Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg to leave The Royal Ballet at the end of 2012/13 season

3 June 2013
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg to leave The Royal Ballet at the end of 2012/13 season

Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg have announced they will leave The Royal Ballet at the end of the 2012/13 season to pursue other artistic challenges. Their last performance at the Royal Opera House as members of The Royal Ballet will be in Mayerling on 5 June. They will fulfil their touring engagement with the Company with their scheduled performances on 10 and 12 July in Tokyo. They will both continue dancing and will shortly announce their future plans.

 Kevin O’Hare, Director of The Royal Ballet, said:
“Alina and Johan have given many memorable performances as members of The Royal Ballet both at the Royal Opera House and around the world. Over the past ten years I have greatly enjoyed watching their unique partnership develop, as I know our audiences have, and I wish them every success in the next phase of their careers.”

 Alina Cojocaru and Johan Kobborg joined The Royal Ballet in 1999. Speaking about their decision to leave the Company, they said:
“We have had wonderful experiences with The Royal Ballet over the years and feel fortunate to have worked alongside so many inspiring artists. We wish Kevin O’Hare and The Royal Ballet’s  dancers and staff all the best for the future and would like to thank our loyal and supporting audience for sharing many magical moments with us.”

 —ENDS—

NOTES TO EDITORS

 Alina Cojocaru, Principal with The Royal Ballet
Born in Bucharest, she trained in Kiev before joining The Royal Ballet School (1998) on a Prix de Lausanne scholarship. She danced with Kiev Ballet for a year (Kitri, Aurora, Cinderella, Clara, Swanilda), then joined The Royal Ballet in 1999, promoted to Principal, 2001. Her repertory includes Sugar Plum Fairy, Nikiya, Kitri, Juliet, Giselle, Odette/Odile, Mary Vetsera, Aurora, Tatiana, Titania, Manon, Raymonda, Cinderella, Ondine, Vera, Chloë, Bride (Wedding Bouquet), Sylphide (La Sylphide), Pupil (The Lesson) and roles in Scènes de ballet, Symphonic Variations, Symphony in C, Tombeaux, Ballet Imperial, Homage to The Queen, Voluntaries, Theme and Variations, ‘Diamonds’ (Jewels) and Dances at a Gathering. She created roles in Les Saisons, Chroma, Rushes – Fragments of a Lost Story and Rhapsody, among others. Her guest appearances include performances with the Mariinsky Ballet, ABT, Royal Danish Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, Romanian National Theatre Ballet and the National Ballet of Hungary.

 Johan Kobborg, Principal with The Royal Ballet
Born in Denmark, he joined Royal Danish Ballet in 1991, becoming a Principal, 1994. He joined The Royal Ballet in 1999; his repertory includes all the Principal roles, Bridegroom (Wedding Bouquet), Teacher (The Lesson), Rake (Rake’s Progress) and roles in Agon, Les Rendezvous, Symphonic Variations, In the middle, somewhat elevated, Scènes de ballet, Danses concertantes, Les Saisons, Symphony in C, Anastasia, Tombeaux, Homage to The Queen, Stravinsky Violin Concerto, Theme and Variations, Dances at a Gathering, The Dream and Les Sylphides. He has won awards at the Nureyev Ballet Competition, Hungary (Grand Prix, 1994), Jackson International Ballet Competition, USA, and the Erik Bruhn Competition (Gold, 1993). He has also appeared with the Mariinsky Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, La Scala Ballet, Milan, National Ballet of Canada and Stuttgart Ballet, among others. In 2003 he created his own show, Out of Denmark, at QEH. He choreographed Les Lutins for New Works in the Linbury Studio Theatre, 2009.