Angel Corella

Principal Dancer and Artistic Director of the Corella Ballet de Castilla y Leon, Spain.

Angel Corella was born in Madrid. He began his ballet studies with Colmenar Viejo, and later studied in Madrid with Victor Ullate and Karemia Moreno. In May 1991 he was awarded First Prize in the National Ballet Competition of Spain. In December 1994 he won the Grand Prix and Gold Medal at the Concours International de danse in Paris for his performances of the pas de deux from Don Quixote and Le Corsaire.

Angel Corella joined the American Ballet Theater as a soloist in 1995, becoming Principal Dancer in 1996. His repertoire at the АВТ includes: Prince Siegfried (Swan Lake), Albrecht (Giselle), Solor (La Bayadere), Franz (Coppelia), Basile (Don Quixote), Romeo (Romeo and Juliet), Conrad, Ali the slave, Birbanto (Le Corsaire), Prince (Cinderella), Colin (A Futile Precaution), Peruvian (Gaiete Parisienne), Des Grieux (Manon), and others. Well-known choreographers have written productions specially for Angel Corella: Twyla Tharp – "Brahms-Haydn Variations" and "Known by Heart"; James Kudelka –"Sin and Tonic"; Mark Morris – "Gong"; Lar Lubovitch – "Smile of my Heart", David Parsons – "The Pied Piper"; Robert Hill – "Baroque Game".

In 1999 Angel Corella took part in a Gala on the occasion of the reopening of the Royal Opera House in London after reconstruction.

He is not only a leading star of the Royal Ballet in London, but also a soloist with the Australian Ballet, La Scala in Milan, the Tokyo Ballet, the Ballet of Chile, the Hungarian National Ballet, the Finnish Ballet Theatre, the Puerto Rico Ballet, the Bolshoi Theatre (Moscow) and the Mariinsky Theatre (St Petersburg).

In 2000 Angel Corella was awarded the "Benois de la Danse" prize. In 2003 he won the National Dance Prize of Spain. In 2004-2005 he was awarded a series of prestigious Spanish prizes and honorary degrees, including the Prince of Asturia Prize (2004). His likeness also appeared in the Madrid Waxworks Museum – the first classical dancer ever to be portrayed there.

In 2006 he received a special mention from the EMI recording company for a DVD of Swan Lake.

In 2007 he was named "Dancer of the Year" by "Dance Europe" magazine and awarded a prize at the competition and festival in Positano (Italy).

In 2001 Angel Corella set up a foundation for the development of classical dance in Spain and the opportunity to study professionally for all dancers, irrespective of their socio-economic background. After six years of work he was able to put his main idea into practice: he founded the Corella Ballet, which started performing in April 2008 in La Granja (Segovia, Spain).

Corella has worked with such choreographers as Twyla Tharp, Christopher Wheeldon, Kevin McKenzie, John Neumeier, Mark Morris, Nacho Duato, Stanton Welch, Natalie Weir, James Kudelka, Lar Lubovitch and David Parsons.

His partners include many of today´s best-known ballerinas: Alexandra Ferri, Julie Kent, Gillian Murphy, Diana Vishneva, Alina Kozhokaru, and others.