Robert Joffrey was an American dancer and choreographer who founded the famous Joffrey Ballet along with his longtime partner, Gerald Arpino. The Joffrey Ballet is a renowned professional dance company, and many well-known dancers and choreographers like Paul Taylor, Twyla Tharp, and George Balanchine have worked with the Ballet. The company has also served as the launch pad for many upcoming choreographers and remains Joffrey’s biggest contribution to the world of dance and choreography. Known for his innovative and experimental styles of dances, he had also commissioned original ballets and reconstructed rare classics. He is famous for popularizing the classics of ballet among the modern audiences especially for his meticulous recreations of the legendary Diaghilev era ballets. Born as Abdullah Jaffa Bey Khan, he was a sickly child who started dancing as a means of coping with his physical conditions. Soon he fell in love with dancing and decided to dedicate his life to this art form. He began his career as a dancer and found tremendous success. He also began teaching dance to students and proved himself to be a very able instructor, blessed with an eye for recognizing potential in youngsters. Eventually he founded his own company, and made a name for himself as one of the greatest choreographers of the 20th century.