Ricardo Cervera

Spanish dancer Ricardo Cervera is Ballet Master of The Royal Ballet. He trained at The Royal Ballet Upper School and joined the Company in 1993, promoted to First Artist in 1996, Soloist in 1999 and First Soloist in 2002. He was appointed Assistant Ballet Master in 2014 and Ballet Master in 2016, and retired as a dancer in 2015. His repertory with the Company included Mercutio (Romeo and Juliet), Lescaut (Manon), Bratfisch (Mayerling), Hans-Peter/Nutcracker (The Nutcracker), Arthur Troyte Griffith (Enigma Variations), Colas and Alain (La Fille mal gardée), Jester (Cinderella), Hilarion and Pas de six (Giselle), Antigonus (The Winter’s Tale) and Monkey (‘Still Life’ at the Penguin Café).

Cervera was born in Malaga and grew up in Torremolinos. He started ballet lessons aged seven with his elder sister, after seeing a television broadcast of Romeo and Juliet starring Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev. After a summer school at the Royal Opera House he was invited to join the School, and entered the Company on graduation. He created a number of roles for the Company, including Miles (The Turn of the Screw) and roles in Mr Worldly Wise, Room of Cooks, Tryst, Three Songs – Two Voices, Electric Counterpoint, Infra, Live Fire Exercise and 24 Preludes.

Cervera trained as a répétiteur on the Frederick Ashton Foundation’s mentoring scheme, and has worked as assistant choreographer with Liam Scarlett on works including Hansel and Gretel. He has taught ballet in Japan, Spain and around the world.