Who's Who in Kings of the Dance:
David Fernandez, Choreographer

Born in Mexico City, David Fernandez studied at the Centro de Arte y Ballet. He immigrated to the United States in 1989 after winning a scholarship to Giordano Jazz Dance in Chicago, where he performed with the company and received the Jeffrey Mildenstein Award. David began choreographing while studying at the Joseph Holmes Chicago Dance Theatre, creating contemporary works for performance in art galleries and alternative spaces.

David is the resident choreographer at Virginia Ballet Theatre in Norfolk, Virginia and Staten Island Ballet in New York. His work has been featured in festivals and competitions including the celebrated Kings of the Dance Tour (2008), The Youth America Grand Prix, and the prestigious Jackson Competition. His latest ensemble work, Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear, and a contemporary choreography, Icarus APR, will premiere at the 2009 Lincoln Center Dance on Camera Festival in New York City.

During his dance career, David performed with Chicago’s Boitsov Classical Ballet dancing roles in Le Corsair, Don Quixote, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Specter de la Rose, and Pinocchio among others. He danced with the Lyric Opera of Chicago for several years, performing in Aida, Faust, Ghost of Versailles, and as a soloist in Un Re In Ascolto. David was also a guest artist with the Ballet Theatre of Chicago and in Indiana University’s production of Don Quixote, directed by Susan Jones of the American Ballet Theatre. A highlight of David's later career was performing alongside Mikhail Baryshnikov in the play The Doctor and The Patient at the 2004 Lincoln Center Festival. Five Variation on Theme was created for Joaquin De Luz especially for Kings of the Dance project in 2008.