Position: Artistic Director
Affiliation with organization: 2012 – Present
Years active at YAGP: 2021 – Present
Kevin O’Hare is Director of The Royal Ballet. Appointed in July 2012, he is responsible for driving the artistic direction of the Company. He is committed to the promotion of outstanding creativity and artistic excellence, developing talent and widening the Company’s performing platform.
O’Hare was born in Yorkshire and trained at The Royal Ballet School. He began his performing career with The Royal Ballet’s sister company Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet, and stayed with that company as a Principal during its transformation into Birmingham Royal Ballet. During this time he performed extensively in the UK and internationally, including as a guest artist with many leading companies. His repertory included all the leading classical roles, such as Prince Siegfried (Swan Lake), Prince Florimund (The Sleeping Beauty), Albrecht (Giselle) and Romeo (Romeo and Juliet). O’Hare worked with many leading figures in the ballet world, including Ninette de Valois, Peter Wright, Frederick Ashton, MacMillan and David Bintley, as well as creating many roles. He also produced many galas and choreographic evenings.
O’Hare retired from the stage in 2000, entering into a traineeship in company management with the Royal Shakespeare Company. This led to the post of Company Manager with BRB in 2001, and in 2004 he joined The Royal Ballet as Company Manager. He was made Administrative Director in 2009 before being appointed to his current role. Under his directorship the Company has been distinguished with numerous honours including the Olivier Awards, Benois de la Danse and Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards. His collaborative approach to the industry is demonstrated in such initiatives as World Ballet Day and inviting guest UK ballet companies to share the stage for the 2017 MacMillan celebrations. He is on the board of The Royal Ballet School, Northern Ballet and the Royal Academy of Dance and is a Trustee of the Frederick Ashton Foundation. He was appointed a CBE in 2018.
