Charles Askegard

Charles Askegard is an American ballet dancer and ballet master at Philadelphia Ballet.

Early life and education Askegard was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 6, 1969, and began his dance training at the age of five with Loyce Houlton and the Minnesota Dance Theatre. 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 as a soloist and was promoted to principal the next year.

Askegard appeared in PBS's Live from Lincoln Center 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. He has been a guest artist with Pacific Northwest Ballet, Ballet Etudes of South Florida, Bayerisches Staatsballett, Philippine Ballet Theatre, The Daring Project and Stars of American Ballet. He also appeared in Fred Wiseman's 1995 documentary film Ballet.

Askegard danced his farewell performance the last day of the fall 2011 season, Sunday, October 9; the program consisted of the Diamonds pas de deux from Jewels, Episodes, In Memory of ... and Western Symphony. He planned to form his own ballet company, Ballet Next, with former ABT principal dancer Michele Wiles.

Personal life

Askegard was married to author Candace Bushnell from 2002 to 2011.

Repertory

Created roles

Peter Martins Harmonielehre River of Light Swan Lake Them Twos Thou Swell Viva Verdi

Eliot Feld Organon

Robert La Fosse Duke!

Helgi Tomasson Prism, Diamond Project, 2000

Christopher Wheeldon Carnival of the Animals

Featured roles

George Balanchine Allegro Brillante Apollo Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet Concerto Barocco Coppélia Cortège Hongrois Firebird The Four Temperaments Jewels: Diamonds Ivesiana Kammermusik No. 2 Liebeslieder Walzer A Midsummer Night's Dream Monumentum pro Gesualdo Movements for Piano and Orchestra The Nutcracker Orpheus Robert Schumann's Davidsbündlertänze Scotch Symphony Serenade Stars and Stripes Stravinsky Violin Concerto Swan Lake Symphony in C Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2 Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3 Union Jack Vienna Waltzes Walpurgisnacht Ballet Western Symphony Who Cares?

Jerome Robbins The Four Seasons Glass Pieces In Memory of ... In the Night Ives, Songs

Peter Martins Barber Violin Concerto Fearful Symmetries Morgen Naïve and Sentimental Music The Sleeping Beauty The Waltz Project

Eliot Feld Intermezzo No. 1 The Unanswered Question