Chase Finlay (born 1990) is a former ballet dancer and former principal dancer with the New York City Ballet who has also danced with the Mariinsky Theatre in Russia.
Early life
Born in Fairfield, Connecticut, Finlay began his dance training at the age of 8, at Ballet Academy East in New York City. During the summer of 2007, he began studying at the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet (NYCB). He subsequently enrolled there as a full-time student.
Career
Finlay became an apprentice with NYCB in September 2008. He became a member of the corps de ballet in September 2009. While still a member of the corps de ballet, he danced the title role in George Balanchine's Apollo.
He was promoted to soloist in July 2011, and to principal in February 2013.
Alexandra Waterbury lawsuit
In September 2018, Finlay was sued by his 20-year-old ex-girlfriend, Alexandra Waterbury, for allegedly sharing nude photos of her and other female dancers with male company members without their consent. Finlay resigned from the New York City Ballet in August 2018 during the company's investigation.
Roles
Featured roles since joining the New York City Ballet:
George Balanchine
Apollo
Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet (First Movement) Divertimento No. 15 Duo Concertant Liebeslieder Walzer A Midsummer Night's Dream (Divertissement, Lysander) Mozartiana George Balanchine's The Nutcracker™ (Cavalier, Hot Chocolate) Robert Schumann's "Davidsbündlertänze" Stars and Stripes Symphony in C (First Movement) Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux
Ulysses Dove
Red Angels
Sean Lavery
Romeo and Juliet
Peter Martins
Fearful Symmetries
Morgen
River of Light
The Sleeping Beauty (Gold) Swan Lake (Pas de Quatre) Todo Buenos Aires
Jerome Robbins
2 & 3 Part Inventions
Glass Pieces
Interplay
N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz
West Side Story Suite
Christopher Wheeldon
Polyphonia
Soirée Musicale
Originated featured roles in
Peter Martins: Bal de Couture, Mirage
Angelin Preljocaj: Spectral Evidence
Originated corps roles in
Alexey Miroshnichenko: The Lady with The Little Dog
Alexei Ratmansky: Namouna, A Grand Divertissement
Lynne Taylor-Corbett: The Seven Deadly Sins
Christopher Wheeldon: Estancia
Honors
In 2010, Finlay became the first recipient of the Clive Barnes Award for dance.