A principal dancer (often shortened to principal) is a

dancer Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

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 list of dance ...

, particularly a

ballet company A ballet company is a type of dance troupe that 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-rou ...

. A principal may be either gender. The position is similar to that of '' soloist''; however, principals regularly perform not only solos, but also

pas de deux In ballet, a ( French, literally "step of two") is a dance duet in which two dancers, typically a male and a female, perform ballet steps together. The ''pas de deux'' is characteristic of classical ballet and can be found in many well-known ...

as well as headlining performances they participate in. 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 dance, concert or theatrical dance which includes 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 ...

. 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 is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. Ballet dancers ...

'' (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 either gender. The position is similar to that of '' soloist''; however, pri ...

'' (male dancers) have been used to denote similar levels of prominence to the Principal Dancer. 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 is a person who practices the art of classical ballet. Both females and males can practice ballet. They rely on years of extensive training and proper technique to become a part of a professional ballet company. Ballet dancers ...

''.

France

Detailed article:

. The title of premier danseur is awarded to the dancer who reaches the second-highest rung in the Paris Opéra ballet hierarchy, after having been a sujet. As early as 1803-1804, the title was used by Jean-Georges Noverre as a synonym for “premier sujet”, the highest echelon of the ballet company, before being replaced by “étoile” at the end of the 19th century.

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 ...

(as of 2023-2024 seasons) * Matthew Ball * William Bracewell *

Reece Clarke Reece Clarke (born 27 March 1995) is a Scottish ballet dancer. He joined the Royal Ballet in 2013, and was promoted to principal dancer in 2022. Early life and training Clarke is from Airdrie, North Lanarkshire. His father was a steelworker and ...

Cesar Corrales Cesar Corrales (born September 26, 1996) is a Cuban-Canadian ballet dancer and actor. He starred as "Young Billy" in the Chicago and Toronto productions of ''Billy Elliot the Musical'' and has been a principal dancer with English National Ballet. ...

Lauren Cuthbertson Lauren Louise Cuthbertson (born 11 June 1984) is an English ballet dancer, ballerina and a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in London. Early life and education Lauren Cuthbertson was born in Devon in 1984. She began studying dance at a ...

Francesca Hayward Francesca Hayward (born 4 July 1992) is a Kenyan-born British ballet dancer and actress. She is a principal dancer in the Royal Ballet at Covent Garden in London. In 2019, she starred as Victoria the White Cat in the musical film ''Cats'', an ad ...

Ryoichi Hirano Ryoichi Hirano (平野亮一, born 1983/84) is a Japanese ballet dancer who is a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in London. Early life Hirano was born in Osaka. He had his ballet training at his mother's dance school. His brother was a ...

Fumi Kaneko Fumi Kaneko (金子扶生, ''Kaneko Fumi'', born October 1991) is a Japanese ballet dancer. She joined the Royal Ballet in London in 2011, and was named a principal dancer in 2021. Early life Kaneko was born and raised in Osaka. She started bal ...

Sarah Lamb Sarah Lamb (born 17 October 1980) is an American principal ballet dancer with The Royal Ballet, London. Early life Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Lamb is the second of three daughters born to Kathleen and John Lamb. Her father is English an ...

* Mayara Magri *

Steven McRae Steven McRae (born 19 December 1985) is an Australian ballet dancer and tap dancer. He is a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet, London.

Vadim Muntagirov Vadim Muntagirov is a Russian ballet dancer. He is currently a principal dancer at The Royal Ballet in London and previously a lead principal dancer at the English National Ballet. Early life Muntagirov, was born in Chelyabinsk, Russia. His pa ...

Yasmine Naghdi Yasmine Naghdi (born 25 March 1992) is a British ballerina and a principal ballerina of The Royal Ballet, London. She joined The Royal Ballet's corps de ballet in April 2010 while she was a graduate student at The Royal Ballet School. She made ...

Marianela Nuñez Marianela may refer to: People Given name * Marianela De La Hoz (born 1956), Mexican painter * Marianela González (born 1978), Venezuelan actress * Marianela Huen (born 1960), Venezuelan swimmer * Marianela Lacayo (born 1981), Nicaraguan model and ...

Natalia Osipova Natalia Petrovna Osipova (; born 18 May 1986) is a Russian ballerina, currently a principal ballerina with The Royal Ballet in London. Early life and training Born in Moscow, Osipova began formal ballet training at the age of nine at the Mikha ...

Anna Rose O'Sullivan Anna Rose O'Sullivan (born 16 April 1994) is an English ballet dancer and is a principal dancer at the Royal Ballet. Her promotion to principal dancer took effect in September 2021. Early life O'Sullivan was born in Harrow, London and raised in ...

* Calvin Richardson *

Marcelino Sambé Marcelino Sambé (born 29 April 1994) is a Portuguese ballet dancer. He is a principal dancer with The Royal Ballet in London. Early life Sambé was born on International Dance Day 1994 to a Guinean father and Portuguese mother in an immigrant ...

* Joseph Sissens *

Akane Takada is a Japanese ballerina and a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet in London. Her lead roles have included the title role in ''Giselle'', Nikiya in La Bayadère, Kitri in ''Don Quixote'', and Aurora in '' The Sleeping Beauty''. Early life a ...

American Ballet Theatre American Ballet Theatre (ABT) is a classical ballet company based in New York City. Founded in 1939 by Lucia Chase and Richard Pleasant. Through 2019, it had an annual eight-week season at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center) in the spr ...

(as of 2023-2024 seasons) *

Joo Won Ahn Joo Won Ahn (born 1993) is a South Korean ballet dancer who is currently a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre. Ahn was born in Wonju. He trained at the Y.J. Ballet People Academy and Sunhwa Arts School, then entered the Korea Nat ...

* Aran Bell *

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-grandm ...

Skylar Brandt Skylar Paley Brandt (born January 8, 1993) is an American ballet dancer who is currently a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre. Early life Skylar Brandt was born and raised in Purchase, New York. Her parents are Gary and Barbara B ...

Daniel Camargo Daniel Camargo (born September 1991) is a Brazilian ballet dancer. He joined the Stuttgart Ballet in 2009, and was promoted to principal dancer in 2013. In 2016, he left to join the Dutch National Ballet, before leaving in 2019 to pursue a freel ...

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 Americ ...

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 M ...

Thomas Forster Thomas Forster (1683 – October 1738), of Adderstone Hall, Northumberland, was an English landowner and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1708 to 1716. He served as a general of the Jacobite army in the 1715 Uprising ...

* Catherine Hurlin * Chloe Misseldine *

Gillian Murphy Gillian Murphy ( ; born April 11, 1979) is a British-born 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 Balle ...

Calvin Royal III Calvin Royal III (born ) is an American ballet dancer. He is the third black dancer to be a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre. Early life and training Royal is from Tampa, Florida. He first studied in piano, and had appeared in a ...

Hee Seo Hee Seo (; born 13 March 1986) is a South Korean ballet dancer who is a principal dancer at the American Ballet Theatre (ABT), one of the three leading classical ballet ballet company, companies in the United States. She became the company's ...

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

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 mo ...

Devon Teuscher Devon Teuscher (born 1989) is an American ballet dancer. She is a principal dancer in 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, Pac ...

* Cassandra Trenary * James B. Whiteside * Roman Zhurbin

Martha Graham Modern Dance Company

(as of 2018-2019 seasons) *

PeiJu Chien-Pott PeiJu Chien-Pott (; born 1984) is a Taiwanese dancer. She was a principal dancer for the Martha Graham Dance Company. Born in 1984, she was raised in Taoyuan, Taiwan, Taoyuan. Chien-Pott started dancing at the age of five, and began training ...

* Xin Ying * Lloyd Knight * Ben Schultz

Miami City Ballet Miami City Ballet is an American ballet company based in Miami Beach, Florida, led by artistic director Gonzalo Garcia. MCB was founded in 1985 by Toby Lerner Ansin, a Miami philanthropist. Ansin and the founding board hired Edward Villella ...

Source: (as of 2023-2024 seasons) * Nathalia Arja * Dawn Atkins * Hannah Fischer * Samantha Hope Galler * Ashley Knox * Jennifer Lauren * Steven Loch * Yuliia Moskalenko * Stanislav Olshanskyi * Alexander Peters * Chase Swatosh

New York City Ballet New York City Ballet (NYCB) is a ballet company founded in 1948 by choreographer George Balanchine and Lincoln Kirstein. Balanchine and Jerome Robbins are considered the founding choreographers of the company. Léon Barzin was the company's fir ...

Source: (as of 2023-2024 seasons) * Tyler Angle *

Ashley Bouder Ashley Bouder (; born December 10, 1983) is an American ballet dancer who is currently a principal dancer at the New York City Ballet. She also founded and currently runs her own project, The Ashley Bouder Project. Early life Ashley Bouder was ...

* Chun Wai Chan * Adrian Danchig-Waring * Megan Fairchild * Jovani Furlan * Emily Gerrity * Joseph Gordon * Anthony Huxley * Isabella LaFreniere * Mira Nadon *

Sara Mearns Sara Ann Mearns (born 19 January 1986) is an American ballet dancer. She is a principal dancer at New York City Ballet. Early life Mearns was born in Columbia, South Carolina. Her mother is a nurse. At age three, she began dancing with Ann Brodi ...

* Roman Mejia *

Tiler Peck Tiler Kalyn Peck (born January 12, 1989) is an American ballet dancer who is a principal dancer with the New York City Ballet. As well as ballet, she has performed in musical theatre shows and has made cameo appearances in films including '' Don ...

Unity Phelan Unity Sickles Phelan (born February 1995) is an American ballet dancer. She joined the New York City Ballet in 2013 and was promoted to principal dancer in 2021. Outside of the company, she had also danced in the films '' John Wick: Chapter 3 – ...

* Taylor Stanley *

Daniel Ulbricht This is a list of New York City Ballet dancers. Principal dancers Soloists This is a list of New York City Ballet soloists. Corps de ballet The following is a list of the current members of the corps de ballet. * Victor Abreu * Dominika ...

* Andrew Veyette * Emma Von Enck * Peter Walker *

Indiana Woodward Indiana Woodward (born ) is a French ballet dancer. She joined the New York City Ballet in 2012, and was promoted to principal dancer in 2021. Early life and training Woodward was born in Paris, to a French filmmaker father and a South African d ...

Bolshoi Ballet Company

* Alyona Kovalyova * Ekaterina Krysanova * Anna Nikulina * Evgenia Obraztsova * Eleonora Sevenard * Anastasia Stashkevich * Yulia Stepanova * Svetlana Zakharova * Artemy Belyakov * Vladislav Lantratov * Artem Ovcharenko * Igor Tsvirko * Semyon Chudin * Mikhail Lobukhin * Denis Rodkin * Egor Gerashchenko * Vyacheslav Lopatin * Denis Savin

Principal Dancers in two or more Companies

*Olga Smirnova *Tamara Rojo *Diana Vishneva *Roberto Bolle *David Hallberg *Isaac Hernandez *Jurgita Dronina *Vladimir Malakhov *Polina Semionova *Evan McKie *Alessandra Ferri *Maria Kochetkova *Svetlana Lunkina *Carlos Acosta *Sylvie Guillem *Daniil Simkin *Nina Ananiashvili *Yolanda Correa *Julian Mackay *Lucia Lacarra *Matthew Golding *Marijn Rademaker *Igor Zelensky *Julio Bocca

References

Ballet occupations {{dance-stub