic director, praised him for his humility, intelligence, and eagerness to grow as an artist.
Beyond dancing, Danchig-Waring has invested significant energy in the New York Choreographic Institute, which offers studio space and resources to emerging choreographers from City Ballet and the School of American Ballet. Under his leadership, the institute is expanding to support artists more sustainably and is initiating partnerships with institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art. In June, Tanowitz will conduct research there for a dance inspired by Bronislava Nijinska’s lost “Hamlet,” the first project to include dancers outside the City Ballet.
Danchig-Waring’s personal experiences with illness and caregiving have reshaped his approach to ballet and life. After his illness, he cared for his aunt in hospice, an experience he described as deeply cathartic and transformative. This confrontation with mortality infused his later dancing with a new spiritual dimension, relieving him of former pressures and perfectionist expectations.
Reflecting on his artistic philosophy, Danchig-Waring cited a teaching from Thich Nhat Hanh that emphasizes the body’s connection to society and all living beings. He sees ballet not as a static form but as a porous, continually evolving process. As he transitions from performer to mentor and advocate for new dance work, he envisions the institute as a vibrant laboratory intersecting innovative ideas with ballet’s rich traditions.