Altankhuyag Dugaraa (stage name as Altan Dugaraa) was born in Khovd, Mongolia and started his ballet training at age 11 at The Music and Dance College of Mongolia. Alta was one of the first alumni to be trained in Mongolia as a ballet dancer, as most Mongolian dancers received their training in Russia. After receiving his Associate's Degree in Art, he started dancing as a principal dancer in the Mongolian State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet.
In 2002, Altan began dancing with Asami Maki Ballet Company, as well as with Tokyo Komaki Ballet Company of Japan, after winning the Gold Medal in the Asian Pacific International Ballet Competition in Tokyo, Japan in 2001. He rose from the corps de ballet to a principal dancer in both companies within a year. His other international awards include the Silver Medal, the Audience Award, and Best Contemporary Dancer in the International Ballet Competition of Perm, Russia in 2002; Finalist and Young Talent Award from the International Ballet Competition of Jackson, Mississippi in 2002; and the Bronze Medal in New-York International Ballet Competition in 2004.
During the time he was working with Asami Maki Ballet, he caught the eye of the choreographer, Roland Petit, and soon after Altan was chosen to perform the main roles in Petit’s choreographic versions of “Le Jeune Homme Et La Mort”, “Pink Floyd”, “Notre Dame de Paris”, “Swan Lake”, “Duke Ellington Jazz ballet”, and others.
Altan has participated in many performances and galas around the world including La Scala Theater, Paris Opera Theater, Lincoln Center, Wang Theater, New National Theatre of Japan, Opera House of Boston and Theaters of Spain, Great Britain, Russia, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Japan, China, Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong and etc. He has danced with Julie Kent, Lucia Lacarra, Tamara Rojo, Ulyana Lopatkina, Svetlana Zakharova , Lorna Feijoo, and Svetlana Lunkina.
In 2007, he joined Boston Ballet Company as a corps the ballet member and was soon promoted to second soloist. Altan`s diverse repertoire includes Nissinen's “Swan Lake”, Nureyev's “Don Quixote”, Cranko's “Romeo and Juliet”, Nissinen's “The Nutcracker”, Bournonville's “La Sylphide”, Adam's “Giselle”, Kudelka's “Cinderella”, Ashton's “La Fille Mal Gardee”, Balanchine's “Coppelia”, “The Four Temperaments”, “Ballo de la Regina”, “Jewels”, “A Midsummer Night's Dream”, “Divertimento Number 15”, “Who Cares?”, “Theme and Variations”, and “Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux”. He has danced in many contemporary ballets such as Jiri Kylian`s, “Sarabande”, “Petit Mort”, “Six Dances”, “Sinfonietta”, “Wings of Wax” and “Bella Figura”. He has also performed the following pas de deux: “Diana and Actaeon”, “Flames of Paris”, “Spring Waters”, and “Paquita.” His performance as the Faun in Nijinsky's “Afternoon of a Faun” was a sensational success during Boston Ballet's tours in London and New York.
In addition to continuing his career as a dancer, Altan Dugaraa took an interest in Arts Management and studied Arts Management at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and earned his Bachelor's Degree of Arts from The Music and Dance College of Mongolia 2011.
As a way of keeping ties with Mongolia, he established the Mongolian Ballet Development Foundation in 2011 to promote classical ballet, organize training, and encourage and support a new generation of ballet dancers in his homeland. Within the Foundation, he organized the First International Ballet Festival in Mongolia, in which many talented extraordinary dancers from more than ten countries participated. In 2012, he performed Adam’s Giselle with renowned premier ballerina, Tamara Rojo, former Principal dancer of Royal Ballet (and current Artistic Director of English National Ballet) on the stage of Mongolian State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet. In June 2012, he organized a Komaki Ballet Performance to honor the 40th Anniversary of Mongolian – Japanese Diplomat relationship. In January 2013, he organized P.I Schakowsky’s “Swan Lake” performance to honor the 50th Anniversary of Mongolian State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet. InJune 2014, he organized a Modern Night performance in Mongolia. Most recently, in December 2014 he choreographed The Nutcracker at Mongolian State Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet.
Altan has worked side by side with Jeff in many ballets and was the lead in Jeffrey’s “of Trial.” In his most recent Modern Night in 2014 in Mongolia, “of Trial” was performed with the cast from Boston Ballet. Altan danced in Jeffrey’s World Premiere, "fremd"in Boston last spring, as well as Jeffrey's Collective piece, "MiniM."
