Alan Bergman

Alan Bergman was an American ballet dancer, photographer and businessman.

He was the product of two generations of Russian/Polish Yiddish actors: Glicka and Morris Balavsky, co founders of Nordska Films, the Actors Studio and his mother, Miriam, a child star in the Yiddish theater.

Alan’s dance career was shaped from the early age of 8 years old when he was spotted by Andre Eglevsky jumping about playing the part of an airplane in a school play. Eglevsky took Alan on as his protégé and taught him privately for two years. When Alan was 10 years old Eglevsky took him to George Balanchine’s School of American Ballet where he was offered a full scholarship.

By age 15, Alan was dancing soloist roles and soon became a principal dancer with a number of major companies such as the San Francisco Ballet and a Guest Artist with companies such as The National Ballet of Venezuela.

After seeing Alan as the Bluebird in The Sleeping Beauty with the Eglevsky Ballet Company, the great dance critic Walter Terry said, "I had the unexpected pleasure of seeing a most talented and exciting young male dancer from George Balanchine’s School of American Ballet. His elegant arms and extraordinary clean beats, entrechat-six and brise, are a homage to Andre Eglevsky whose protégé he is. The height of his explosive leaps and soft landings can not help but conjure up images of the legendary Vaslav Nijinsky. His name, Alan Bergman, is one to remember. He will undoubtedly have a great career."

Alan also danced as a principal in numerous revivals of Broadway shows including ‘Annie Get Your Gun’ where he partnered Ginger Rogers. Unfortunately a severe injury brought Alan Bergman’s dancing career to an early and abrupt halt. This was when his career as a photographer began.

After his injury, Alan went on to become a successful dance and theatre photographer. His work has been widely exhibited nationally and internationally in solo and traveling exhibitions. Alan’s images are currently displayed in six museums including the National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC, the National Portrait Gallery, London, where a number are currently on show as part of the Royal Ballet’s 75th Anniversary[1] and the Theatre Museum, London.