David Hallberg, Wild at Heart

Today I'm speaking with David Hallberg, the new Artistic Director of The Australian Ballet. David was born in a small American town called Rapid City in South Dakota. David started dancing at nine years old, after seeing Fred Astaire on the television. And he only started ballet when he was 13. But by 17, he was selected to do a year at the Paris Opera Ballet School before joining his dream company, ABT, the American Ballet Theatre.

He rose swiftly through the ranks, to principal within four years, and then he was the first American to be asked to be a principal with the Bolshoi Ballet, the Russian juggernaut that had previously only accepted Russian trained dancers. In this wonderfully engaging interview, David talks about his love of dance, growing up in America, and the moment he was first named as a principal. But David also shares some of his darker moments. He talks about bullying, and the injury that crippled him for over two years, before finally returning to the stage and becoming the new Artistic Director of the Australian Ballet. When we spoke, David had just announced that due to Covid the Australian Ballet won't be performing for the remainder of 2021.

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