Laura Morera is a Spanish ballet dancer who was a

principal dancer 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 either gender. The position is similar to that of ''Soloist (ballet), solois ...

with

The 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 ...

until her retirement in 2023.

Early life and training

Morera was born in Madrid. She started attending the

Royal Academy of Dance The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) is a UK-based examination board specialising in dance education and training, with an emphasis on classical ballet. The RAD was founded in London, England in 1920 as the Association of Teachers of Operatic Danci ...

's summer programme in London at the age of seven. When she was 10, she auditioned for The Royal Ballet School by dancing a solo from ''

Paquita ''Paquita'' is a ballet in two acts and three scenes originally choreographed by Joseph Mazilier to music by Édouard Deldevez and Ludwig Minkus. Paul Foucher received royalties as librettist. History ''Paquita'' is the creation of French c ...

'' in pointe shoes. She graduated in 1995.

Career

Morera joined

after graduating from the school. She became a First Artist in 1998, Soloist in 1999, First Soloist in 2002 and Principal Dancer in 2007. She has performed lead roles in ballets such as, the titular role in ''

Giselle ''Giselle'' ( , ), originally titled ''Giselle, ou les Wilis'' (; ''Giselle, or The Wilis''), is a romantic ballet () in two acts with music by Adolphe Adam. Considered a masterwork in the classical ballet performance canon, it was first perfor ...

'', the Sugar Plum Fairy in ''

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' (, ), Opus number, Op. 71, is an 1892 two-act classical ballet (conceived as a '; ) by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, set on Christmas Eve at the foot of a Christmas tree in a child's imagination featuring a Nutcracker doll. Th ...

'', Natalia Petrovna in Ashton's '' A Month in the Country'', the Gypsy Girl in ''

The Two Pigeons ''The Two Pigeons'' (original French title: ''Les deux pigeons'') is a fable by La Fontaine's Fables, Jean de la Fontaine (Book IX.2) that was adapted as a ballet with music by André Messager in the 19th century and rechoreagraphed to the same mu ...

'', the title role in ''

Manon ''Manon'' () is an ''opéra comique'' in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on the 1731 novel '' L'histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut'' by the Abbé Prévost. It was f ...

'', Mary Vetsera in ''

Mayerling Mayerling is a small village (pop. 200) in Lower Austria belonging to the municipality of Alland in the district of Baden (district of Austria), Baden. It is situated on the Schwechat river, in the Vienna Woods, Wienerwald (''Vienna woods''), so ...

'', the title role in ''

Anastasia Anastasia (from ) is a feminine given name of Greek and Slavic origin, derived from the Greek word (), meaning "resurrection". It is a popular name in Eastern Europe. Origin The name Anastasia originated during the Early Christianity, early d ...

'' and Tatiana in Cranko's '' Onegin''. She won the 2015 Critics' Circle National Dance Award for her performance as Lise in Ashton's ''

La Fille mal gardée LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the United States of America. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note *"L.A.", a song by Elliott Smi ...

'' and the 2023 National Dance Award for Best Female Dancer. Outside of the company, Morera and her husband and former Royal Ballet dancer Justin Meissner have a group named Dance Tour International which has held gala and workshops in different countries.

Selected repertoire

Morera's repertoire with the Royal Ballet includes:

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Morera, Laura Living people Entertainers from Madrid Spanish ballerinas Spanish expatriates in England Principal dancers of The Royal Ballet Prima ballerinas People educated at the Royal Ballet School Spanish emigrants to the United Kingdom 21st-century Spanish ballet dancers Year of birth missing (living people) National Dance Award winners