Charles Askegard is an American

ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

dancer and ballet master at

Pennsylvania Ballet The Philadelphia Ballet, formerly known as Pennsylvania Ballet until rebranding in 2021, is Philadelphia's largest ballet company. The company's annual local season features six programs of classic favorites, as well as new works, including the Ph ...

Early life and education

Askegard was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and began his dance training at the age of five with

Loyce Houlton Loyce Houlton (13 June 1925 – 14 March 1995) was an American dancer, choreographer, dance pedagogue, and arts administrator centered for most of her adult life in Minneapolis. Founder of the Minnesota Dance Theatre, she maintained conn ...

and the

Minnesota Dance Theatre The Minnesota Dance Theatre (MDT) dance company and school in Minneapolis, Minnesota was founded by Loyce Houlton in 1962 as the Contemporary Dance Playhouse. It was renamed the Minnesota Dance Theatre in 1969. Lise Houlton succeeded her mother as ...

. He continued his studies in Minneapolis until the age of 16, spending one summer at the School of American Ballet.

Career

Askegard joined American Ballet Theatre as a member of the corps de ballet in 1987, and was promoted to soloist in 1992. In 1997, he left ABT to join

New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company' ...

as a soloist and was promoted to principal the next year. Askegard appeared in

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

Live from Lincoln Center ''Live from Lincoln Center'' is a seventeen-time Emmy Award-winning series that has broadcast notable performances from the Lincoln Center in New York City on PBS since 1976. The program airs between six and nine times per season. Episodes of '' ...

broadcast, "New York City Ballet's Diamond Project: Ten Years of New Choreography" in 2002, dancing in ''Them Twos'' and two years later in the Live From Lincoln Center broadcast, "Lincoln Center Celebrates Balanchine 100," in ''

Vienna Waltzes ''Vienna Waltzes'' is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to music by Johann Strauss II, Franz Lehár and Richard Strauss, made as a tribute to Austria. It premiered on June 23, 1977 at the New York State Theater, performed by the N ...

''. He has been a guest artist with

Pacific Northwest Ballet Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) is a ballet company based in Seattle, Washington, in the United States. It is said to have the highest per capita attendance in the United States, with 11,000 subscribers in 2004. The company consists of 49 dan ...

Ballet Etudes
of South Florida, ''

Bayerisches Staatsballett The Bavarian State Ballet (german: Bayerisches Staatsballett) is a professional ballet company in Munich, Germany. It was founded in 1988 by Konstanze Vernon as an independent company. The ballet had previously been part of the ''Bayerische Sta ...

'', Philippine Ballet Theatre
The Daring Project
and Stars of American Ballet. He also appeared in Fred Wiseman's documentary ''

Ballet Ballet () is a type of performance dance that originated during the Italian Renaissance in the fifteenth century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has since become a widespread and highly technical form of ...

''. Askegard danced his farewell performance the last day of the fall 2011 season, Sunday, October 9; the program consisted of the ''

Diamonds Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, bu ...

'' pas de deux from ''

Jewels A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, or semiprecious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments. However, certain rocks (such as lapis lazuli, opal, a ...

'', ''

Episodes Episodes may refer to: * Episode An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a series intended for radio, television or streaming consumption. The noun ''episode'' is derived from the Greek ...

'', '' In Memory of ...'' and ''

Western Symphony ''Western Symphony'' is a ballet made by New York City Ballet co-founder and founding choreographer George Balanchine to American folk tunes arranged by Hershy Kay. It premiered on September 7, 1954 at the City Center of Music and Drama in New ...

''. He planned to form his own ballet company, Ballet Next, with former ABT principal dancer

Michele Wiles Michele Wiles is an American ballet dancer. She was a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre from 2005 - 2011. In 2011, she left ABT to form the independent classical ballet company Ballet Next with former New York City Ballet principal ...

Personal life

Askegard was married to author

Candace Bushnell Candace Bushnell (born December 1, 1958) is an American author, journalist, and television producer. She wrote a column for ''The New York Observer'' (1994–96) that was adapted into the bestselling ''Sex and the City'' anthology. The book was ...

from 2002 to 2012.

Repertory

Created roles

Peter Martins Peter Martins (born 27 October 1946) is a Danish ballet dancer and choreographer. Martins was a principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet and with the New York City Ballet, where he joined George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and John Taras as ...

* ''Harmonielehre'' * ''River of Light'' * ''Swan Lake'' * ''Them Twos'' * ''

Thou Swell "Thou Swell" is a show tune, a popular song and a jazz standard written in 1927. History The music was written by Richard Rodgers, with words by Lorenz Hart, for the 1927 musical '' A Connecticut Yankee''. The lyric is notable, as indicated b ...

'' * ''Viva Verdi''

Eliot Feld Eliot Feld (born July 5, 1942) is an American modern ballet choreographer, performer, teacher, and director. Feld works in contemporary ballet. His company and schools, including the Feld Ballet and Ballet Tech, are deeply committed to dance and ...

* ''Organon''

Robert La Fosse This is a list of New York City Ballet dancers. Principal dancers Soloists This is a list of New York City Ballet New York City Ballet#Soloists, soloists. Corps de ballet The following is a list of the current members of the corps de ballet ...

* ''Duke!''

Helgi Tomasson

* ''Prism'',

Diamond Project The Diamond Project was inaugurated May 27, 1992, at New York City Ballet with funding from the Irene Diamond Fund. It has presented — every two to four years — work by new choreographers. Choreographers 1992 * David Allan * John Alley ...

, 2000

Christopher Wheeldon

* ''

Carnival of the Animals ''The Carnival of the Animals'' (''Le Carnaval des animaux'') is a humorous musical suite of fourteen movements, including " The Swan", by the French composer Camille Saint-Saëns. The work, about 25 minutes in duration, was written for privat ...

Featured roles

George Balanchine

* ''

Allegro Brillante ''Allegro Brillante'' is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 3. The ballet is danced by a principal couple and a corps de ballet of eight. Balanchine said it "contains everything I knew about classic ...

'' * ''

Apollo Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label= Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label ...

'' * '' Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet'' * ''

Concerto Barocco ''Concerto Barocco'' is a neoclassical ballet made for students at the School of American Ballet by George Balanchine, subsequently ballet master and co-founder of New York City Ballet, to Johann Sebastian Bach's Concerto in D minor for Two V ...

'' * ''

Coppélia ''Coppélia'' (sometimes subtitled: ''La Fille aux Yeux d'Émail'' (The Girl with the Enamel Eyes)) is a comic ballet from 1870 originally choreographed by Arthur Saint-Léon to the music of Léo Delibes, with libretto by Charles-Louis-� ...

'' * '' Cortège Hongrois'' * ''

Firebird Firebird and fire bird may refer to: Mythical birds * Phoenix (mythology), sacred firebird found in the mythologies of many cultures * Bennu, Egyptian firebird * Huma bird, Persian firebird * Firebird (Slavic folklore) Bird species ''Various sp ...

'' * ''

The Four Temperaments ''The Four Temperaments'' or Theme and Four Variations (''The Four Temperaments'') is an orchestral work and ballet by Paul Hindemith. Although it was originally conceived as a ballet for Léonide Massine, the score was ultimately completed a ...

'' * ''

:''

* ''

Ivesiana ''Ivesiana'' is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to compositions by Charles Ives. The ballet premiered on September 14, 1954, four months after Ives's death, at the City Center of Music and Drama, performed by the New York City Ball ...

'' * '' Kammermusik No. 2'' * '' Liebeslieder Walzer'' * '' A Midsummer Night's Dream'' * ''

Monumentum pro Gesualdo ''Monumentum pro Gesualdo'' is a ballet by the New York City Ballet (NYCB) co-founder and balletmaster George Balanchine to music by Igor Stravinsky composed in honor of the 400th birthday of the composer Carlo Gesualdo and consisting of Stravins ...

'' * ''

Movements for Piano and Orchestra ''Movements'' is a sequence of five pieces for piano and orchestra by Igor Stravinsky lasting under ten minutes altogether. It was written during his Serial period and shows his dedication to that idiom as well as the influence of Anton Webern. ...

'' * ''

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchai ...

'' * ''

Orpheus Orpheus (; Ancient Greek: Ὀρφεύς, classical pronunciation: ; french: Orphée) is a Thracian bard, legendary musician and prophet in ancient Greek religion. He was also a renowned poet and, according to the legend, travelled with J ...

'' * ''

Robert Schumann's Davidsbündlertänze ''Robert Schumann’s “Davidsbündlertänze”'' is one of the last major works made by New York City Ballet's founding choreographer and balletmaster-in-chief, George Balanchine. It is set to Robert Schumann's ''Davidsbündlertänze'' (''Dance ...

'' * ''

Scotch Symphony ''Scotch Symphony'' is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3, "Scottish". The ballet is inspired by Scotland, and evokes the style of the romantic ballet era, particularly ''La Sylphide'', which is set in Sc ...

'' * '' Serenade'' * '' Stars and Stripes'' * '' Stravinsky Violin Concerto'' * '' Swan Lake'' * '' Symphony in C'' * ''

Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux ''Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux'' is a ballet choreographed by George Balanchine to a composition by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky originally intended for act 3 of '' Swan Lake'' (Op. 20, 1875–76). With costumes by Barbara Karinska and lighting by Jack ...

'' * '' Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2'' * '' Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3'' * ''

Union Jack The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...

'' * ''

Walpurgisnacht Ballet ''Walpurgisnacht Ballet'' is a ballet made by New York City Ballet's co-founder and founding choreographer George Balanchine for a 1975 production of Gounod's 1859 ''Faust'' at the Théâtre National de l'Opéra, Paris, including Gounod's addit ...

'' * ''

'' * '' Who Cares?''

Jerome Robbins Jerome Robbins (born Jerome Wilson Rabinowitz; October 11, 1918 – July 29, 1998) was an American dancer, choreographer, film director, theatre director and producer who worked in classical ballet, on stage, film, and television. Among his nu ...

* '' The Four Seasons'' * ''

Glass Pieces ''Glass Pieces'' is a ballet choreographed by Jerome Robbins to music by Philip Glass, costumes designed by Ben Benson, lighting designed by Ronald Bates and production designed by Robbins and Bates. The ballet was premiered on May 12, 1983, at ...

'' * '' In Memory of ...'' * '' In the Night'' * ''

Ives, Songs ''Ives, Songs'' is a ballet made by New York City Ballet ballet master Jerome Robbins to songs of Charles Ives: * "The Children's Hour" * "Memories, Part A: Very Pleasant" * "Waltz" * "The Cage" * "The See'r" * "Two Little Flowers" * "At the Riv ...

Peter Martins Peter Martins (born 27 October 1946) is a Danish ballet dancer and choreographer. Martins was a principal dancer with the Royal Danish Ballet and with the New York City Ballet, where he joined George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, and John Taras as ...

* ''

Barber Violin Concerto The ''Barber Violin Concerto'' is a ballet made by New York City Ballet ballet master in chief Peter Martins to Samuel Barber's Violin Concerto, Op. 14 (1939). The premiere was conducted by Robert Irving and took place on 12 May 1988 at the New ...

'' * ''Fearful Symmetries'' * ''Morgen'' * '' Naïve and Sentimental Music'' * '' The Sleeping Beauty'' * ''The Waltz Project''

Eliot Feld Eliot Feld (born July 5, 1942) is an American modern ballet choreographer, performer, teacher, and director. Feld works in contemporary ballet. His company and schools, including the Feld Ballet and Ballet Tech, are deeply committed to dance and ...

* ''Intermezzo No. 1'' * '' The Unanswered Question''

References

External links

* *
San Francisco Chronicle
Jocelyn Noveck, Associated Press, October 10, 2011
Time Out New York
Gia Kourlas, October 20 – November 19, 2011

Jeffrey Kaczmarczyk, September 16, 2011 {{DEFAULTSORT:Askegard, Charles New York City Ballet principal dancers American male ballet dancers Entertainers from Minneapolis Year of birth missing (living people) School of American Ballet alumni Living people