Wayne Eagling

Who is Wayne Eagling?

Wayne Eagling is a former principal dancer with The Royal Ballet in London, and now an international choreographer and director.

Born in Montreal, Canada in 1950, Eagling spent much of his early life in California, where he attended the Patricia Ramsey School of Dance Arts. After deciding to pursue a career as a professional dancer, Eagling was invited to take a place at the Royal Ballet School in London.

Eagling joined the Royal Ballet company in 1969, he was promoted Soloist in 1972 and Principal in 1975. During his time with the company he partnered a number of notable dancers, including Dame Margot Fonteyn, and also worked with the renowned British choreographer Sir Kenneth Macmillan. After retiring from the Royal Ballet in 1991, he decided to continue his career in dance as a choreographer and director, becoming Artistic Director of the Dutch National Ballet from 1991-2003. He has choreographed numerous dance works for the Royal Ballet and Royal Ballet School, La Scala, Dutch National Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, Rome Opera and Kremlin Ballet Theatre.

In 2005, Eagling was appointed Artistic Director of English National Ballet in London. He was chosen for his training in and experience of British ballet and is also the Artistic Director for the English National Ballet School. It was announced in February 2012 that he would be leaving the post at the end of the summer.