Norbert Graf

Ballet Master, Choreographer, Character Dancer

Norbert Graf was born in Cologne, where he received his first ballet lessons at a private ballet school. At the age of 16 he joined the Munich Ballet Academy/Heinz Bosl Foundation and after graduating in 1989 he was engaged by the Bayerisches Staatsballett, where he took on solo roles in his very first season. In 2008 he was appointed "Bayerischer Kammertänzer". From 1994 until the 2014-2015 season, Norbert Graf was a soloist with the company and has since worked as a ballet master for the company. He continues to appear on stage as a character actor in several ballets. In recent years he has also created numerous choreographies. At the Bayerisches Staatsballett, his works have included the realisation of Igor Stravinsky's Story of the Soldier under the musical direction of Vladimir Jurowski, as well as an aikido-inspired choreography to Toshio Hosokawa's Into the depth of time in the 2022/23 season.
Norbert Graf danced Lankedem in Le Corsaire, the title role and Prince Gremin in Onegin, Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew, Prince Leopold in Illusions - Like Swan Lake, Camacho and the title role in Don Quijote, Consul Stahlbaum/La fille du Pharao in The Nutcracker, Rajah in La Bayadère, Bach in Multiplicity - Forms of Silence and Emptiness,The Wisein Le Sacre du printemps, Widow Simone in La Fille mal gardée and the Father/King of hearts in Alice´s Adventures in Wonderland. Furthermore he performed in Cambio d'abito (S. Sandroni), in For the Children of Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (P. Bausch) at Bayerisches Staatsballett and worked with international choreographers like William Forsythe, Mats Ek, Hans von Manen and Jiří Kylián.

Information as of 2023

Awards
Honorary title Kammertänzer by the Bavarian Ministry of Culture
Award Classique of the Heinz-Bosl-Foundation