25 to Watch 2018: Cesar Corrales

December 19, 2017

There are many ways in which to be a great dancer, but there’s no denying that precocious virtuosity is often the most eye-catching. For Cesar Corrales, his fail-safe talent for effortlessly explosive jumps, plus pirouettes that could seemingly spin for infinity (but which stop at exactly the moment of his command), have marked out the 21-year-old as one of the most exciting young dancers performing in the UK.

Born in Mexico to Cuban parents—both dancers themselves—and trained in Canada, he played the young Billy Elliot in the musical’s Chicago and Toronto productions before winning the Youth America Grand Prix in 2014. Moving to London, Corrales joined English National Ballet and quickly became an audience favorite (winning the company’s People’s Choice and Emerging Dancer awards in 2016).

Corrales has excelled in roles of energy, buoyancy and cheeky charisma, including Ali in Le Corsaire (for which he won a UK National Dance Award) and Mercutio in Nureyev’s Romeo & Juliet. He was promoted to principal in July, becoming the company’s youngest top-ranked dancer.


Find out who else made
Dance Magazine‘s “25 to Watch” list this year.