Royal Ballet School: 100 Years of Dance and Prix de Lausanne Alumni who Became Principals

This connection is both long-standing and concrete:

This connection is both long-standing and concrete. Since 1981, Prix de Lausanne winners have gone on to train at The Royal Ballet School, join the Royal Ballet and achieve the rank of Principal: Leanne Benjamin (1981), Viviana Durante (1984), Darcey Bussell (1986), Tetsuya Kumakawa (1989), Ivan Putrov (1996), Alina Cojocaru (1997), Steven McRae (2003), Sergei Polunin (2006), Vadim Muntagirov (2006), and Mayara Magri (2011). Several of them continue to grace the stage of the Royal Opera House today.

For many, the Prix opened the doors: Steven McRae and Vadim Muntagirov notably trained at The Royal Ballet School thanks to their scholarships. This relationship endures every season, with talented dancers from the competition consistently welcomed into the School’s training program.

This bond also extends to the stage and leadership. Ian Mackay, Director of The Royal Ballet School, ensures the continuous training of the top-tier talent, while Kevin O’Hare, Director of The Royal Ballet, chaired the jury for the 2026 edition alongside Steven McRae, 2003 Prize Winner and current Principal.

We extend our warmest wishes to the Royal Ballet School, its students, and all those who have brought dance to life in London over the past century. We are immensely proud that so many talents shaped or revealed here have passed through Lausanne.