VOA标准英语2011--David Hallberg Joins The Bolshoi Ballet as a Premier Dancer

David Hallberg Joins The Bolshoi Ballet as a Premier¹ Dancer

An American ballet star has joined the Bolshoi Ballet as what's called a premier dancer. David Hallberg is the first American to achieve such a distinction.

They call him the Prince, that's the Prince of Ballet. He is 29 year-old David Hallberg of Rapid City, South Dakota.

This young dancer, who hails far from the cultural centers of the U.S., is now the first American to enlist² permanently³ with the world-renowned Bolshoi Ballet of Moscow. It has special meaning for him. “For me the responsibility is large," he said. "The pressure is, of course, quite large. So is the responsibility to represent a new generation, a new era in ballet.”

Hallberg will have a starring role with the Bolshoi. Over the last 10 years he has made tremendous strides. In 1999, he trained at the Paris Opera Ballet School and in 2000 he joined American Ballet Theater in New York.

He's now a principal dancer with ABT and will continue to dance with Ballet Theater from time to time.

Kevin McKenzie is artistic⁴ director of ABT. He says he never doubted Hallberg's potential. “We knew right away that we had a talented boy on our hands," he said.

“It was just evident when it was time to open the gates and let him go and he took off like a meteor."

The move comes 50 years after Rudolf Nureyev's historic defection from the Soviet⁵ Union. That turned the world of dance upside town.

Then, in 1974, the great Mikhail Baryshnikov defected.

Now, the journey is in reverse.

Hallberg believes the collaboration⁶ will be positive. “I will be like a sponge trying to absorb everything around me and trying to see all the other dancers, the ballets and the repertoire⁷. And on the other hand, I feel the dancers can be influenced by the way I dance as well," he said.

Kevin McKenzie, of ABT, is proud. “Until this very moment in time it was always American companies or American audiences looking for validation⁸ -- to have a guest Russian dancer with them. And now the shoe is on the other foot," he said.

Hallberg will debut⁹ in “Giselle” at the Bolshoi in early November.

1 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

2 enlist   

vt.谋取(支持等)，赢得；征募；vi.入伍

参考例句：

• They come here to enlist men for the army.他们来这儿是为了召兵。
• The conference will make further efforts to enlist the support of the international community for their just struggle. 会议必将进一步动员国际社会，支持他们的正义斗争。

3 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

4 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

5 Soviet   

adj.苏联的，苏维埃的；n.苏维埃

参考例句：

• Zhukov was a marshal of the former Soviet Union.朱可夫是前苏联的一位元帅。
• Germany began to attack the Soviet Union in 1941.德国在1941年开始进攻苏联。

6 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

7 repertoire   

n.(准备好演出的)节目，保留剧目；(计算机的)指令表，指令系统， <美>(某个人的)全部技能；清单，指令表

参考例句：

• There is an extensive repertoire of music written for the flute.有很多供长笛演奏的曲目。
• He has added considerably to his piano repertoire.他的钢琴演奏曲目大大增加了。

8 validation   

n.确认

参考例句：

• If the countdown timer ever hits zero, do your validation processing. 处理这种情况的方法是在输入的同时使用递减计时器，每次击键重新计时。如果递减计时器变为零，就开始验证。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓
• Although the validation control is a very widespread idiom, most such controls can be improved. 虽然确认控件是非常广泛的习惯用法，但还有很多有待改进的地方。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

9 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。