About the Author

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 has also started the David Hallberg Scholarship, mentoring young aspiring boys in a career in ballet, and the Innovation Initiative, a platform for emerging choreographers, both at American Ballet Theatre. A Body of Work is his first book.

Reviews

"Candid and engrossing...It's about love--crazy, confusing love, an artist's obsessive love for his art."
*The Washington Post*

"Elegant...fascinating...inspiring...Anyone interested in the creative process will appreciate this thoughtful account of the life of an accomplished artist."
*Booklist*

“It comes as no surprise that David Hallberg’s moving and intelligent memoir should display the extraordinary qualities—of intelligence, elegance, liveliness and, yes, wit—that have marked his extraordinary dancing over the past decade. This tale of an artist’s crisis and astonishing recovery eschews any self-pity, instead taking power from the strengths characteristic of the best dancers: resilience, unsentimental self-awareness, and an inextinguishable joy. A wonderful book for balletomanes and everyone else.”
*Daniel Mendelsohn*

“David demonstrates well the emotional as well as physical demands of dance.”
*Twyla Tharp*

"Unsparing...an inside look at...the endless hours of rehearsal, the preparation that informs the tiniest of details, the constant traveling, the brief thrill of performance."
*The New York Times*

“An inspiring story of Hallberg's rise to the pinnacle of his profession and his battle to reclaim his career. A moving…account of every dancer's worst nightmare and the sacrifices required to overcome it."
*Kirkus Reviews*

“Performing as effortlessly on the page as he does on the stage, Hallberg, who returned to ABT in top form this year, writes about the technicalities of his craft with clarity and precision. Readers of every taste will find much to relish in his inspiring book (balletomanes will consume it in a couple of sittings). Should Hallberg choose to take it on when he retires, a new role may await him: writer.” 
*BookPage*

"What makes A Body of Work a must-read is the raw honesty with which Hallberg describes the intense lonliness of a jet-setting career, his oscillation between extreme perfectionism and uninspired listlessness, and his harrowing mindset as he faced, and ultimately overcame, what was nearly a career-ending injury."
*Dance Magazine*

"Compelling...for anyone who would like to get to an intimate view of the creative process and the challenges, dedication, and euphoria of being an artist....It's a book for everyone with a heart."
*DC Metro Theater Arts*

"Well, if you don’t tear up when he describes performing again for the first time, then you, my friend, have no heart."
*San Francisco Classical Voice*

"This book invites readers into the world of ballet and reminds us what it takes to truly live our lives for a love."
*phindie.com*

"This is a book not simply about ballet. It is about the dedication, physical and emotional toil, devotion to beauty, and extraordinary drudgery that lies behind the production of so much of the art around us. Highly recommended."
*The Santa Barbara News-Press*

"Serious balletomanes will revel in behind-the-scenes dance descriptions. The author’s struggle to balance the physical and psychological pressures of a demanding career will resonate with many readers. VERDICT Hallberg’s writing, which has the all-or-nothing intensity of his dancing, will find readers among those who appreciate learning more about the lives of dancers, artists, and athletes.”
*Library Journal*

"His candor about being bullied for his sexuality, his loneliness and vulnerability as a performer, his fears about being judged and his need to trust himself more will resonate even with readers who don’t know a plié from a barré. Ballet fans, however, will appreciate Hallberg’s insider’s view of the world stages and companies, his Prince roles and name-dropping of dance greats."
*Philadelphia Gay News*