HERMAN CORNEJO
Herman Cornejo
Photo © Rosalie O’Connor
Courtesy of American Ballet Theare |
Herman Cornejo was born in San Luis, Argentina and began his ballet studies at the age of eight at the Superior Institute of Art at the Colon Theatre. A multiple prize winner in several prestigious South American competitions, he went on to study at the School of American Ballet in New York as a scholarship student. He then joined Ballet Argentino as a soloist.
At the age of 16, Cornejo became the youngest Gold Medal winner in the history of the International Dance Competition in Moscow (1997). He was then promoted to Principal Dancer with Ballet Argentino, alternating with Julio Bocca in all the principal roles in the repertoire during the company’s worldwide tours.
Cornejo joined American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company in 1998 and the Company’s corps de ballet in 1999. Promoted to Soloist in August 2000, his roles with the Company include the Bronze Idol in La Bayadère, the Red Cowboy in Billy the Kid, the fourth movement in Bruch Violin Concerto No. 1, the Jester in Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella, Franz in Coppélia, Lankendem and Birbanto in Le Corsaire, It Was Spring in Dim Lustre, Basilio and the lead gypsy in Don Quixote, Puck in The Dream, the first sailor in Fancy Free, Alain in La Fille mal gardée, the peasant pas de deux in Giselle, The Man in HereAfter (Heaven), the Joker in Jeu de Cartes, Lescaut in Manon, the Lead Pontevedrian Dancer and the Maitre D’ in The Merry Widow, the Nutcracker-Prince and the Cavalier in The Nutcracker, Cassio in Othello, Petrouchka in Petrouchka, the Piper in The Pied Piper, Abderakman and Bernard in Raymonda, Romeo and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, Prince Désiré and the Bluebird in The Sleeping Beauty, the Rose in Le Spectre de la Rose, Benno and the Neapolitan dance in Swan Lake, Gurn in La Sylphide, Eros in Sylvia, the third movement in Symphony in C, Hortensio in The Taming of the Shrew, Le Grand Pas de Deux, Sinatra Suite, the TSchaikovsky Pas de Deux, leading roles in Ballo della Regina, Amazed in Burning Dreams, Clear, Diversion of Angels, Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes, Gong, Jabula, Marimba, Mozartiana, Petite Mort, Sinfonietta, Theme and Variations, workwithinwork and a featured role in Baroque Game.
He created Fortune in HereAfter and leading roles in The Brahms/Haydn Variations, C. to C. (Close to Chuck), Concerto No. 1 for Piano and Orchestra, Glow – Stop, Pretty Good Year and I Dig Love in Within You Without You: A Tribute to George Harrison.
Cornejo was appointed a Principal Dancer in August 2003.