Isaac Hernández facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Isaac Hernández
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Hernández in 2025
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Isaac Eleazar Hernández Fernández
30 April 1990 Guadalajara, Mexico
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| Education | The Rock School for Dance Education |
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| Years active | 2007-present |
| Children | 1 |
| Current group | American Ballet Theatre |
| Former groups | San Francisco Ballet Dutch National Ballet English National Ballet |
Isaac Eleazar Hernández Fernández (born April 30, 1990) is a famous Mexican ballet dancer and actor. He learned ballet at The Rock School for Dance Education. Isaac has danced with many top ballet companies. These include the San Francisco Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, and English National Ballet. Since 2025, he has been a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre. As an actor, he has appeared in movies like The King of All the World (2021) and Dreams (2025).
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Early life and training
Isaac Hernández was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. His parents, Laura and Héctor Hernández, were both dancers. Héctor trained at the Harkness Ballet. He also performed with Dance Theatre of Harlem and Houston Ballet.
Isaac is the seventh of eleven children in his family. His family was very involved in Guadalajara's Jewish community. When he was 8 years old, Isaac started learning ballet. His parents taught him using a homemade barre in their backyard. At age 13, he moved from Guadalajara to Philadelphia. There, he trained at The Rock School for Dance Education.
Dance career highlights
Isaac Hernández began his professional dance journey early. From 2003 to 2007, he was a special scholar at ABT Summer Intensives. He then danced with ABT II from 2007 to 2008.
In 2008, he joined the San Francisco Ballet. He started in the corps de ballet. By 2010, he was promoted to soloist. He then moved to the Dutch National Ballet in 2012 as a soloist. The next year, he became a principal dancer. This happened after he performed as Prince Désiré in The Sleeping Beauty.
After a guest performance in Swan Lake with the English National Ballet, he joined them. He became a lead principal dancer in 2015. His performances there included classic ballets. These were Romeo and Juliet and La Sylphide. He also performed in modern works. These included Aszure Barton’s Fantastic Beings and Akram Khan's Giselle.
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In 2018, Isaac won the Prix Benois de la Danse. This award is sometimes called the "Oscar of ballet." He won for his roles in Don Quixote and La Sylphide. He was the first Mexican dancer to ever win this important award.
In 2022, Hernández returned to the San Francisco Ballet as a principal dancer. In July 2024, he left the San Francisco Ballet. He then joined the American Ballet Theatre as a guest artist. For ABT's fall season, he had important roles in Études and Kingdom of the Shades.
In January 2025, Isaac Hernández became one of the American Ballet Theatre's principal dancers. He is the first dancer of Mexican heritage to achieve this title. This was a big moment in the ballet company's 85-year history.
Famous ballet roles
Isaac Hernández has performed many well-known ballet roles. Some of his most famous roles include:
- Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake
- Ali and Conrad in Le Corsaire
- Romeo in Nureyev’s Romeo & Juliet
- Franz in Ronald Hynd’s Coppélia
- The Nephew/Prince in Eagling’s The Nutcracker
- Solor in La Bayadère
- Basilio in Nureyev's Don Quixote
- Albrecht in Mary Skeaping’s Giselle
- James in La Sylphide
- Prince Désiré in Sleeping Beauty
- Des Grieux in Manon
- Prince Guillaume in Wheeldon’s Cinderella
Acting roles
Isaac Hernández also has a career in acting. His first movie role was in Carlos Saura's film The King of All the World. He then acted in a Netflix series called Someone Has To Die. In this series, he played Lázaro, a ballet dancer. The show was released on October 16, 2020. He also acted alongside Jessica Chastain in the film Dreams.
Awards and recognition
Isaac Hernández is an ambassador for arts and tourism in Mexico. He is the youngest artist to receive a special award from the Mexican president. Isaac and his brother Esteban started a project in Guadalajara. They bring other dancers to perform and teach workshops there.
Some of his awards include:
- 2018 Benois de la Danse at the Bolshoi Theatre
- Alexandra Radius Award for Most Outstanding Dancer
- Gold Medal, USA International Ballet Competition
- Bronze Medal and special award, Kirov Ballet at Moscow’s International Ballet Competition
- First place in the Cuba International Competition
Personal life
Isaac Hernández's brother, Esteban Hernández, is also a principal dancer. He dances with the San Francisco Ballet. Isaac Hernández and dancer Tamara Rojo announced their engagement in 2018. They have a son, who was born in 2021.
See also
In Spanish: Isaac Hernández para niños
