Richard Cragun

Richard Cragun (5 October 1944, Sacramento, California — 6 August 2012, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) was an American ballet dancer, choreographer, and pedagogue. He served as the principal dancer at the Stuttgart Ballet between 1965 and his retirement in 1996, primarily known for his extensive collaboration with Marcia Haydée (b. 1937). As a teenager, Cragun won a scholarship to study at the Banff School of Fine Arts in Canada, continuing his education under Errol Addison at The Royal Ballet School in London, UK. Richard Cragun later took private lessons with Vera Volkova (1905—1975) in Denmark, who introduced him to John Cranko, a new head of Stuttgart Ballet, in 1962. After his retirement, Richard Cragun served as the ballet director at Deutsche Oper Berlin between 1996 and 1999. He relocated to Brazil, working as the ballet director at Teatro Municipal, Rio de Janeiro, and organizing local exhibitions as a cartoonist.