David Hallberg

Last updated
David Hallberg
David Hallberg.jpg
Hallberg in The Sleeping Beauty, 2010
Born (1982-05-18) May 18, 1982 (age 42) [1] [2] [3]
Rapid City, South Dakota, U.S. [1] [4]
OccupationBallet dancer
Career
Current group
Website davidhallberg.com

David Hallberg (born May 18, 1982) [1] [2] [3] is an American classical ballet dancer. He was a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre [2] and resident guest artist at The Australian Ballet, [5] as well as a principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet. In 2021, Hallberg became the artistic director of The Australian Ballet. [6]

Contents

Early life

Hallberg was born in Rapid City, South Dakota, [1] [4] and grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. He was inspired to dance when he saw a Fred Astaire film in the family living room. With his family's support, he trained at the Ballet Arizona School under the direction of Kee Juan Han. [7] [8] In 1999 he studied for one year at the Paris Opera Ballet School, then joined American Ballet Theatre's Studio Company in 2001.

Career

Hallberg joined American Ballet Theatre's (ABT) corps de ballet in 2001, was promoted to soloist in 2004, then principal in 2006. He has been a guest artist with many different companies around the world, including the Mariinsky Ballet, the Paris Opera Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, The Australian Ballet, Kyiv Ballet in Ukraine, Ballet Estable del Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires and many others. He has also performed at galas around the world from Japan to the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow. [2] In 2010, Hallberg won the Prix Benois de la Danse for his portrayal of Count Albrecht in Giselle . [9]

In 2011 Hallberg became the first American to become a principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet. [2] [10] Hallberg was invited by Sergei Filin, Bolshoi Ballet's artistic director to join as either a guest artist or principal. [1] His decision to join was made, in part, to dance with ballerina Natalia Osipova with whom he had danced previously. [1] However, owing to a severe ankle injury, [11] he did not perform with the Bolshoi after July 2014, and the association ended formally in 2017.

During two years off stage due to complications recovering from surgery on his left foot, Hallberg spent 15 months working with The Australian Ballet's physiotherapy and rehabilitation team, [12] building a relationship with the company that resulted in his being named Resident Guest Artist. [5] He finally returned to the stage in a role début, that of Franz in Coppélia , with The Australian Ballet and partnered with Amber Scott in December 2016. [13]

In 2015, Halberg collaborated with the artist Francesco Vezzoli creating the performance Fortuna Desperata for Performa 15.

Hallberg starred in the 2017 Nike campaign, "I, David", directed by Niclas Gillis with set design by James Casebere. [14]

Hallberg published a memoir, A Body of Work: Dancing to the Edge and Back, with the Touchstone imprint of Simon & Schuster in November 2017. [15]

Hallberg established the David Hallberg Scholarship to mentor aspiring male dancers at American Ballet Theatre's Studio Company and Ballet Arizona. [16] Hallberg has directed ABT Incubator, a two-week choreographic program at Ballet Theater, since 2018. [6]

In March 2020 The Australian Ballet announced Hallberg as the new artistic director, succeeding David McAllister. He assumed the position in January 2021. Hallberg's final tour as a dancer was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [17] He is set to have a "a proper farewell performance" during ABT's 2021 Metropolitan Opera House season. [6]

Selected repertoire

Created roles

  • Robert Hill's Dorian
  • Kaschei in Alexei Ratmansky's The Firebird
  • The Nutcracker Prince in Ratmansky's The Nutcracker
  • Olga's Fiancé in On the Dnieper
  • Prince Coffee in Whipped Cream
  • Chamber Symphony
  • I Feel the Earth Move
  • Rabbit and Rogue
  • Thirteen Diversions
  • Citizen

Source: [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bolshoi Ballet</span> Ballet company based at the Bolshoi Theatre in Russia

The Bolshoi Ballet is an internationally renowned classical ballet company based at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia. Founded in 1776, the Bolshoi is among the world's oldest ballet companies. In the early 20th century, it came to international prominence as Moscow became the capital of Soviet Russia. The Bolshoi has been recognised as one of the foremost ballet companies in the world. It has a branch at the Bolshoi Ballet Theater School in Joinville, Brazil.

Sascha Radetsky is a former ballet dancer and actor. He was a soloist with the American Ballet Theatre and a principal with Dutch National Ballet. He is known for having starred as Charlie in the motion picture Center Stage and as Ross in the Starz miniseries Flesh and Bone. In 2018 he was named artistic director of American Ballet Theatre's Studio Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin McKenzie (dancer)</span> American ballet dancer, choreographer, and director

Kevin McKenzie is an American ballet dancer, choreographer, and director. A former principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, he then served as the company's artistic director from 1992 to 2022.

Igor Kolb is a principal dancer of Mariinsky Ballet. He graduated Byelorussia State Ballet School, and joined Mariinsky ballet in 1996. He became a soloist in 1998, and promoted to principal dancer in 2003. He made his debut at the Rome Opera in Rudolf Nureyev's version of Sleeping Beauty in 2002, and in 2006 he made his debut at the Wiener Staatsoper in Rudolf Nureyev's version of Swan Lake. Igor Kolb left Mariinsky Ballet in 2022 for heading the Bolshoi Theatre of Belarus (Minsk) ballet in position of Principal Ballet Master.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marcelo Gomes (dancer)</span> Brazilian ballet dancer (born 1979)

Marcelo Mourão Gomes is a Brazilian ballet dancer who performed for two decades with the American Ballet Theatre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniil Simkin</span> Russian-German ballet dancer

Daniil Simkin is a ballet dancer and entrepreneur, best known for his accomplished technical skill and charismatic stage presence. He was formerly a principal dancer with both American Ballet Theatre and Berlin State Ballet. Simkin is based in New York, and is the founder of Studio Simkin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isabella Boylston</span> American ballet dancer

Hildur Isabella Boylston is an American ballet dancer who is currently a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre (ABT).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexei Ratmansky</span> Russian ballet dancer and choreographer

Alexei Osipovich Ratmansky is a Russian-Ukrainian-American choreographer and former ballet dancer. From 2004 to 2008 he was the director of the Moscow Bolshoi Ballet. He left Russia in 2008. In 2009 he was appointed the artist in residence at the American Ballet Theatre, and as artist in residence at the New York City Ballet from August 2023.

Esteban Berlanga is a Spanish ballet dancer and a principal dancer with the Compañía Nacional de Danza, Madrid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natalia Osipova</span> Russian ballerina (born 1986)

Natalia Petrovna Osipova is a Russian ballerina, currently a principal ballerina with The Royal Ballet in London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ivan Vasiliev</span> Russian ballet dancer and choreographer

Ivan Vladimirovich Vasiliev is a Russian ballet dancer and choreographer. He graduated from the Bielorussian Ballet School in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Artem Ovcharenko</span> Russian classical ballet dancer (born 1986)

Artem Vyacheslavovich Ovcharenko is a Russian classical ballet dancer. He is a principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet and a guest artist with the Hamburg Ballet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Svetlana Lunkina</span> Russian ballerina (born 1979)

Svetlana Aleksandrovna Lunkina is a Russian-Canadian ballerina who is a principal dancer with the National Ballet of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruslan Skvortsov</span> Russian principal dancer of the Bolshoi Ballet

Ruslan Vasilyevich Skvortsov is a Russian principal dancer of the Bolshoi Ballet.

Jeffrey Cirio is an American ballet dancer. He joined the Boston Ballet in 2009, and was promoted to principal dancer in 2012. In 2015, he moved to the American Ballet Theatre as a soloist, and was promoted to principal dancer the following year. In 2018, he joined the English National Ballet as a principal dancer. He will return to Boston Ballet in the 2022/23 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isaac Hernández</span> Mexican ballet dancer and actor (born 1990)

Isaac Eleazar Hernández Fernández is a Mexican ballet dancer and actor who is a lead principal with the English National Ballet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ekaterina Krysanova</span> Russian principal dancer of Bolshoi Ballet

Ekaterina Valerievna Krysanova is a Russian principal dancer of Bolshoi Ballet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stella Abrera</span> Filipina-American ballet dancer

Stella Abrera is a Filipina-American ballet dancer. She danced as a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre until her retirement in 2020, and is the company's first Filipina principal ballerina. She then became the artistic director of the dance cultural park Kaatsbaan, and in September 2022 took up the role of artistic director of the ABT JKO School. following Cynthia Harvey's departure in May.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Motta Soares</span> Brazilian classical ballet dancer (born 1997)

David Motta Soares is a Brazilian classical ballet dancer. He was a leading soloist with the Bolshoi Ballet. In May 2022 David became a Principal Dancer with the Berlin State Ballet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vyacheslav Lopatin</span> Russian principal dancer of the Bolshoi Ballet

Vyacheslav Mikhailovich Lopatin is a Russian principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Macaulay, Alastair; Wakin, Daniel J. (September 20, 2011). "American Is to Join the Bolshoi Ballet". The New York Times . Archived from the original on July 9, 2013. Retrieved July 11, 2013. Mr. Hallberg, 29, who was born in Rapid City, S.D.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Hawgood, Alex (March 8, 2013). "The Prince of Ballet, Leaping Onto a New World Stage". The New York Times . Archived from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2013. Mr. Hallberg, 30
  3. 1 2 "Bolshoi Digest of 18 May 2017, Thursday". Bolshoi Theatre . 18 May 2017. Retrieved 26 September 2021. Today, on May 18, Bolshoi Ballet principal David Hallberg celebrates his birthday.
  4. 1 2 "David Hallberg – Dancers". American Ballet Theatre. Archived from the original on September 27, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 Harford, Sonia (February 20, 2017). "US ballet superstar David Hallberg to call Australia home for a little longer". The Sydney Morning Herald . Archived from the original on September 28, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2017. David Hallberg, 34
  6. 1 2 3 Sulcas, Roslyn (March 2, 2020). "David Hallberg to Run the Australian Ballet". The New York Times . Archived from the original on March 2, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2020. Mr. Hallberg, 37
  7. ↑ Tanner, Tango (August–September 2006). "A Princely Principal". Pointe Magazine Online. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved July 11, 2013.
  8. 1 2 "David Hallberg". American Ballet Theatre. Archived from the original on May 14, 2018. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  9. ↑ "David Hallberg Wins 2020 Benois de la Danse Prize". American Ballet Theatre. May 20, 2010. Archived from the original on August 29, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  10. ↑ Katz Rizzo, Laura (September 1, 2012). "Vaganova's Vision and the Development of Neoclassical Russian Ballet Technique". Dance Chronicle . 35 (3): 408–413. doi:10.1080/01472526.2012.720960. S2CID   218524952.
  11. ↑ Thompson, Candice (May 22, 2017). "The Rebirth of David Hallberg". Dance Magazine . Archived from the original on September 27, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
  12. ↑ Hooton, Amanda (December 5, 2020). "Enter, Stage Right". Good Weekend magazine supplement. The Sydney Morning Herald . p. 21. Retrieved December 6, 2020. [Sue] Mayes and two colleagues ... devised a plan. At first, there was no ballet at all, just exercises to rebuild muscle and movement.
  13. ↑ Blake, Elissa (December 8, 2016). "David Hallberg: Coppelia comeback after agonising lay-off". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on November 10, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2017. Hallberg ... the 34-year-old New Yorker
  14. ↑ "Objects of Desire". Nike. Archived from the original on August 17, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
  15. ↑ A Body of Work: Dancing to the Edge and Back. Simon & Schuster. November 7, 2017. ISBN   978-1-4767-7115-1. Archived from the original on November 10, 2017. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
  16. ↑ "David Hallberg". The Australian Ballet . Archived from the original on April 16, 2020. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
  17. ↑ Sulcas, Roslyn; Hill, James (2020-08-28). "For David Hallberg, a Swan Song in Pictures". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2020-09-01.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.