CMU School of Drama


Saturday, November 26, 2011

For Hallberg, a Month Inside the Bolshoi Pressure Cooker

NYTimes.com: For the South Dakota native David Hallberg his appearance on the storied main stage of the Bolshoi Ballet last Friday was, he said beforehand, probably the most important appearance of his career – a stress-filled test of whether the Bolshoi’s artistic director, Sergei Filin, had made a good bet in bringing him to Moscow as the company’s first American principal dancer.

2 comments:

Margaret said...

I remember reading about this same guy a while back, and I remember finding both that article and this one interesting because the world of ballet is so foreign and exotic to me. It would be such an honor to be asked to work in another country, especially to be asked to work for one of the best ballet companies in the world. But I think regardless of your line of work, there must be quite a bit of pressure when working overseas to show off not only the best in yourself (we are always trying to do that), but also to represent your country well. I would love to work overseas and learn about the different forms that theatre takes in other places, I just hope I am up to the pressure and challenge.

Jennifer said...

I find it wildly impressive that Mr. Hallberg sprained his ankle in his first entrance for the Telecast and finished out he show on pure adrenaline. It shows remarkable strength and dedication to know that all of America is watching and that you have to make to final curtain all while walking on a sprained ankle. The pressure was high for the whole show and its interesting to hear his thoughts about his experience.