Born in Bucharest, Alina Cojocaru trained in Kiev for seven years before joining the Royal Ballet School in 1997. After completion of her training, she returned to Kiev, to join the company as a Principal Dancer. In 1999, she joined the Royal Ballet Company and at the end of the season she was promoted to Soloist. On 17 April 2001, Sir Anthony Dowell promoted her to the rank of Principal Dancer after her performance of Giselle. In September 2013, Ms Cojocaru joined the English National Ballet as a Leading Principal Dancer and worked with the company until 2020. During her time with ENB, she continued to perform as a guest artist with companies worldwide, and is a permanent guest with the Hamburg Ballett. Alina Cojocaru has organized Galas in Romania and in London over the last few years. In February 2012, she premiered her »Alina Cojocaru – Dream Project«, in Tokyo, which she directed and staged, while performing alongside friends and colleagues from the Tokyo Ballet, Hamburg Ballet, ENB and Royal Ballet. The ballerina’s second »Dream Project« took place in July 2014 and the 3rd one in February 2020. In 2015, Alina Cojocaru presented a charity Gala at the Lincoln Center New York. In February 2020, she produced »Alina« at Sadler’s Wells Theatre. As a performer, she has also appeared in numerous galas and featured in various video, TV and live relays, for example, in »Manon«, »Romeo and Juliet«, »Swan Lake«, »Cinderella«, »The Nutcracker«, »Onegin«, »Daphnis and Chloë«, »The Dream« and »Mime Matters«. She also performed in Kim Brandstrup’s film projects »Faces«, »Between the Rooms« and »Kiev«. Ms Cojocaru’s repertoire includes leading female roles in ballet creations such as »Giselle«, »The Sleeping Beauty«, »Lady of the Camellias«, »La Bayadère«, »Jewels«, »Symphonic Variations«, »Coppélia«, »Symphony in C«, »La Fille mal gardée«, » Le Tombeau de Couperin«, »The Vertiginous Thrill Of Exactitude«, »Le Corsaire«, »Flower Festival in Genzano«, »Grand Pas Classique«, »Dying Swan«, »In the Middle Somewhat Elevated«, »Spring and Fall« and »Des Knaben Wunderhorn«, among others. Renowned choreographers such as Rubina Alla Davidovna, Anatolyi Shekera, Vanessa Fenton, Christopher Wheeldon, Ashley Page, David Bintley, Kim Brandstrup, Wayne McGregor, Johan Kobborg, John Neumeier, Alexei Ratmansky, Akram Khan, Russell Maliphant and Juliano Nunes created roles with and for Alina Cojocaru too. In addition to having won the Gold Medal of the Nagoya International Ballet Competition, the star ballerina received the Order of the Star of Romania in the rank of a Knight in 2002. In 2023, the ballerina received the OBE (Order of the British Empire) for her contribution to arts. Further prestigious prizes she received include the Danza&Danza Award (2019), the Critics' Circle Dance Award (2018, 2017, 2002), the Dance for You Magazine Award and the Taglioni-European Ballet Award (both 2014), the German Dance Critics’ Award and Benois De la Dance (2012, 2004 and 1997), the »Ballerina of the Decade« Award (2010), the VIP Romanian Music and Performing Arts Award (2010), the Nijinsky Award and the 1st prize at the International Movimentos Festival (both in 2004). (Status: 2023)