Chi Cao

Born in China, Mr. Cao trained at the Beijing Dance Academy (China) and the Royal Ballet School (UK). In 1994, he was a Prize Winner at the Prix de Lausanne. He joined the Birmingham Royal Ballet (UK) in 1995 and was promoted to Principal dancer in 2002. His exceptional technique earned him the gold medal at the Varna International Ballet Competition in 1998, the oldest and the most prestigious international ballet competition in the world, making him the first Chinese-born male dancer to ever win a gold medal at any major professional ballet competition.

From 1995 until 2018, Mr. Cao performed all of the leading roles in the company’s repertoire and guested with companies and festivals worldwide, including The National Ballet of China, New National Theatre Japan, Houston Ballet (USA), Australian Ballet, Queensland Ballet (Australia), Royal Ballet (UK), Staatsballett Munich (Germany), and Ángel Corella Ballet (Spain).

Mr. Cao is the only Chinese-born dancer to have been invited twice as a guest artist to perform for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II—once at the gala performance in Birmingham for the Golden Jubilee and again at the gala performance at the Royal Opera House for Her Majesty’s 80^th birthday—as well as at the NATO Gala in Birmingham.

In 2010, Mr. Cao starred as Li Cunxin in the world-acclaimed film Mao’s Last Dancer, directed by Oscar-nominated Bruce Beresford, for which he received a nomination for Best Actor from the Australian Inside Film Awards.

After retiring from Birmingham Royal Ballet in 2018, Mr. Cao graduated with distinction from the Professional Dancers’ Teaching Diploma program at the Royal Academy of Dance. He is also a qualified Level 3 Strength and Conditioning trainer. Mr. Cao serves on the board of trustees and is a member of the artistic sub-committee of the Royal Academy of Dance.