David Graeme McAllister (born 25 November 1963) is the former artistic director and

principal dancer A principal dancer (often shortened to principal) is a dancer at the highest rank within a professional dance company, particularly a ballet company. A principal may be male or female. The position is similar to that of '' soloist''; however, p ...

The Australian Ballet The Australian Ballet is the largest classical ballet company in Australia. It was founded by J. C. Williamson Theatres Ltd and the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust in 1962, with the English-born dancer, teacher, repetiteur and direct ...

Biography

David McAllister was born in 1963 in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, Western Australia. A graduate of the Australian Ballet School, he joined The Australian Ballet in 1983. He was promoted to senior artist in 1986 and to principal artist in 1989. His many principal roles with the company included those in '' Onegin'', ''

Romeo and Juliet ''Romeo and Juliet'' is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about the romance between two Italian youths from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetim ...

'', ''

La fille mal gardée LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figur ...

'', '' The Sleeping Beauty'', ''

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Wester ...

'', ''The Sentimental Bloke'', ''

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-� ...

'', and '' Manon''. In 1985, he won a bronze medal at the Fifth International Ballet Competition in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, which saw him invited to return to the USSR as a guest artist, where he made numerous appearances with the Bolshoi Ballet, the

Kirov Ballet The Mariinsky Ballet (russian: Балет Мариинского театра) is the resident classical ballet company of the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Founded in the 18th century and originally known as the Imperial Russ ...

, the

Georgian National Ballet The Georgian National Ballet ( ka, ქართული ეროვნული ბალეტი, tr) is the first professional state dance company in Georgia. Founded by husband and wife Iliko Sukhishvili and Nino Ramishvili in 1945, it was ...

and other companies. In 1989 David was guest artist with the

National Ballet of Canada The National Ballet of Canada is a Canadian ballet company that was founded in 1951 in Toronto, Ontario, with Celia Franca as the first artistic director. A company of 70 dancers with its own orchestra, the National Ballet has been led since 2022 ...

, dancing

John Cranko John Cyril Cranko (15 August 1927 – 26 June 1973) was a South African ballet dancer and choreographer with the Royal Ballet and the Stuttgart Ballet. Life and career Early life Cranko was born in Rustenburg in the former province of Transv ...

's ''Romeo and Juliet'' as well as ''Etudes'' and ''The Four Temperaments''. He has also been a guest artist with Birmingham Royal Ballet and

Singapore Dance Theatre The Singapore Ballet (formerly known as Singapore Dance Theatre) is Singapore's national dance company, founded in 1988 by Anthony Then and Goh Soo Khim. The Artistic Director of the company is Janek Schergen. History It made its debut in Jun ...

. In London in 1992, he took part in the royal gala performance of ''Coppélia'' in the presence of the Princess of Wales. McAllister has worked as a guest teacher with the McDonald College, The Australian Ballet School, the Dancers Company, the

Royal Academy of Dance "Health and happiness" , predecessor = , successor = , formation = 1920 , extinction = , type = NGO , status = Registered charity , purpose = Examination board – dance education and training , headquarters = 36 Battersea SquareSW11 3 ...

, the Cecchetti Society, and the Australian Institute of Classical Dance. In November 2000, he completed a graduate diploma in Arts and Entertainment Management at

Deakin University Deakin University is a public university in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1974, the university was named after Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia. Its main campuses are in Melbourne's Burwood suburb, Geelong Waurn Ponds, ...

. McAllister danced for the final time in ''

Giselle ''Giselle'' (; ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (, ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet (" ballet-pantomime") in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, ...

'' on 24 March 2001 at the Sydney Opera House and became artistic director of The Australian Ballet in July 2001. He was elected vice president of the Royal Academy of Dance in 2005. In March 2020, it was announced that

David Hallberg David Hallberg (born May 18, 1982) is an American classical ballet dancer. He was a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre and resident guest artist at The Australian Ballet, as well as a principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet. In 2021 ...

would succeed McAllister as the new artistic director of The Australian Ballet, effective January 2021.

Personal

McAllister is the domestic partner of Australian playwright and artistic director

Wesley Enoch Wesley James Enoch (born 1969) is an Australian playwright and artistic director. He is especially known for ''The 7 Stages of Grieving'', co-written with Deborah Mailman. He was artistic director of the Queensland Theatre Company from mid-2 ...

Bibliography

Memoirs

* ''Soar: A Life Freed by Dance'', in September 2020.

Critical studies and reviews of McAllister's work

;''Soar'' * ——————— ;Notes

Honours

In 2001, McAllister was awarded a Centenary Medal. In the 2004 Australia Day Honours he was appointed a

Member of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

for his services to ballet and was promoted to

Companion of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

in the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours on 14 June 2021. In April 2021, McAllister was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award by the

(RAD).

Helpmann Awards

The

Helpmann Awards The Helpmann Awards are accolades for live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001. The annual awards recognise achievements in the disciplines of musical t ...

is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia (LPA) since 2001. In 2020, McAllister received the

JC Williamson Award The JC Williamson Award (formally known as the James Cassius Williamson Award), is an lifetime achievement award presented annually as a sector of the Helpmann Awards, governed by Live Performance Australia. The awards are named after the Ameri ...

, the LPA's highest honour, for his life's work in live performance. , - , 2020 , , Himself , ,

, , , -

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McAllister, David 1963 births Living people Australian male ballet dancers People from Perth, Western Australia People educated at Newman College, Perth Companions of the Order of Australia Recipients of the Centenary Medal Australian LGBT entertainers LGBT dancers 21st-century Australian LGBT people