Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, she began her training at the age of seven with Olga Ferri and graduated with the highest qualification at the Institute of Arts at the COLON THEATRE. At age 14, Paloma was awarded FINALIST DIPLOMA at at the XIV VARNA INTERNATIONAL BALLET COMPETITION,Bulgaria, in l990. In January 1991, having just turn 15, she moved to New York and continued her studies at the SCHOOL OF AMERICAN BALLET, whereshe was given the lead role in Balanchine´s Raymonda Variation for its annual WORKSHOP. After only six months, she joined the AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE. She was promoted to Soloist two years later. In l995, age 19, she became the youngest Principal Dancer in AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE history.
Her roles with the AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE include: Don Quixote, Romeo and Juliet, La Bayadère, Swan Lake, Le Corsaire, Coppelia,Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, The Snow Maiden, Raymonda, Sylvia among many others, and contemporary ballets: Apollo, The Prodigal Son, Stepping Stones, American We, Fancy Free, Without Words, etc. Famous choreographers created leading roles for her as Twyla Tharp, Nacho Duato, James Kudelka among others and worked with Jiri Kylian and William Forsythe.
She appeared as Guest Artist with the most important International Companies: NEW YORK CITY BALLET, KIROV BALLET, BOLSHOI BALLET, COLON THEATRE, KREMLIN PALACE BALLET, BALLET TEATRO ALLA SCALA OF MILAN, TOKYO BALLET, NATIONAL BALLET OF CUBA, etc. and the most prestigious Gala: Le Gala des Etoiles; Gala of Dance and Music, in London; The World Ballet Festival, in Japan; Gala at the Finnish National Opera; Festival de La Habana, The Bournonville Gala with the Royal Danish Ballet. Alessandra´s Ferri Farewell Galas in Tokyo, “An Evening with Paloma Herrera” at the Esplanade Theater of Singapore, etc.
In Buenos Aires, Argentina she has danced at the COLON THEATRE, full length ballets as La Bayadere, The Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Swan Lakeand Galas with the most prestigious Principal Dancers in the world: JULIO BOCCA, JOSE CARREÑO, ANGEL CORELLA, GUILLAUME COTE, MARCELO GOMES, MAXIMILIANO GUERRA, ETHAN STIEFEL and DAMIAN WOETZEL and presented the “AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE WITH PALOMA HERRERA” in 1997 and “PALOMA HERRERA WITH THE STARS OF AMERICAN BALLET”in 1998 with Principal Dancers, Soloists and Corp de Ballet of the NEW YORK CITY BALLET.
She danced with the CONTEMPORARY BALLET OF TEATRO SAN MARTIN and in 2007 performed a tour in the three most important provinces in Argentina (Rosario, Córdoba and Mendoza) with the Principal Dancer of ABT, DAVID HALLBERG and the COLON THEATER BALLET.
Paloma´s photograph was on the cover of The New York Times Magazine as one of 30 Artists whom The New York Times critics chose- “as among those most likely to change the culture for the next 30 years" (the only one in Dance”.
She won the INTERNATIONAL PRIZE GINO TANI, in Rome, Italy. In March 1999, DANCE MAGAZINE Reader Survey chose Paloma as one of "The Top Ten Dancers of the Twentieth Century". In May 1999, she was chosen as “Leader of the Millennium” by TIME and CNN Television. In September 1999, she won the KONEX PLATINUM PRIZE, as the “Ballerina of the Decade 1989-1999”; the MARIA RUANOVA AWARD (June 2000) and CLARIN PRIZE (2003), in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
She was nominated for BENOIS PRIZE, in Moscow and the NIJINSKY AWARD from The Monaco Dance Forum (June 2000).
On December 11, 2001 she received the NEW YORK IMMIGRANT ACHIEVEMENT AWARD as “outstanding immigrant whose contributions to America have greatly enriched our Nation”.
On April 17th, 2008 she received the GOLD MEDAL ON THE ARTS from THE KENNEDY CENTER, in Buenos Aires.
The cover of the book “AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE, IN CLASSIC STYLE” by Nancy Ellison (Ed. Rizzoli International), the most important book about the ABT at the Metropolitan Opera House.
Since 2004, she is Member of the Artist Committee for THE KENNEDY CENTER HONOREES, a National Celebration of the Performing Arts. The Prize is given by the President of the USA at the White House.
In 2012, the President of Argentina opened the GALLERY OF POPULAR IDOLS, permanent exhibition in the GOBERNMENT HOUSE. Paloma Herrera and Julio Bocca are the only two Popular Idols in Dance.
In Octubre 2013, She has the honor to be one of the Members of the BOARD OF DIRECTORS to chose the winners for the CLIVE BARNES AWARD in New York, for young and very talented dancers. The CLIVE BARNES FOUNDATION was created in memoriam of the prestigious critic Clive Barnes (“The New York Times”, The New York Post” and important publications). |
