David Hallberg
Hallberg in The Sleeping Beauty, 2010
Born (1982-05-18) May 18, 1982[1][2][3]
Rapid City, South Dakota, U.S.[1][4]
OccupationBallet dancer
Career
Current group
Websitedavidhallberg.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]

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] Part of 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]

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]

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.
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