Damian Woetzel was 15 when he left Boston, his hometown, to pursue dance full-time. He’d been at it since the age of four, and by the time he was training with the Los Angeles Ballet, critics were already paying attention. After seeing him in a 1983 performance of The Young Apollo, the New Yorker’s Arlene Croce noted that he was “admirably placed and trained, and already a dancer of power and distinction.”

At 17, Woetzel moved east to study under the ballet teachers Stanley Williams and Andrei Kramarevsky. That same year, in 1985, he joined the New York City Ballet—the company where he would spend the next two decades. He made soloist in 1989, then principal dancer just two months after that.

Today, Woetzel runs the Juilliard School as its seventh president, a role he stepped into after leading the Aspen Institute Arts Program. He lives in New York with his wife, Heather Watts, another former New York City Ballet principal, whom he met in 1985 during a dance class. Here, Woetzel shares his favorite spots in the city.

Café Luxembourg

The post-performance restaurant routine is an essential part of cultural life. Many of my favorites have closed, especially in the Lincoln Center area, where I’ll always miss the Ginger Man, the Saloon, and so many others … but I still find myself landing like a homing pigeon at Café Luxembourg, where I’ve been going since the mid ’80s. (cafeluxembourg.com)

Manuela

Sometimes I’ll head downtown with my wife, Heather, to Manuela. It’s one of our new favorites. (manuela-nyc.com)

Orso and Joe Allen

Between Manuela and Café Luxembourg, there are Orso and Joe Allen. After a Broadway show, both restaurants are perfect spots to decompress and debrief. (orsorestaurant; joeallenrestaurant.com)

Le Poisson Rouge

Le Poisson Rouge, in the Village, is a spot that transforms a performance into an experience. I’ve seen incredible musicians doing sets there that I will never forget, including a 2019 collaborative show with Philip Glass and two Wixárika musicians. Truly exceptional. (lpr.com)

National Sawdust

A fantastic place to hear great music—especially new music—in an intimate and really consuming atmosphere. (nationalsawdust.org)

Little Island

Little Island has become a real go-to for me since it opened a few summers ago. I love seeing the artists and collaborators I admire in the amphitheater or in the little glade. As night falls over the Hudson behind the performers, the setting and vibe are just so magical. (littleisland.org)

Juilliard Station

The many theaters at Juilliard are all dear to my heart for different reasons, from the Peter Jay Sharp Theater, where Maria Callas conducted her famous master classes, to Paul Hall, where we have recitals, chamber music, and much more. Our newest venue is Juilliard Station; there, we host free Rush Hour performances and a myriad of other programming. Walking down the busy street, you can’t miss the Station. The glass-walled space connects the passing public to art like no other venue at Lincoln Center. It brings people into the heart of the creative energy at Juilliard, and is a window into what we do there: the making of art and the making of artists. (juilliard.edu)

BAM Harvey Theater

I love all the theaters at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, but the Harvey is my favorite. I remember when the theater was renovated in the 80s—each production since then has created its own unique and special world. The theater was later named after the great Harvey Lichtenstein, who created the identity of the programming that made BAM a powerhouse. Its deep engagement with its neighbors is also such a brilliant demonstration of how arts and culture can reshape community. (bam.org)

David Geffen Hall

With love for all our Lincoln Center theaters, a special cheer for the new David Geffen Hall, and the lobby where you can watch simulcast performances for free. What an amazing thing that is. (nyphil.org)

New York City Center

Thanks to Mayor La Guardia’s 1943 transformation of a Masonic meeting house on 55th Street, City Center was established as New York’s post-war home for popularly priced arts. So much that came later—including Lincoln Center—was built on the strength of the art that was put on that stage and on the shoulders of the throngs of New Yorkers who came to cheer. And on it goes today! (Full disclosure: I have been a proud board member at City Center for many years.) (nycitycenter.org)

The Public Theater and the Delacorte

Every theater at the Public is magical; you feel the ghosts of great artists in each space. Underneath it all is the dream of founder Joe Papp, who said, “We have free libraries–why not free theaters?” What a brilliant and inspiring vision that he brought to life, epitomized by free Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte, which is truly the soul of the city in the summer. Every night, by the final act, the audience is just as it must have been at the Globe, responding to Shakespeare’s great words with passion and glee. It brings us all to life. (publictheater.org)

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