A Body of Work
Page 34
“The nourishment from Sasha, his eye for tiny detail and his honest feedback, pushed me beyond my preconceived limitations. And as consistent routine bore the fruits of that labor, I could see my dancing becoming broader, bigger, more open.” (Courtesy of the author)
“Yet apart from the grayness and bitter cold of Russian winters, there is a romantic side to those long months as well. . . . I found the beauty of Moscow as I walked through the streets in the black of night, bundled up as I went home from a dinner or a performance. You could almost hear the silence through the frigid air.” (Courtesy of the author)
“What would be one of the most important and high-pressure performances of our careers. . . . One way led to failure, buckling under the pressure that was so palpable to me. The other way, to conquering that pressure and using it to my advantage.” The eve of The Sleeping Beauty premiere, Bolshoi Theatre. (ITAR-TASS Photo Agency/Alamy Stock Photo)
“In my dressing room alone, with my makeup and hair readied by Lena and the music of the Prologue reverberating through the closed door, I felt as though I were in a pressure cooker. It was unbearable.” The Sleeping Beauty premiere. (Photograph by Alan Andacht)
“We then continued the bows, coming out until the theater held only small groups who wouldn’t go home until they had shown their appreciation a final time.” Bows at Bolshoi Theatre. (Photograph by Alan Andacht)
“ ‘My congratulations,’ ” said Medvedev in English. “ ‘I hear you don’t speak much Russian.’ ‘Tolka chut-chut,’ I replied. Only a little.” Russian president Dmitri Medvedev (center) and Kazakhstani president Nursultan Nazarbayev. (AP Photo/RIA Novosti, Dmitry Astakhov, Presidential Press Service)
“Audiences show their appreciation by clapping long after the show has ended. It is a tradition that you find in no other country.” Bolshoi Theatre. (Courtesy of Bolshoi Theatre)
“I couldn’t fit my feet into anything but large supportive Nikes, which I had to use even as dress shoes. . . . I even wore those Nikes at the White House when meeting President Obama.” (Courtesy of the author)
“Anticipation mounted around me as the two New York performances of Swan Lake loomed. . . . But through all the attention and anticipation, I was distracted. I felt a mounting unease about the pain that would not subside.” Bolshoi tour, NYC. (Courtesy of the author)
“After the performances were over, Henry captured Svetlana and I hugging onstage. There is such relief in my face, a happiness that I made it through without major mishap. Though internally, I knew I was broken.” Last performance, Bolshoi tour. (Photograph by Henry Leutwyler)
“I felt a twist and pull in my left ankle. I knew something had happened.” Backstage with Peter Marshall, ABT. (Photograph by Henry Leutwyler)
“The moment my foot was revealed from under the cast, it was bulbous and red. Like a balloon that never lost its helium.” (Courtesy of the author)
“The worst-case scenario had become real. Eleven months after my first surgery, I needed another.” Post-op, second surgery. (Courtesy of the author)
“ ‘Goodbye, New York. There’s some stuff I have to take care of once and for all.’ ” (Courtesy of the author)
“And so my education started. I’m baffled as to why I hadn’t already known what Paula was teaching me about my instrument.” Paula Baird Colt.(Photograph by Lynette Wills)
“Megan looked at me in disbelief. She laughed, having witnessed the obsessive dissection I put myself under.” Megan Connelly. (Photograph by Lynette Wills)
“ ‘But more importantly, what will give you peace of mind? What can we do to convince you that you are doing this? That this is actually working?’ ” Dr. Sue Mayes. (Photograph by Kate Longley)
“ ‘Today is the first day I’m dancing on a stage in over two years.’ ” With Brooke Lockett, State Theatre stage, Melbourne. (Courtesy of the author)
“I was finally ready to leave Melbourne. Ready to return to New York. Ready to explore again.” Fourteen months later, leaving Melbourne. (Courtesy of the author)
“I clasped my hands together, closed my eyes, and bowed my head. There was nothing else for me to do but feel thankful for every bit of my past experience.” The rebirth after two and a half years. (Photograph by Kent G. Becker)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Little did I know that, when writing this book, it would eventually evolve into an entire team of people helping me iron out, develop, edit, strikethrough, and organize. This entire undertaking was aided and accomplished through the patience of those mentioned here.
Trish Todd, my editor at Touchstone, eagerly took on the book and remained loyal past any formal due date. Her patience and reassurance that this wasn’t a colossal mistake on my part (or hers) was what kept me pushing forward, giving me the needed time to let it fully bloom. She gave me confidence when I had none, and her voice saying, “Butt in chair!” is forever imprinted in my memory.
Elizabeth Kaye helped me transform my entire jumble of words into something cohesive and legible. She went beyond any form of expectation or obligation. And through her deep love of dancers and our art form, she stayed with me until the very last word, culling endlessly through the material. It was the perfect scenario for a first-time writer to be working with a seasoned one who understood my passions.
My agent, David Kuhn, supported this project from an idea into something to shake hands about and get to work on. I will always appreciate his honesty and insight. And also, his team: Becky Sweren and Nate Muscato.
Kaitlin Olson, Trish’s assistant, helped with many a logistic, printing 520 pages of material and shipping it to far reaches of the world, among many other crazy but necessary requests, never once objecting.
Thank you to:
Daniel Mendelsohn and Michael Kaiser, for reading certain excerpts and giving insight as to what needed fleshing out.
Dianna Mesion, my producing manager (who knows me better than I know myself), for diving in later on in the process, reading the book in its entirety, and especially ironing out the photos. WPE!
Jamieson Baker and Alex Kovacs at Untitled, who believed in the book and charged forward with Dianna to get it out into the world.
Shida Carr, for devoting her time and expertise to promoting the finished copy.
Roslyn Sulcas, for planting the seed and telling me to write my experiences down, as “you never know what could come of it.”
Lastly, my parents, for never insisting on a read but when given a draft, checking to make sure certain passages were accurate, all the while learning more about a son they already knew.
About the Author
© BJORN IOOSS
David Hallberg is a Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre in New York. He was the first American to join the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow as a Principal Dancer. He continues to dance around the world and is a Resident Guest Artist with The Australian Ballet. He started the David Hallberg Scholarship, mentoring young boys aspiring to a career in ballet, and the Innovation Initiative, a platform for emerging choreographers, both at American Ballet Theatre.
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INDEX
A note about the index: The pages referenced in this index refer to the page numbers in the print edition. Clicking on a page number will take you to the ebook loc
ation that corresponds to the beginning of that page in the print edition. For a comprehensive list of locations of any word or phrase, use your reading system’s search function.
ABT. See American Ballet Theater (ABT)
Alexander II, Tsar, 143
Alonso, Alicia, 155–156
American Ballet Theater (ABT)
annual roast, 85
ballets
Apollo, 116–117
Ballo della Regina, 107, 292
La Bayadère, 119–120, 139–140, 175, 201–202, 208–209, 231, 233, 303–304
The Bright Stream, 169–172
Le Corsaire, 67–68, 153–154, 303, 305–306
Don Quixote, 82
Fancy Free, 335–336
Firebird, 273–276
Giselle, 65–66, 119, 128–134, 147, 329–330, 399–404
“Grand Pas Classique,” 89–94, 134–137
Manon bedroom pas de deux, 89–94
The Merry Widow, 82
The Nutcracker, 108, 122
The Picture of Dorian Gray, 107–108
Pillar of Fire, 108
Raymonda, 107
Romeo and Juliet, 1–2, 67, 108, 295, 298–301
Seven Sonatas, 168, 179–180, 185
Shostakovich Trilogy, 168, 307–308
The Sleeping Beauty, 15–16, 119–120, 315
Swan Lake, 61–62, 67, 95–106, 121, 245
Sylvia, 116
Symphony in C, 1st movement, 86–88, 245
Theme and Variations, 108, 110–114, 156, 177, 179–181
DH as Principal, 117–118, 154–155
DH as Soloist, 115–117
DH broken right foot, 304–306, 311–312. See also injuries of DH
DH in Corps de Ballet, 84–94, 115, 153–154
DH in Corps de Ballet apprenticeship, 84
DH in Studio Company, 81–84
DH in Summer Intensive, 66–70, 71–72, 110
DH performances. See ballet performances of DH
DH returns after injuries, 399–404
Erik Bruhn Prize competition (Toronto), 89–94
International Ballet Festival in Cuba, 155–157
at Kennedy Center (Washington, DC), 87–88
Kevin McKenzie as Artistic Director, 65–66, 68–69, 72, 81–85, 95, 99, 113, 115, 117–118, 129–130, 194, 351–352
Metropolitan Opera House seasons, 69, 84–85, 111–114, 175, 198, 295, 298–301, 341–342, .341–342, 399–404
Natalia Osipova as Guest Artist, 128–134
Alexei Ratmansky as Artist in Residence, 166–172, 177–180
Studio Company, 66, 81–84
studios at 890 Broadway, 69
on tour in Costa Mesa, California, 67–70, 116–117, 276
on tour in Japan, 153–155
on tour in Moscow, 177–185
on tour in Taipei, 303–304
well-known dancers in, 65–66, 69, 82, 85–88, 95, 97, 116, 118
Svetlana Zakharova as Guest Artist, 208–209
Ananiashvili, Nina, 199
Andersen, Ib, 116
Apollo (ABT), 116–117
Apollonian dancers, 65–66, 168
applause, 117–118, 131–132, 140–141, 223–224, 226–227, 252–253, 300–301, 403
arabesques, 93, 260
Arizona School for the Arts (ASA), 41, 47, 75, 76–77
Ashley, Merrill, 292–293
Ashton, Sir Frederick, 116
Astaire, Fred, 18–20
attitude pirouette, 51
Australia
DH life in Melbourne, 360–362, 367–369
State Theatre, Arts Centre Melbourne, 160–163, 393–397
Sydney Opera House, 158, 160, 358
Australian Ballet School, 48
Australian Ballet, The
DH as Guest Artist in The Nutcracker, 157–163, 351
physiotherapy team. See physiotherapy team in Australia
support for DH recovery, 351, 361–362, 391, 393–397, 402
Baiano, Erin, 242
Baird Colt, Paula, 355, 356, 357–361, 362, 371, 376–377, 391, 402
balancé, 378
Balanchine, George
on ambition, 295, 296
Apollo, 116–117
Ballo della Regina, 107, 292
Jewels, 275, 292–294
at Mariinsky Theatre, 143–144, 187
New York City Ballet, 169, 187, 275
Symphony in C, 1st movement, 86–88, 245
Theme and Variations, 72, 108, 110–114, 117, 156, 177, 179–181
Ballet Arizona
DH in The Nutcracker, 29–31, 47, 51
School. See School of Ballet Arizona
ballet mistress, 29–30, 129, 160
ballet performances of DH
American Ballet Theater
Albrecht in Giselle, 119, 129–134, 147, 329–330, 399–404
Apollo in Apollo, 116–117
Ballet Dancer in The Bright Stream, 170–172
Ballo della Regina, 292
Le Corsaire, 303
Des Grieux in Manon bedroom pas de deux, 89–94
Dorian in The Picture of Dorian Gray, 107–108
“Grand Pas Classique,” 89–94, 134–137
Kaschei in Firebird, 273–276
Nutcracker Prince in The Nutcracker, 108, 122
Prince Désiré in The Sleeping Beauty, 15–16, 119–120, 315
Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, 61–62, 95–102, 121
Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, 1–2, 108, 295, 298–301
Seven Sonatas, 168, 179–180, 185
Solor in La Bayadère, 119–120, 139–140, 175, 303–304
Sylvia, 116
Symphony in C, 1st movement, 86–88, 245
Theme and Variations, 108, 110–112, 156, 179, 180–181
American Ballet Theater Summer Intensive, Theme and Variations, 72, 110
The Australian Ballet, Nutcracker Prince in The Nutcracker, 157–163, 351
Ballet Arizona, Nutcracker in The Nutcracker, 29–31, 47, 51
Bolshoi Ballet
Albrecht in Giselle, 137–141, 211, 214, 217, 221–227, 238, 269–271, 291, 327, 328–329
Crassus in Spartacus, 323–324
“Diamonds” in Jewels, 292–294
Don Quixote, 238
Lost Illusions, 317, 321
Marco Spada in Marco Spada, 238, 240, 311, 321–322
The Nutcracker, 277–279
Onegin, 238
Prince Désiré in The Sleeping Beauty, 209, 211, 212–214, 230–233, 238–239, 240–241, 243–249, 251–256, 291, 304, 315
Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, 232–233, 238, 239, 259–260, 266–267, 309–310, 317, 330–332
first ballet class (Phoenix), 28–29
injuries. See injuries of DH
Kings of the Dance tour, 200–202, 259
Mariinsky Ballet
Prince Désiré in The Sleeping Beauty, 143–144, 146–151, 189, 315
Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, 165–166, 187–191
School of Ballet Arizona, Prince Désiré in Sleeping Beauty pas de deux, 57–58
Teatro La Scala, Swan Lake, 322–323
Ballets Russes, 273
Ballo della Regina (ABT), 107, 292
barre meditation, 157, 244
Bartheleme, Reid, 303–304
Baryshnikov, Mikhail, 65, 69, 95, 110, 116, 144, 237, 304
La Bayadère
American Ballet Theater (ABT), 119–120, 139–140, 175, 201–202, 208–209, 231, 233, 303–304
in Big Five of ballet, 143
Paris Opera, 66
Bel, Jérôme, 122–125, 173
Bernstein, Leonard, 336
Bernstein, Mr. (Phoenix music teacher), 24–25
Bessy, Claude, 73–74, 77, 78
Bilach, Barbara, 401
Bocca, Julio, 137, 146–147, 297
Bokaer, Jonah, 303–305
Bolshoi Ballet Academy, 166
Bolshoi Ballet and Theatre (Moscow), 66, 2
05–256
ABT guest performers in Moscow, 134–141
ABT on tour in Moscow, 177–185
ballets
The Bright Stream, 169–170
“Diamonds,” in Jewels, 292–294
Don Quixote, 137, 230, 238
Flames of Paris, 127–128, 177–178, 230
Giselle, 128, 137–141, 211, 214, 217, 221–227, 238, 269–271, 291, 327, 328–329
Lost Illusions, 317, 321
Marco Spada, 238, 240, 311, 321–322
The Nutcracker, 277–279
Onegin, 238
The Sleeping Beauty, 209, 211–212, 214, 230–233, 238–239, 240–241, 243–249, 251–256, 291, 304, 315
Spartacus, 275, 323–324
Swan Lake, 96, 136, 232–233, 238, 239, 259–260, 266–267, 309–310, 317, 330–332
Costume Department, 235–242
culture, 212, 214, 235
DH and Russian language, 182, 208, 213, 214, 239–240, 244–245, 248–249, 253–254, 258, 262, 266, 284–285, 288–289, 310, 312, 321
DH arrival in Moscow, 205–209
DH as Premier Dancer, 181–185, 193–198, 199–203, 205–209
DH debut as Albrecht in Giselle, 211, 214, 217, 221–227
DH in American Gala Evening in Moscow, 134–135
DH in Giselle (ABT) in Moscow, 134
DH leaves US, 202–203
DH life in Moscow, 206–207, 257–259, 261–267, 281–289, 317
DH performances. See ballet performances of DH
Sergei Filin as Ballet Artistic Director, 178–179, 181–185, 246, 307–310
makeup artists, 235, 252
morning class, 138, 157, 212–213
New Stage, 222–227
Alexei Ratmansky as Ballet Artistic Director, 127–128, 167, 169–170, 177, 185, 273