Jonathan Howells

Jonathan was born in Wellington and trained at The Royal Ballet School. He danced in Little Improvisations, the third solo in the Pas de six from Napoli Act III and as the Jockey in Ninette de Valois’ The Rake’s Progress at the 1990 School performance and created a role in David Bintley’s Les petits Riens in 1991. He joined the company in September 1991, was promoted to First Artist in 1993 and Soloist in September 1997.

Featured roles in the classical repertory include the Bluebird Pas de deux, Florestan, the Gold Variation and Puss-in-Boots in The Sleeping Beauty, the Tutor in Swan Lake, Hilarionin and the Peasant Pas de six in Giselle and Hans Peter in The Nutcracker.

In the Frederick Ashton repertory he dances Tom Thumb and Squirrel Nutkin in Tales of Beatrix Potter, the Jester one of the Prince’s Friends and an Ugly Step-Sister in Cinderella, Kolia in A Month in the Country, the Bridegroom in A Wedding Bouquet, Tirennio in Ondine, Hew David Stewart-Powell in Enigma Variations, the Blue Boy in Les Patineurs, Alain in La Fille mal gardée, Monotones I, Neapolitan dance side boy and Centre Neopolitan Couple in Ondine, the Pas de trois in Les Rendezvous and Bryaxis in Daphnis and Chloë.

Roles in Kenneth MacMillan's ballets include Bratfisch in Mayerling, the Doctor in Different Drummer, one of the men in The Judas Tree, a Dancing Gentleman in Manon, Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet, a Neophyte in Rituals, the Pas de trois in MacMillan’s Danses concertantes and Lescaut in his Manon.

He has also danced the Fourth Movement in George Balanchine’s Symphony in C, the Red Knight in Ninette de Valois’ Checkmate, the Cock in Ashley Page’s Renard, the lead couple in Michael Corder’s Masquerade, Stephen Baynes’ Beyond Bach, Nacho Duato’s Por Vos Muero, Jiří Kylián’s Sinfonietta, Puss in Boots in both the Natalia Makarova and the Monica Mason and Christopher Newton production of The Sleeping Beauty, the lead Hungarian couple in Nureyev’s Raymonda Act III and Christopher Wheeldon’s Polyphonia.

He has created roles in Twyla Tharp’s first work for the company, Mr Worldly Wise (in which he later danced in the Act II Pas de quatre), Christopher Wheeldon’s work for the 1996 Dance Bites tour, Souvenir and Tryst (2002), Tom Sapsford’s works for the 1997 and 1998 tours All Nighter and Horseplay, William Tuckett’s Love’s Fool (Dance Bites 99) and Miles in The Turn of the Screw.

During the 2001/02 season he created the lead male in Alastair Marriott’s Grey Gardens. He also designed Alastair Marriott’s Being and Having Been for the Linbury in 2004.

His television appearances include Alain in La Fille mal gardée in February 2005.

During the 2007/2008 Season, Jonathan made his debut as Piglig Bland and Mrs Tiggy-Winkle in Tales of Beatrix Potter.

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