Alina Cojocaru (Dream Project 2020)

Alina Cococaru

Alina Cojocaru (born May 27, 1981) is a ballerina from Romania. Until July 2013, she was the principal of the Royal Ballet in the UK for 12 years. Currently the lead principal of the English National Ballet.

It is often said that despite the small size of 157cm, the artistic simplicity of the dance is clearly articulated and the ability to perform from the role of a girl to a middle-aged lady is at the highest level.

Born in Bucharest, Alina trained in Kiev for seven years before joining the Royal Ballet School in 1997. Upon completion of her training, six months later, she returned to Kiev, to join the company as a principal dancer. A year later she joined the Royal Ballet Company (november 1999) and at the end of the season she was promoted to Soloist. On 17 April 2001 Sir Anthony Dowell promoted Alina to the rank of principal dancer after her performance of Giselle. Alina joined the English National Ballet in September 2013, as a Leading Principal Dancer. While a member of ENB she continues to perform as a guest artist with companies worldwide, and is a regular guest with the Hamburg Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. Alina has Organized Gala's in Romania and in London (Hospice of Hope) over the last few years.

In February 2012 Alina premiered her Alina Cojocaru - Dream Project, in Tokyo, Japan, which she directed and staged, while performing along side friends and colleagues from the Tokyo Ballet, Hamburg Ballet, ENB and Royal Ballet. Alina's second Dream Project took place in July 2014. In 2015 Alina presented a charity Gala at the Lincoln Center NY.