David Odenwelder is originally from Haverhill, Massachusetts, where he began studying ballet, tap, and jazz at The Dance Works and New England Civic Ballet. He earned a BFA in Ballet Performance from the University of Cincinnati, where he danced the role of Principal Male in George Balanchine’s Pas de Dix, set by Frederic Franklin. Prior to joining Alabama Ballet, he performed and toured with Cincinnati Ballet and Neos Dance Theatre, dancing works by Victoria Morgan, Devon Carney, Penny Saunders, Alejandro Cerrudo, and Heinz Poll.
Since joining Alabama Ballet, David has performed a diverse range of featured roles, including the Champion Roper in Agnes De Mille’s Rodeo, Cavalier in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®, Strangers in the Night from Twyla Tharp’s Nine Sinatra Songs, Gurn in La Sylphide, Painted Black in Christopher Bruce’s Rooster, Buck Barrow in Roger Van Fleteren’s Bonnie and Clyde, Hilarian in Giselle, Von Rothbart in Swan Lake and the Crocodile in Christopher Stuart’s Peter Pan. Other notable works include, Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room, Jiří Kylián’s Sechs Tänze, Sir Frederick Ashton’s Les Patineurs, and Twiggs by James B Whiteside.
David is currently on faculty at Samford University, the Dance Foundation, and the Alabama Ballet School and serves as Director of the Alabama Ballet Tappers. He also directs the Ballet’s outreach program, Dance Discovery.
