Federico Bonelli

Federico was born in Genoa, Italy and began his dance training at the Dance Academie in Turin. He joined Zurich Ballet as a Second Soloist in 1996 and was promoted to Soloist in 1997. In 1999 he joined Dutch National Ballet as Coryphé, promoted to Second Soloist in 2000 and then First Soloist in 2002. He has won both second prize at the Concours International de Havanna, Cuba and the first prize at the Dance Competition in Rieti, Italy.

His Frederick Ashton repertory includes The Prince in Cinderella, the title role in Marguerite and Armand and Daphnis in Daphnis and Chloe. Other ballets include Wayne Eagling’s The Nutcracker, Rudi Van Danzig and Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet, Dinna Bjørn’s La Sylphide and John Cranko’s Onegin. He has also danced in works by George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Hans van Manen, Leonide Massine, Krzysztof Pastor, Jerome Robbins and Glenn Tetley.

Since joining The Royal Ballet as a Principal in September 2003, he has made his debut in Christopher Wheeldon’s Polyphonia, Pavane pour une Infante Défunte, Balanchine’s Tchaikovsky Pas de deux, Ballet Imperial, The Four Temperaments, Agon, Apollo, as the male lead in Theme and Variations, Albrecht in Peter Wright’s production of Giselle, the Prince in The Nutcracker, Prince Désiré in Natalia Makarova’s production of The Sleeping Beauty, Glen Tetley’s Voluntaries, Pierrot in Pierrot Lunaire, MacMillan’s Requiem, Des Grieux in Manon, Palemon in Ashton’s Ondine, Thaïs Pas de deux, The Awkening Pas de deux from The Sleeping Beauty, centre couple in his Symphonic Variations, Prince Siegfried in Anthony Dowell’s production of Swan Lake, Prince Florimund in Monica Mason and Christopher Newton production of The Sleeping Beauty, David Bintley’s Tombeaux, as James in Johan Kobborg’s production of August Bournonville’s La Sylphide, Aminta in Sylvia and the Boy in Green in Jerome Robbins’ Dances at a Gathering.

He has also created roles in Matjash Mrozewski’s A World of Art (Linbury 2004), Wayne McGregor’s Engram (2005) and Chroma (2006), Christopher Wheeldon’s DGV (Danse à grande vitesse) (2006) and the Queen of the Earth’s Consort in David Bintley’s Earth as part of Homage to the Queen (2006).

His television appearances include Daphnis and Chloë in December 2004.

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