Arthur Christian Holder (18 June 1949 – 18 February 2025) was a British-Trinidadian dancer. He was renowned for being "one of the most iconic dancers of the Joffrey company in the 1970s, perhaps in its history."Sheri Candler, "Christian Holder reflects on his years in the Joffrey", Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance. Holder's artistic endeavors were as diverse. He was also a choreographer, cabaret singer, painter, theater director, and playwright.
Life and career Early years and education Arthur Christian Holder was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad, on 18 June 1949,"Boscoe Holder - The Life of the Late" , Trinidad Express Newspapers, 31 July 2011. into an artistic family, the son of Boscoe Holder and his wife Sheila Clarke Holder, who were both professional dancers. His maternal grandmother was the actress and radio personality Kathleen Davis – known as "Aunty Kay" – and his uncle was the actor Geoffrey Holder.
His family moved to London when he was an infant. His father, who later became a renowned painter, at the time ran a company called Boscoe Holder and his Caribbean Dancers, and throughout childhood Christian appeared with them, and on British television and in repertory theatre.Christian Holder, "Remembering Joffrey" , Dance Magazine, October 2006. Retrieved 1 June 2015. As a four-year-old, Christian danced with his father's company at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953, and by the age of seven he had begun training in ballet, and aged 11 attended the Corona Academy Stage School."Christian Holder headlines at Crazy Coqs – 'At Home and Abroad'", The Philip Foster Company, 29 March 2015. In an unfinished 1955 production of Moby Dick, directed by Orson Welles, Holder had the role of Pip the Cabin Boy.
Move to New York In 1963, Holder was one of a select group of young dancers to be offered scholarships by Martha Graham to study at her school in New York City, so as to return to London "to be charter members of what was to become London Contemporary Dance Theatre". The following year, his parents saw him off to the United States.
He went on to enrol as a student at the High School of Performing Arts in New York City, where he was spotted by Robert Joffrey. Joining the Joffrey Ballet, Holder remained with the company from 1966 to 1979,"Joffrey Mavericks of American Dance: Exclusive Interviews From The Film Premiere In NYC", video interview with Christian Holder. YouTube. becoming one of their most acclaimed principal dancers, performing as a soloist with choreographers including Kurt Jooss (who personally trained Holder for the lead role of "Death" in a revival of his 1932 anti-war ballet, The Green Table),Holder, Christian (December 2013), "Rant & Rave: When Reviving Becomes Revising", Dance Magazine. .Houston, Levin, "Joffrey Ballet strengthens impression at Wolf Trap", The Free Lance-Star, 8 July 1972: "(...) again the magnificent negro dancer, Christian Holder, gives his chilling performance as Death...."Straus, Rachel, "Kurt Jooss: The founding father of Tanztheater", Dance Teacher, 29 August 2011.Holder, Christian. "Dancing for Jooss: Recreating the role of Death in 'The Green Table, Choreography and Dance, an International Journal, 1993, 2–4: 79–91. Leonid Massine, Jerome Robbins, Alvin Ailey, and Agnes De Mille.Walther, Suzanne K., "Notes on contributors", The Dance Theatre of Kurt Jooss, p. 97. Choreography and Dance, Vol. 3, Part 2 (1993). A New York Magazine review in 1971 typically commented: "...Christian Holder, lithe, tremendously powerful and totally individual, dominates the stage whenever he is given solo work to do.... Up the Joffrey! Onward, Christian Holder!"Rich, Alan, "The Lively Arts: Portents of Non-Events", New York Magazine, 8 November 1971, p. 76. Measuring in height 6 feet and 4 inches, he was "majestic and pantherlike" onstage, as described by choreographer Margo Sappington.
In 1973, Holder attended an Ike & Tina Turner concert at New York's Philharmonic Hall in Lincoln Center and anonymously left a dress he had made for Tina Turner in her dressing room. Turner was wearing his dress when he went to her show in 1974. Holder wrote to Turner, who replied by inviting him to her recording studio complex, Bolic Sound, in Inglewood, and requesting him to design additional outfits. They became friends and Holder created stage costumes for her until 1984. He also designed costumes for Ann Reinking, Peter Allen, and Bette Midler."Recalling the glamor, activist days of the Joffrey", Chicago Tribune, 27 August 2006.Christian Holder biography, The Crazy Coqs, June 2015.
From 1979 to 1981, he appeared as a guest solo dancer with San Francisco Opera, dancing in productions starring Luciano Pavarotti, and Placido Domingo, and choreographed their productions of The Merry Widow with Dame Joan Sutherland and Aida (2001)."The Dancers...Christian Holder 1966-1979", Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance.
In 2006, he performed in the Joffrey Ballet's production of Sir Frederick Ashton's Cinderella, as one of the ugly stepsisters along with Gary Chryst, which roles Joffrey (who died in 1988) had always wanted them to play."Joffrey to be first American company to perform Ashton's 'Cinderella'", The Star Online, 2 October 2006.
The 2012 documentary film Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance, written and directed by Bob Hercules, contains archive footage of Holder.Christian Holder biography, official website.
During his career, Holder choreographed ballets including Weren't We Fools? for American Ballet Theatre and Transcendence for Atlanta Ballet, appeared in repertory theatre productions and musicals, and designed costumes for ballets including Margo Sappington's Toulouse-Lautrec (2000) for the Ballet du Capitole in Toulouse, France.Margo Sappington page , Milwaukee Ballet. In addition, Holder taught ballet at Steps on Broadway in New York City, the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, Kaatsbaan International Dance Center, PeriDance, and for Cedar Lake Dance.
Return to London and later years In 2009, Holder returned to live in England, where he was involved in various creative work. In 2010, his paintings and designs were exhibited in London alongside the work of his father Boscoe Holder and that of master designer Oliver Messel, a family friend.Mark N. Pereira, "T&T art market alive and well", Trinidad and Tobago Guardian, 7 October 2010.
A later project was writing the book and lyrics for a theatre piece called Verse of Fortune (in collaboration with Noa Ain)"Current Projects", Noa Ain. inspired by the life and work of French poet Baudelaire.
In April 2015, Holder made his debut as a singer in his one-man cabaret entitled "At Home and Abroad", with music direction by Philip Foster, playing a sold-out show at The Crazy Coqs in London's Piccadilly, where Holder performed his own compositions as well as songs by Cole Porter, Noël Coward, Stephen Sondheim, Peter Allen and Rodgers & Hart."Christian Holder – Back by Popular Demand", The Philip Foster Company, 24 May 2015."Headline Act: FRI 5TH AND SAT 6TH JUNE, 8PM Christian Holder", The Crazy Coqs, June 2015. A subsequent show in May 2016 at the same venue was entitled SUITE 60 and received a four-star review from BritishTheatre.com, where Douglas Mayo commented: "Holder succeeds in weaving a spell over his audience. It's a blend of live performance and multi-media, that is perfectly placed in the intimacy of a venue like Crazy Coqs....his ability to deliver truth and drama through song enables him to captivate an audience for nearly two hours and leave them wanting more."Mayo, Douglas (18 May 2016), "REVIEW: Christian Holder, SUITE 60, Crazy Coqs", British Theatre.
In August 2016, Holder appeared at the Victoria & Albert Museum in conversation with Greta Chaffer, in a special event entitled "Christian Holder: A life in performance, New York and London"."Christian Holder: A life in performance, New York and London", V&A, Special Events, 19 August 2016." Events in Greater London | Christian Holder: A Life in Performance New York and London", Black History Month.
The 2020 exhibition Père et Fils, featured recent work by Holder alongside previously unseen pieces by his father, hosted by Campbell's of London in South Kensington.
Holder wrote and directed the play Ida Rubinstein: The Final Act, which was staged in 2021 at the Playground Theatre, with ballerina Naomi Sorkin performing the title role.
In 2024, Holder published a limited edition fine art book about his father, entitled Boscoe Holder: Travels in Rhythm, A Life of Art and Dance.
Holder died unexpectedly at his home in London on 18 February 2025, aged 75, having the previous week announced plans for a show called Christian Holder: Songs and Stories that was to be held in New York in April 2025.
Awards On 7 April 1991, Christian Holder, Boscoe Holder, and Geoffrey Holder jointly received, in Philadelphia, the first Drexel University Award for International Excellence. Also, an award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts was given to him by Philadanco in 1995.
References
External links
Christian John Wikane, "Master of Reinvention: An Interview with Joffrey Ballet Icon Christian Holder", PopMatters, 25 March 2022.