Megan Fairchild was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and began her dance training at the age of four, studying with Judy Levitre and Kaelynne Oliphant at Dance Concepts in Sandy, Utah, and at the Ballet West Conservatory in Salt Lake City with Sharee Lane, Deborah Dobson, and Maureen Laird. While also at the Ballet West Conservatory, Ms. Fairchild was also a Ballet West trainee.

Fairchild entered the School of American Ballet, the official school of the New York City Ballet, in the fall of 2000, studying under the guidance of Suki Schorer, Susan Pilarre, and Kay Mazzo. In November 2001, Fairchild became an apprentice with the New York City Ballet, and in October 2002 she joined the New York City Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet. Fairchild was promoted to the rank of soloist in February 2004, and in January 2005, she was promoted to principal dancer.

Fairchild’s expansive repertoire includes principal roles in full-length ballets and contemporary works. Principal roles include the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Dewdrop in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, Pierrette in Balanchine’s Harlequinade, the Second Act Divertissement in Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Swanhilda in the George Balanchine/Alexandra Danilova production of Coppelia, Aurora and Princess Florine in Peter Martins’ The Sleeping Beauty, and Florence in The Blue Necklace in Susan Stroman’s Double Feature.

Fairchild has also danced the roles of Calliope in Balanchine’s Apollo, and Lise in Martins’ The Magic Flute.

Fairchild has also danced principal roles in George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante, Ballo della Regina, Chaconne, Danses Concertantes, Divertimento from Le Baiser de la Fee, Divertimento No. 15, Donizetti Variations, Duo Concertant, Jewels, Raymonda Variations, Serenade, La Source, Square Dance, Stars and Stripes, The Steadfast Tin Soldier, Symphony in C, Tarantella, Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux, Theme and Variations, Union Jack, Valse-Fantasie, Vienna Waltzes, Western Symphony, Peter Martins’ Barber Violin Concerto, A Fool for You, Eight Easy Pieces, Eros Piano, Fearful Symmetries, Octet, Papillons, Sinfonia, Songs of the Auvergne, Zakouski, Alexei Ratmansky’s Russian Seasons, Jerome Robbins’ Andantino, Brandenburg, Dances at a Gathering, The Four Season, The Goldberg Variations, Piano Pieces, and Christopher Wheeldon’s DGV: Danse á Grande Vitesse, and Mercurial Manoeuvres.

Fairchild has also originated featured roles in Eliot Feld’s Intermezzo No. 1, Robert LaFosse’s Land of Nod, Peter Martins’ Bal de Couture, and Naïve and Sentimental Music, Alexei Ratmansky’s Namouna, A Grand Divertissement, Christopher Wheeldon’s Shambards, and Angelin Preljocaj’s Spectral Evidence.

In 2001 Fairchild was a recipient of the Mae L. Wien Award for Outstanding Promise.

In 2011 Fairchild danced the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in PBS’ Live From Lincoln Center telecast of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, which was also screened in movie theaters and cinemas around the world.

In 2014 Fairchild played a lead role in the 2014 revival of "On the Town" on Broadway at the Lyric Theater. She was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award, and received a Theatre World Award for her portrayal of Ivy Smith, AKA Miss Turnstiles.

In 2015 Fairchild performed in a special international festival of George Balanchine's Jewels at the David H. Koch Theater with the Bolshoi and Paris Opera, representing NYCB in the excerpt of Rubies.

Fairchild is currently a Teaching Fellow with the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet.

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