News

Principal dancer Alexander Campbell will join the Royal Academy of Dance as Artistic Director. Audiences will have the opportunity to watch his final performances with The Royal Ballet as Des Grieux in Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon on Saturday 2nd and Friday 8th March 2024.

Over 19 years, between both The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet, Alexander has distinguished himself across the distinctive heritage and contemporary classics of both companies. Alexander Campbell was born in Australia and trained at Academy Ballet, Sydney, before joining The Royal Ballet School. In 2003 he won a silver medal at the Genée International Ballet Competition and was a Prix de Lausanne finalist. He joined Birmingham Royal Ballet in 2005 where role creations included Young Man (Michael Corder’s Le Baiser de la fée) and Celeritas2 (Bintley’s E=mc2).  In 2011 he joined The Royal Ballet as a Soloist, promoted to First Soloist in 2012 and Principal in 2016.

At The Royal Ballet, he has performed across the breadth of its classical and contemporary repertory. His many principal roles have included Albrecht (Giselle), Basilio (Don Quixote), Franz (Coppélia), Prince Florimund (The Sleeping Beauty), the Prince (The Nutcracker), Colas (La Fille mal gardée), Young Man (The Two Pigeons), Oberon (The Dream), Romeo (Romeo and Juliet), Des Grieux and Lescaut (Manon), Magician/Mad Hatter and Lewis Carroll/White Rabbit (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland), Florizel (The Winter’s Tale) and roles in Dances at a Gathering, Voices of Spring, Jewels, Within the Golden Hour, Woolf Works and Carbon Life.

Alexander has spearheaded projects for theatre and dance with his production company, Alexander Campbell Productions. Works include Sleepwalker, featuring the differently-abled dancer Joseph Powell-Main, and The Limit in association with The Royal Ballet. For The Limit, Alexander provided the original dance concept and performed alongside fellow Royal Ballet Principal Francesca Hayward in the Linbury Theatre.

Director of The Royal Ballet Kevin O’Hare says, ‘Alexander has been a key member of both our Royal companies for almost two decades. His passion for dance has always been obvious from across his many stage performances in a vibrant and diverse range of roles, to his great aptitude in more recent years as a presenter for World Ballet Day and his concept production for The Limit. I know he will be a wonderful advocate for dance in this exciting new role at the RAD and I look forward to our continued working relationship providing more people with positive experiences of our powerful artform. His last performance on 8th March will be a wonderful opportunity for us to thank him for all he has done and to celebrate his time with The Royal Ballet.’

Alexander says, ‘I have been fortunate to enjoy a wonderful career performing with The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet with experiences and friendships I will cherish for a lifetime. Whilst not an easy decision to step away from the incredible stage here at the Royal Opera House and all the magic that comes with it, I am excited about this new role and opportunity and am grateful to Kevin O'Hare for supporting me in this next step in my career. I have a long affiliation with the RAD and feel honoured to have been offered the role of Artistic Director and am looking forward to getting started. My thanks also to the wonderful audiences I have had the pleasure to perform for - it has been an enormous privilege.’

To find out more about Alexander's career, watch an exclusive interview on Royal Opera House Stream, where he shares his love for the art of ballet and how he aims to be part of its future.

Watch Spotlight on... Alexander Campbell