A principal dancer (often shortened to principal) is a dancer at the highest rank within a professional

dance company A dance troupe or dance company is a group of dancers and associated personnel who work together to perform dances as a sport, spectacle or entertainment. There are many different types of dance companies, often working in different styles of dan ...

, particularly a

ballet company A ballet company is a type of dance troupe which performs classical ballet, neoclassical ballet, and/or contemporary ballet in the European tradition, plus managerial and support staff. Most major ballet companies employ dancers on a year-round ba ...

. A principal may be male or female. The position is similar to that of '' soloist''; however, principals regularly perform not only solos, but also pas de deux. Principal dancers can be hired into a dance company or can also be a company dancer that is a corps de ballet dancer that gets promoted from within the company. That process can take multiple performance seasons or even years to achieve based on skill level and company interest. It is a coveted position in the company and the most prominent position a dancer can receive. The term is used mostly in ballet but can be used in other forms as well, such as

modern dance Modern dance is a broad genre of western concert or theatrical dance which included dance styles such as ballet, folk, ethnic, religious, and social dancing; and primarily arose out of Europe and the United States in the late 19th and early 20th ...

. They are usually the star of the ballet. The term ''senior principal dancer'' is sometimes used as well.

Synonyms and origin

The Italian derived term ''

prima ballerina A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on ye ...

'' (female dancers) (''primo ballerino'' for male dancers) or the French derived term ''

premier danseur A principal dancer (often shortened to principal) is a dancer at the highest rank within a professional dance company, particularly a ballet company. A principal may be male or female. The position is similar to that of '' soloist''; however, p ...

'' (male dancers) have been used to denote similar levels of prominence in non Anglo-Saxon companies. In the

Paris Opera Ballet The Paris Opera Ballet () is a French ballet company that is an integral part of the Paris Opera. It is the oldest national ballet company, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It is still regarded a ...

, principal dancers receive the title of ''

Danseur Étoile A ballet dancer ( it, ballerina fem.; ''ballerino'' masc.) is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet; however, dancers have a strict hierarchy and strict gender roles. They rely on yea ...

''.

Current principal dancers

Royal Ballet The Royal Ballet is a British internationally renowned classical ballet company, based at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London, England. The largest of the five major ballet companies in Great Britain, the Royal Ballet was founded in ...

Matthew Ball, Federico Bonelli, Alexander Campbell, Cesar Corrales, Lauren Cuthbertson, Francesca Hayward, Ryoichi Hirano, Fumi Kaneko, Sarah Lamb, Mayara Magri, Steven McRae, Laura Morera, Vadim Muntagirov, Yasmine Naghdi, Marianela Nuñez, Natalia Osipova, Anna Rose O’Sullivan, Marcelino Sambé, Akane Takada

Current principal dancers

American Ballet Theatre

Primas

Stella Abrera Stella Abrera (born 1978 in Manila, Philippines) is a Filipina-American ballet dancer. She danced as a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre until her retirement in 2020, and is the company's first Filipina principal ballerina. She is ...

Isabella Boylston Hildur Isabella Boylston (born October 13, 1986) is an American ballet dancer who is currently a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre (ABT). Early life Boylston was born Hildur Isabella Boylston, named for an Icelandic great-grand ...

Misty Copeland Misty Danielle Copeland (born September 10, 1982) is an American ballet dancer for American Ballet Theatre (ABT), one of the three leading classical ballet companies in the United States. On June 30, 2015, Copeland became the first African Amer ...

Sarah Lane Sarah Lane (born August 3, 1984) is an American ballet dancer who was a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre (ABT). She served as a " dance double" for Natalie Portman in the 2010 film '' Black Swan''. Early life Lane was born in San ...

Gillian Murphy Gillian Murphy ( ; born April 11, 1979) is an American ballet dancer who is a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre. Early life and education Raised in Florence, South Carolina, Murphy was a member of Columbia City Ballet before at ...

* Hee Seo *

Devon Teuscher Devon Teuscher (born 1989) is an American ballet dancer. She is a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre. Early life Teuscher began her dance training at the age of nine. As a student, Teuscher attended The Kirov Academy of Ballet, ...

Christine Shevchenko Christine Shevchenko ( uk, Крістіна Шевченко, born 1988) is a Ukrainian-American ballet dancer. She currently performs as a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre. Early life Born in the Odessa, Ukraine, her father was a ...

* Skylar Brandt

Primos

Herman Cornejo Herman Cornejo (born 13 May 1981) is an Argentine-born ballet dancer and a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre. He has had leading roles created for him by Alexei Ratmansky and Twyla Tharp; his signature roles include Puck in '' A ...

David Hallberg David Hallberg (born May 18, 1982) is an American classical ballet dancer. He was a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre and resident guest artist at The Australian Ballet, as well as a principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet. In 2021 ...

* Daniil Simkin *

Cory Stearns Paul Cornell "Cory" Stearns (born October 16, 1985) is an American ballet dancer who is a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, one of the three leading classical ballet companies in the United States. Stearns is also a high fashion m ...

* James B. Whiteside *

Aran Bell Aran Bell (born October 7, 1998) is an American ballet dancer. He was featured in the 2011 documentary ''First Position'', and became a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre at age 21. Early life and training Bell was born on October ...

Martha Graham Modern Dance Company

Primas

* PeiJu Chien-Pott * Xin Ying

Primos

* Lloyd Knight * Ben Schultz

References

Ballet occupations {{dance-stub