Kistler was born in Riverside, California, the fifth child (with four older brothers) of a medical doctor and his wife. Her brothers excelled in amateur wrestling, and she followed them into water-skiing, basketball, football and horseback riding.
At age 4, Kistler received her first tutu and began ballet training that same year. She claimed although she was always athletic, she could never keep to her brothers—so ballet turned out to be one cornerstone she had mastered. After seeing a ballet performance of Rudolf Nureyev and Margot Fonteyn, she decided she wanted to take up ballet herself. She studied with Mary Lynn at Mary Lynn's Ballet Arts and later with Irina Kosmovska in Los Angeles.
Kistler was promoted to (NYCB) soloist in 1981 and principal dancer in 1982, the youngest ever at 17 years. Signature roles include Balanchine's Jewels (Diamonds), Agon, Prodigal Son and Symphony in C. She danced the rôle of the Sugarplum Fairy in City Ballet's 1993 film version of The Nutcracker. She eventually wrote her own autobiography "Ballerina: My Story" as a children's book.
Kistler joined the SAB's permanent faculty in 1994.
Throughout her career, she had numerous dance-related injuries, including a broken ankle that sidelined her for three years. She went through several surgeries, including for her back.[3]
In February 2009, Kistler announced her retirement from New York City Ballet at the end of the 2010 season.[3] Her farewell performance took place on June 27, 2010,[4] and consisted of ballets choreographed by Balanchine and Martins:
Kistler married New York City Ballet's balletmaster-in-chief Peter Martins in 1991. In July 1992, Martins was arrested and held for five hours after Kistler phoned the police for help. Kistler filed an affidavit accusing him of assaulting her, pushing and slapping her, and cutting and bruising her arms and legs, leading to a charge of third-degree assault (a misdemeanor).[5][6] Kistler dropped the charges a few days later, saying she preferred to resolve the matter without the court's intervention.[5][7] When she next performed in a ballet two days later, she reportedly wore heavy makeup to conceal bruises she had suffered.[5] Several people who knew the two well claimed it wasn't the first time Martins had hit Kistler.[8]
Kistler and Martins have one daughter, Talicia Tove Martins, born June 13, 1996.[9]
^Martha Duffy, Dance: A New Sunbeam, Traveling Fast, Time, December 8, 1980: "At 16, Darci Kistler is on point. There are no subtleties in Darci Kistler's success story: she is a little girl's fantasy come to life. At 16 she has been given major roles by George Balanchine, the greatest living choreographer. New York City Ballet audiences, normally a reserved and sophisticated lot, cheer her on ..."
