David Hallberg is giving back to the dance communities that raised him. The Bolshoi Ballet and American Ballet Theatre principal has established two scholarships over the past few years at ABT’s JKO School in NYC, and recently at the School of Ballet Arizona, where he trained as a young dancer.

The scholarships cover students’ tuition and offer a chance to be mentored by the dance luminary himself. The goal, says Hallberg, is to help young (particularly male) students on the often difficult road to a professional dance career. “My personal journey to finding ballet was riddled with hardships,” he says. “But once ballet found a place in my life as a kid, I couldn’t let go of its exhilarating pulse. To pass on the inspiration I felt when I was first discovering ballet is a completely invaluable experience.”

Photo by Matthew Karas for Dance Magazine