ROBERTA MARQUEZ

Former Principal of The Royal ballet

PATRON OF CENTRAL SCHOOL of DANCE & DRAMA

Brazilian dancer Roberta Marquez is a former Principal of The Royal Ballet. She joined the Company as a Principal in 2004 and left in 2015. Her Royal Ballet repertory included Nikiya (La Bayadåre), Lise (La Fille ma/ gardée): Sugar Plum Fairy ( The Nutcracker), Juliet, Tatiana (Onegin) and the Firebird, She returns in the 2016/17 Season as a Guest Artist.

Roberta was born in Rio de Janeiro and began dancing at the age of four. She went on to train at the Maria Olenewa State Dance School, taught by local teachers and guest teachers from the Kirov Ballet, In 1994 she joined the Municipal Theatre Ballet and was promoted to principal in 2002. Roles with the company included Odette/Odile (Swan Lake), Swanilda (Coppé/ja) and Giselle. Guest appearances from this tirne included dancing as Nikiya with American Ballet Theatre.

Roberta many prizes include Best Dancer of the Year at the 2001 Rio de Janeiro Dance Awards and silver medal and best couple (with Royal Ballet Principal Thiago Soares) at the 2001 Moscow International Ballet Competition. In spring 2013 she participated in a Royal Opera House project to forge new links with Brazil through performance, education work and skills training.

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