David Fernandez is a choreographer, teacher, and dancer based in New York City.

CHOREOGRAPHER: Since moving to New York in 1998, David has received commissions from numerous companies including Ballet for Young Audiences, City Center Ballet, Opera North, Staten Island Ballet, and the Westchester Ballet Theatre. His work has been featured at the prestigious Jackson Competition and The Youth America Grand Prix, as well as at such festivals as the International Choreographer’s Showcase and the Bryant Park Culture Fest in New York City. David is the resident choreographer with City Center Ballet in New Hampshire; in 2006 he was commissioned to choreograph the family ballet, Coppelia, and in 2007 the timeless The Sleeping Beauty. The cast of 40-plus in both productions included aspiring dancers as young as 6-years old as well as professionals from companies across the US.

In addition, David is dedicated to pursuing his own choreographic work. He is a member of The Field, a not-for-profit organization serving the New York City performing arts community. Most recently, David mounted a performance of his original one-act ballet Objects in Mirror are Closer Than They Appear, a contemporary work inspired by French choreographer Maurice Béjart. New York City Ballet Principal Daniel Ulbricht danced the lead role, joined by four ballerinas: American Ballet Theatre's Luciana Paris and Misty Copeland, and New York City Ballet's Rachel Piskin and Ana Sophia Scheller. In 2006, David organized a studio performance of another original one-act ballet The Raven based on the Edgar Allan Poe poem. The three leading roles were danced by New York City Ballet Principal dancers Charles Askegard and Joaquin de Luz, and American Ballet Theatre soloist Veronika Part. More 

TEACHER: During his 20-year career as a ballet teacher, David has become known for his energy, enthusiasm, and dedication to his students. David has taught at and choreographed for numerous schools and companies in the Tri-State area, and is proud to have participated in two prestigious outreach programs: Elliot Feld’s groundbreaking Ballet Tech, which reaches kids in New York City public schools, and the American Ballet Theatre’s award-winning Make A Ballet program, a dance education initiative targeting underserved schools and communities. At present, David teaches weekly classes at Staten Island Ballet and the Westport Academy of Dance among others, and is a substitute teacher at DNA and Peridance. To view his complete 2008 schedule, click here.

BACKGROUND & TRAINING: David studied ballet at the Centro de Arte y Ballet in his native Mexico City before winning a scholarship to Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, where he performed with the company and was awarded the prestigious Jeffrey Mildenstein Award. He continued his classical education at Chicago’s Boitsov Classical Ballet School adding the Vaganova method to his repertoire. David performed in numerous ballets with The Boitsov, including: Le Corsair, Don Quixote, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Specter de la rose, and Pinocchio. 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.