David Hallberg

“Ballet is incestuous. This world is smaller than small.”

“There are certainly some artists in New York that I would love to work with. One is Sarah Michelson.”

“I've always questioned the way dancers, myself included, must do the same role year in and year out. It's important for me to be able to say to myself, 'O.K., I don't want to be a prince anymore. I want to put on a leather jockstrap and pose.'”

“I stopped acting Romeo and just became Romeo.”

“Russians are very discerning about ballet. They're very opinionated about what classical ballet is.”

“Having done so many versions, I never felt like an artist in 'Swan Lake.'”

“I'll never be satisfied in classical ballet. It'll never be good enough. I'll never be happy with most of my product.”

“Many dancers are content with the repertoire they're given. Others are dissatisfied but don't know why. Then there are a few like me that are curious and grab at everything. Can that curiosity thrive in the ballet world, or should it exist elsewhere? That's the eternal question.”

“To be honest, my partner Natasha is my inspiration. She is who I reference when searching for my role. I don't emulate what she does, but her interpretation of Giselle is so fragile and sensitive and so tender. It constantly inspires me. And I feel like it's the other way around. We have a great rapport together.”

“I will never stop questioning. I will never stop wanting more and discovering other things and wanting to do other things. That will always be a part of me, and it's something I've come to terms with.”

“Because of the way I'm built, I constantly have to strengthen. This is sort of a ritual: I put on my tights first, and right when I'm about to put on my costume, I get down on the floor, and I plank.”