Since joining New York City Ballet, Mr. Askegard has danced featured roles in:

George Balanchine's:

• Allegro Brillante
• Apollo
• Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet (Fourth Movement)
• Concerto Barocco
• Coppélia (Frantz)
• Cortège Hongrois
• Firebird
• The Four Temperaments
• George Balanchine's The Nutcracker™
• "Diamonds" from Jewels
• Ivesiana
• Kammermusik No. 2
• Liebeslieder Walzer
• A Midsummer Night's Dream
• Monumentum pro Gesualdo
• Movements for Piano and Orchestra
• Orpheus
• Robert Schumann's "Davidsbündlertänze"
• Scotch Symphony
• Serenade
• Stars and Stripes
• Stravinsky Violin Concerto
• Swan Lake
• Symphony in C
• Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux
• Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 2
• Tschaikovsky Suite No. 3 (Theme and Variations)
• Union Jack
• Vienna Waltzes
• Walpurgisnacht Ballet
• Western Symphony
• Who Cares?

Peter Martins':

• Barber Violin Concerto
• Fearful Symmetries
• Morgen
• The Sleeping Beauty (Gold)
• Swan Lake (Siegfried and Russian)
• The Waltz Project

Jerome Robbins':

• The Four Seasons (Fall)
• Glass Pieces
• In Memory of...
• In the Night
• Ives, Songs

and Eliot Feld's:

• Intermezzo No. 1
• The Unanswered Question

Mr. Askegard originated featured roles in:

• Mr. Feld's Organon
• Robert La Fosse's "Rockin' in Rhythm" from Duke!
• Mr. Martins' Harmonielehre, River of Light, Swan Lake, Them Twos, Thou Swell and Viva Verdi
• Helgi Tomasson's Prism (2000 Diamond Project ballet)
• Christopher Wheeldon's Carnival of the Animals

In addition to his appearances with New York City Ballet, Mr. Askegard has been a guest artist with Pacific Northwest Ballet, Ballet Etudes of South Florida, Bavarian State Ballet, Philippine Ballet Theatre, The Daring Project and the Stars of American Ballet. He can also be seen in the documentary Ballet, directed by Fred Wiseman.

The following interview took place in November, 1999:

Q: When was the first time you appeared on the stage of the New York State Theater?

A: My first performance was on December 7, 1997. I danced The Nutcracker pas de deux with Kyra Nichols

Q: What do you remember about that performance and how you felt?

A: I remember feeling quite nervous. Kyra's partner got injured and I had only one-half hour of rehearsal with her and hadn't yet done the production. So going into it I was pretty nervous, but once I stepped on stage with her I relaxed and I really enjoyed my performance.

Q: For you, what are the differences between an opening night and closing night?

A: An opening night is filled with excitement and energy, with the anticipation of what's to come for the season. A closing night is also filled with energy and excitement but it is more celebratory in nature. We celebrate the season and having made it through, while looking forward to the next.

Q: Do you have any special memories of Opening Nights from seasons past?

A: Spring Season 1999. Peter Martins' Swan Lake. Maria Kowroski and I were on in the Russian pas de deux. I was very excited to be on in that. It's a great pas de deux, very sensual and exciting and the audience likes it too, which is always a plus. Also Spring Season 1998. I was dancing the second movement in Symphony in C with Darci Kistler. It is a wonderful memory because it was my first year in the Company. I was dancing a wonderful ballet, and with Darci Kistler. It was very exciting.

Q: How does it feel to be back on stage at the New York State Theater after you've been away for several months?

A: It's wonderful. It feels like coming home, In my opinion, there is no better stage on which to dance, and that is something I look forward to.

Q: When did you first discover ballet?

A: I was five years old watching my sister take classes and rehearsing for The Nutcracker. I thought that it looked like fun, what she was doing, so I started in a boys class and was in the production of The Nutcracker the following year.

Q: Is there a role that you haven't performed that you would like to?

A: There are actually many, but I've done so much in my two years with New York City Ballet that I don't think I could have done more. It's very challenging and exciting to dance new roles and the repertory here is so large and full of great ballets. I hope to dance out my dreams and so far I've done a lot more than I imagined. I wouldn't really ask for more.

Q: What inspired you as a dancer?

A: Seeing great dancers, watching them work in the studio and performing on stage. Dancing great ballets, and working with choreographers. Feeling a strong connection with a partner on stage. Watching a particularly good performance.

Q: Who has been your greatest influence as an artist?

A: I would have to say my former teacher and coach Maggie Black. I say former because she no longer teaches in the city. However, I still talk to her about a lot of things that relate to dance. She gave me a strong foundation to work from. She was also a wonderful coach and taught me how to go about preparing for major roles on stage. Later in my career, we talked a lot about details in performing and presentation, and understanding what a ballet was about and trying to portray that to audiences. It was about more than technique, it was about dancing, which I think is paramount.

Q: Who within New York City Ballet has inspired you?

A: An easier question would be who hasn't? I am inspired by many people at City Ballet. First of all Peter Martins. It's inspiring to work with him in a studio. It makes me push myself to be better, to try to carry on the Balanchine tradition which he is a huge part of. Pretty much everyone on down from there. The staff, the wonderful dancers. Everyone works so hard to do their very best. I find that very inspiring

Q: What do you consider the highlight of your career?

A: It's hard to narrow it down to one highlight because there are many and each one feels like the highlight so far. I remember the first time I was picked out of the corps for a lead role and how excited and happy I was. But I guess there are two in my mind that are right up there, and I can't decide which is higher. First, when I joined the New York City Ballet, and second when Peter promoted me to principal.

Q: If you were not a dancer what would you like to do?

A: I get asked this question a lot and it's a tough one to answer. When one spends their whole life working towards something and after achieving it spends the rest of one's time trying to become better at it, there isn't a lot of time to focus on what I would do if I wasn't a dancer. Dancing fulfills so many things in me I would have a hard time finding something that was nearly as fulfilling.