#TBT: David Hallberg’s Audition for Paris Opéra Ballet School

Updated 8/30/23

Despite every ballet dancer’s perfectionist tendencies, there is no such thing as “perfect technique”. But in his audition tape for the Paris Opéra Ballet School, David Hallberg proves that it just may exist—and he’s only sixteen years old. In this video you will be awestruck within the first few seconds as his turnout and tendus take your breath away. Keep watching until the end, and you’ll see the same diligence and control progress from adagio to grand allegro. It’s clear that at sixteen he was serious about his career, and the efforts have paid off. He is now the artistic director of The Australian Ballet and a former principal with American Ballet Theatre, as well as the first American principal dancer at the Bolshoi Ballet. Happy #ThrowbackThursday!