Bart de Block

Bart de Block (born October 22, 1968 in Ghent) is a professional Belgian ballet dancer known for his exceptional ability to perform pointework. He is also an occasional ballet teacher.

Personal Life

Bart de Block was born on October 10th, 1968 in Gent, Belgium. His mother was a nursing supervisor and his father a schoolmaster. Both his brother and sister are now engineers.

Noticing a strong ability to move to music, his mother encouraged him to take dance lessons locally at age 9. His teacher suggested his prodigious ability could be improved in Antwerp at the Academy of Royal ballet of Flanders, which he joined at 11. He would later leave it at age 18, having pursued an advanced ballet course including three years of Graham technique, classical dance, and, of course, regular academic courses. He also earned a High school diploma from the Stadeljik Institute in Antwerp.

File:Bdb.jpg

Bart de Block performing in Maurice Béjart's "Firebird"

Career

1986-1987
Royal Ballet of Flanders, Antwerp, Belgium
as a member of the "corps de ballet"

1987-1995
Deutsche Oper Berlin, Berlin, Germany
as the principal dancer, working with, most notably: Maurice Béjart, Marc Bogaerts, Valery Panov, Sir Kenneth McMillan, John Neumeier, Peter Schaufuss, Karole Armitage, Bill T Jones, Moses Pendleton, Stephen Petronio, Nacho Duato, Christopher Bruce, Lucinda Childs
- guest in the Kirov ballet, St-Petersburg

1995-1997
Ballet Trockadero, New-York, USA
as the principal dancer

1997-1999
Mark Baldwin Dance Company, London, England
as the principal dancer but also as the director's assistant

1999-2001
Royal Ballet of Flanders, Antwerp, Belgium
as the principal dancer and also as an administration member

2002-2003
Jeugd & Dans Company, Antwerp, Belgium
as the artistic coordinator

2003-2007
Les Ballets Gradiva, New York, USA
as a guest

Principal roles

- Agon - (Balanchine) in the First pas de deux
- Cinderella - (Valery Panov) as the Prince
- Cruel Garden - (Christopher Bruce) as Negro
- Duende - (Nacho Duato) in the Principal role
- Different Drummer - (Sir K.MacMillan) as Jesus
- Einhorn - (John Neuemeier) in the title role
- Flowerfestival - (A.Bournonville) in the pas de deux
- Firebird - (M.Bejart) in the title role
- Five Tangos - (Hans Van Manen) in the Principal role
- Folk Tale - (P.Schaufuss) in the Title role
- Four Temperaments - (G.Balanchine) as the Phlegmatic
- Galaperformance - (A. Tudor) as one of the French couple
- Giselle - (P.Schaufuss) as Albrecht
- La Fille mal Gardee - in the Principale role
- La Valse - (G.Balanchine) as the solist
- Land - (C.Bruce) in the Principal role
- Laytext - (S.Petronio) in the Principal role
- Le Corsaire - performing a mixed Pas de deux
- Leaves are fading - (A. Tudor) in the Principal role
- Le Sacre du Printemps - (M.Bejart) as the young warrior
- Les Intermittences du Coeur - (R. Petit) as a Young Proust and Morel
- Liebestod - (V.Panov) in the Title role
- Moves - (V.Panov) as Michael Jackson
- Notre Dame de Paris - (R.Petit) as Frollo
- Onegin - (J.Cranko) as Lenski
- Percussion for six men - (V.Nebrada) in the Bongo variation
- Paquita - (Vinogradov) in the Principal role
- Petruschka - (M.Fokine) in the Title role
- Petruschka - (H.Mandafounis) in the Title role
- Ring um den Ring - (M.Bejart) as Loge
- Romeo and Juliet - (V.Panov) as Mercutio
- Sleeping Beauty - (P.Schaufuss) as Carabosse
- Swanlake - (K.MacMillan) as a Neapolitan
- Swanlake - (P.Schaufuss) as Rothbart
- Swansong - (C.Bruce) in the Principal role
- Symphony in C - (G.Balanchine) in the First & Third
- Tannhauser - (V.Panov) in the Pas de deux
- The dog is us - (K.Armitage) in the Principal role
- The Dream is over - (C.Bruce) as John Lennon
- The Idiot - (V.Panov) as Ganja
- Theme and Variations - (G.Balanchine) in the Principal role
- The Opening - (B.T.Jones) in the Principal role
- Tschaikowsky pas de deux - (G.Balanchine)
- Tutuguri - (Moses Pendleton) in the Title role
- Who Cares! - (G.Balanchine) in the Principal role
- The Legend of Joseph - (Mark Baldwin) in the Principal role
- Tango Fiesta - (Maurizio Weinrot) in the Principal role
- The Nutcracker - (A. Prokovsky) as the Prince
- The Emporer’s Dream - (Mark Bogaerts) as The Emporer
- Carmina Burana - (Maurizio Weinrot) in the Principal role

External links

Official site
Profile
article - Getting the pointe