Royal Academy of Dance appoints Alexander Campbell as new Artistic Director

The Royal Academy of Dance (RAD) has announced that Royal Ballet Principal dancer Alexander Campbell as the company’s new Artistic Director.

Alexander Campbell will join RAD on 2 April 2024, and succeeds Gerard Charles, who retired last year.

Australian-born, Campbell comes to the RAD after over a decade at The Royal Ballet. His last performances with The Royal Ballet will be as Des Grieux in Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon on Saturday 2nd and Friday 8th March 2024.

Alexander Campbell said in a statement: “I’m thrilled to be joining the Royal Academy of Dance and feel privileged to have been offered the role of Artistic Director. The RAD was formative in my training and I believe has the power to shape how people interact with ballet and dance. I am motivated and excited to play a part in how we develop and offer these exceptional and positive interactions, not only for our current and future members and students but also for society in general. I have been fortunate to enjoy a wonderful career performing with The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet with experiences and friendships I will cherish for a lifetime. My thanks to Kevin O’Hare for supporting me in this next step in my career and I can’t wait to get started.”

Dame Darcey Bussell, President of the RAD, said: “As a friend of Alexander, I’m thrilled by this news. He has such great passion for dance, and I look forward to seeing all the exciting developments his time at the RAD will bring.”

Kevin O’Hare, Director of The Royal Ballet, said: “Alexander has been a key member of both our Royal companies for almost two decades. His passion for dance has always been obvious from across his many stage performances in a vibrant and diverse range of roles, to his great aptitude in more recent years as a presenter for World Ballet Day and his concept production for The Limit. I know he will continue as a wonderful advocate for dance in this exciting new role and I look forward to our continued working relationship providing more people with positive experiences of our powerful artform.”

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Main photo: Alexander Campbell in the RAD’s Aud Jebsen Studio Theatre. Photo by Cesare De Giglio