Photo by Gianina Ferreyra
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Norbert De La Cruz III is recognized for his creative versatility in performance and choreography. He was born in Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines and raised in Los Angeles, CA. De La Cruz is a New York and Los Angeles based freelance dance artist.
His unique movement quality has gained attention from dance companies and educational programs. His style is shaped through his training and performance experiences at the Gabriella Foundation in LA, LA County High School for the Arts, Marat Daukayev School of Ballet, The Juilliard School where he received his BFA in dance, and through his performance career as a professional dancer. He was trained classically in Cecchetti and Vaganova by ballet masters Vera Ninkovic and Marat Daukayev and developed his contemporary sensibilities after his classical dance training.
He has performed professionally as a soloist in the Metropolitan Opera's production of Aida, Aszure Barton & Artists in Germany & Austria (Blue Soup & Busk), Balletto Teatro di Torino (Italy), Sydney Skybetter & Associates, Santa Clarita Ballet, Lustig Dance Theatre, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. He represented the Juilliard School at Kodak Theatre’s first annual Dizzy Feet Foundation Gala in Hollywood, CA and was recently casted as an ensemble dancer for Warner Brothers Pictures 2020 hit musical film, "In The Heights" directed by Jon Chu.
Additionally, Norbert has performed works by choreographers José Limón, David Parker, Adam Hougland, Johannes Wieland, Ohad Naharin, Aszure Barton, Jerome Robbins, Larry Keigwin, Jiri Pikorny, Hernando Fernando Magedan, Spenser Theberge, Jeremy McQueen, Camille A. Browne, Dwight Rhoden, Desmond Richardson, Lightfoot & Leon, Crystal Pite, Alonzo King, Zachary Tang, Omar Roman De Jesus, Gregory Dawson and Jirí Kylián.
Norbert's choreographic career was further mentored by esteemed Aspen Santa Fe Ballet (ASFB) Directors, Tom Mossbrucker and Jean-Philippe Malaty. His early choreographic career was recognized through the support of the Jerome Robbins Foundation’s NEW Essential Works Grant (2012), commissioning his first large-scale ballet, “Square None” (2012) with ASFB. He was a finalist of Hubbard Street’s National Choreographic Competition (2013), a Princess Grace Foundation-USA Award under the choreography fellowship (2012), Alvin Ailey New Directions Choreography Lab (2013), finalist for the Joffrey Academy of Dance’s 2014 Winning Works and a recipient for the 2015 National Choreographic Initiative in Irvine, CA. He was selected for the 2017 and 2018 Spring Sessions at the New York Choreographic Institute, an affiliate of New York City Ballet, where he created his “Lunar” and "Traces" ballet alongside Juilliard Composer and collaborator, Nathan Prillaman. He has since been commissioned to create and premier new works for companies such as Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Hubbard Street 2, Joffrey Academy of Dance, James Sewell Ballet, Tulsa Ballet II, Barak Ballet, Grand Rapids Ballet, Ballet Florida, Attack Theatre, Ballet X, and Periapsis Music & Dance.
Norbert's educational contribution to dance is evident in his impassioned teaching and choreographic practices. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge and professional experiences through creative residencies, institutional programs, dance conservatories, and schools. He has taught and produced work at such schools as The Juilliard School, SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance, Ailey Fordham University, Princeton University, University of Richmond, Hollins University, Marymount Manhattan College, Columbia University, Cal State University of Long Beach, Hartford University, and taught at the International Ballet School intensives at Gdynia, Poland for two summers.
Additional honorable mentions include the Asian Arts Alliance Jadin Wong Award, McCallum Theatre Choreography Festival Award, and was featured as one of Dance Magazines Top 25 to watch. While navigating a career as a freelance choreographer and educator, Norbert is still currently performing and collaborating whilst completing his Masters degree in Fine Arts in dance at Hollins University Graduate Program.
His unique movement quality has gained attention from dance companies and educational programs. His style is shaped through his training and performance experiences at the Gabriella Foundation in LA, LA County High School for the Arts, Marat Daukayev School of Ballet, The Juilliard School where he received his BFA in dance, and through his performance career as a professional dancer. He was trained classically in Cecchetti and Vaganova by ballet masters Vera Ninkovic and Marat Daukayev and developed his contemporary sensibilities after his classical dance training.
He has performed professionally as a soloist in the Metropolitan Opera's production of Aida, Aszure Barton & Artists in Germany & Austria (Blue Soup & Busk), Balletto Teatro di Torino (Italy), Sydney Skybetter & Associates, Santa Clarita Ballet, Lustig Dance Theatre, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. He represented the Juilliard School at Kodak Theatre’s first annual Dizzy Feet Foundation Gala in Hollywood, CA and was recently casted as an ensemble dancer for Warner Brothers Pictures 2020 hit musical film, "In The Heights" directed by Jon Chu.
Additionally, Norbert has performed works by choreographers José Limón, David Parker, Adam Hougland, Johannes Wieland, Ohad Naharin, Aszure Barton, Jerome Robbins, Larry Keigwin, Jiri Pikorny, Hernando Fernando Magedan, Spenser Theberge, Jeremy McQueen, Camille A. Browne, Dwight Rhoden, Desmond Richardson, Lightfoot & Leon, Crystal Pite, Alonzo King, Zachary Tang, Omar Roman De Jesus, Gregory Dawson and Jirí Kylián.
Norbert's choreographic career was further mentored by esteemed Aspen Santa Fe Ballet (ASFB) Directors, Tom Mossbrucker and Jean-Philippe Malaty. His early choreographic career was recognized through the support of the Jerome Robbins Foundation’s NEW Essential Works Grant (2012), commissioning his first large-scale ballet, “Square None” (2012) with ASFB. He was a finalist of Hubbard Street’s National Choreographic Competition (2013), a Princess Grace Foundation-USA Award under the choreography fellowship (2012), Alvin Ailey New Directions Choreography Lab (2013), finalist for the Joffrey Academy of Dance’s 2014 Winning Works and a recipient for the 2015 National Choreographic Initiative in Irvine, CA. He was selected for the 2017 and 2018 Spring Sessions at the New York Choreographic Institute, an affiliate of New York City Ballet, where he created his “Lunar” and "Traces" ballet alongside Juilliard Composer and collaborator, Nathan Prillaman. He has since been commissioned to create and premier new works for companies such as Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Hubbard Street 2, Joffrey Academy of Dance, James Sewell Ballet, Tulsa Ballet II, Barak Ballet, Grand Rapids Ballet, Ballet Florida, Attack Theatre, Ballet X, and Periapsis Music & Dance.
Norbert's educational contribution to dance is evident in his impassioned teaching and choreographic practices. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge and professional experiences through creative residencies, institutional programs, dance conservatories, and schools. He has taught and produced work at such schools as The Juilliard School, SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance, Ailey Fordham University, Princeton University, University of Richmond, Hollins University, Marymount Manhattan College, Columbia University, Cal State University of Long Beach, Hartford University, and taught at the International Ballet School intensives at Gdynia, Poland for two summers.
Additional honorable mentions include the Asian Arts Alliance Jadin Wong Award, McCallum Theatre Choreography Festival Award, and was featured as one of Dance Magazines Top 25 to watch. While navigating a career as a freelance choreographer and educator, Norbert is still currently performing and collaborating whilst completing his Masters degree in Fine Arts in dance at Hollins University Graduate Program.