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Welcome to David Hallberg

by The Australian Ballet School |

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We are excited to welcome David Hallberg to the Australian ballet community. David is The Australian Ballet’s incoming Artistic Director, succeeding David McAllister AM, who will retire after 20 years in the role.  

David Hallberg began his formal ballet training at the Arizona Ballet School, before continuing his studies at the Paris Opera Ballet School. He made history in 2011 when he became the first American to be invited to join the Bolshoi Ballet as a Premier Dancer.

Simultaneously, David was principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre, principal dancer at the Bolshoi, and frequent guest star of La Scala in Milan, the Royal Ballet in London and the Paris Opera Ballet, among others. David McAllister AM said, 'he’s the Nureyev of our time.'

David also penned a memoir in 2017, entitled A Body of Work: Dancing to the Edge and Back, exploring his artistic journey and his triumphant return from devastating injury.

David first visited Australia in 2010, however it was his trip in November 2015 that left a lasting impact. Burdened by significant injury, he received life-changing help from Sue Mayes, Physiotherapist and Director of Artistic Health at The Australian Ballet. He went on to become The Australian Ballet’s only international resident guest artist in 2017. David notes that it was the ‘belief system in everyone, from the dancers to the admin: this desire to better the company and themselves’ that makes The Australian Ballet truly stand apart.

In 2021, David will be ushering in a New Era of Australian ballet, pushing us to the edge as we experience the wonder of New York Dialects, Counterpointe, Anna Karenina, Romeo and Juliet, Harlequinade and Summertime at the Ballet. This inaugural season promises to bring us into a New Era of innovation, creativity and audience inclusivity.

The Australian Ballet School has an unyielding connection with The Australian Ballet, and we’re fortunate to have such a strong and enduring relationship. Like David, we share a passion for nurturing the future of dance. We’re confident that the future of our young artists will reside in safe hands, as we watch the calibre of artistry to come.


Top Image: Photography by Daniel Boud

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