Daniel has choreographed over 25 original pieces for competitions, galas, and film.
Drawing from his background as a leading soloist with the Eifman Ballet of St. Petersburg under the direction of Boris Eifman, as a graduate of the Moscow State Academy of Choreography (Bolshoi Ballet Academy), and as a second soloist with Boston Ballet, working with some of the world's leading choreographers, Daniel creates original works that seek to unfurl the individualities of each dancer.
In collaboration with Osipova Ballet Academy in Mountain View, CA, his works have earned their dancers prestigious awards, including Top 12 at the NYC Finals, Youth Grand Prix, and 1st and 2nd places in small and large ensembles (Youth America Grand Prix), as well as gold, silver, and bronze awards in various categories (California Dance Classics).
Parallel Lines was created in collaboration with composer and violinist Alyssa Wang, who challenged me to draw inspiration not only from her composition, but from the embodied physicality of its creation — the gestures, energy, and movement inherent in her performance. While ballet traditionally responds to music as its primary source of inspiration, this work aimed to bridge the sound itself with the act of making it. In Alyssa's words, "Parallel Lines is about the commonalities between dancers and musicians — the sacrifices we make of our bodies to serve the art, the approach to movement and all encompassing motion, and the intense desire to create. Daniel and I worked together to create motions both in his body and mine that show literal parallel lines, while also building off of what each of us brought to our workshopping sessions over the course of several months."
La Volonté du Roi was inspired by Francine Lancelot's work with Rudolf Nureyev at Paris Opera Ballet. With the guidance of masterful historical dance consultant Ken Pierce, La Volonté du Roi draws on 17th- and 18th-century dances as codified in works such as Pierre Rameau’s Le maître à danser, among others. In researching this epoch and the dancing style that served as the basis to forthcoming centuries of classical and later, contemporary dance, I found myself engaging with the following questions: What is the essence of historical dance, and consequently, of classical ballet? How did Louis XIV truly dance and carry himself? If we were to see his dancing today, what would we think? How would the founder of classical ballet view the world today?
Dancers: Ekaterina Pichkova, Valerie Sokolenko, Aria Gao, Emily Ung, Halle Fairbanks, Jane Reall, Lydia Petlick, Minna Ko, Nyla Craig, Ruihan Liu, Sheina Stesin, Yuki Kishida, Lia Zeng, Sherilyn Chen, Valerie Jia, Yukari Dozono — Osipova Ballet Academy
Photo credits: LK Studio; Edits by Souheil Michael Khoury
Music Edits: Riva Rubin