Johan Kobborg — People — Royal Opera House

Biography

Johan Kobborg was a Principal with The Royal Ballet 1999–2013. In addition to dancing all the major principal roles and creating roles in new ballets, he is a prolific choreographer. His works include a staging of Bournonville’s La Sylphide for The Royal Ballet and the Bolshoi Ballet in 2005.

He was born in Copenhagen and came relatively late to ballet, studying first as a tenor. He trained at the Funen Ballet Academy and at the age of 16 he was admitted to the Royal Danish Ballet School, where he was tutored in the Bournonville method. In 1991 he graduated into the Royal Danish Ballet and was promoted to principal in 1994 following his role debut as James in La Sylphide. Awards include gold medals at the 1993 Erik Bruhn Competition, the 1994 Nureyev International Ballet Competition and the 1994 USA International Ballet Competition, as well as the 2004 Positano Award.

Kobborg formed a renowned dance partnership with former Royal Ballet Principal AlinaCojocaru. The 2012/13 Season was the couple's last with the Company, as they left to pursue other artistic challenges. Their last performance at Covent Garden was in Mayerling on 5 June 2013, on Kobborg's 41st birthday. As guest artists Kobborg and Cojocaru appear regularly with American Ballet Theatre and the Mariinsky, as well as the Bolshoi, La Scala, Milan, National Ballet of Canada and Stuttgart Ballet, among many others.