Birmingham Royal Ballet: Corps de Ballet (2011-2016), Soloist (2016-2018), First Soloist (2018-2019), Principal (2019-present)
Brandon Lawrence, photo by Richard Battye.
Bradford, England native Brandon Lawrence began dancing at Nydza School of Dance in his hometown at 8 years old. He then studied at Yorkshire Ballet’s summer intensive before attending the Royal Ballet School, where he remained from 2006 to 2011. Lawrence then participated in the Young British Dance of the Year competition; David Bintley, artistic director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet, was in the audience and asked Lawrence to join the company. He rose to the rank of soloist in 2016, first soloist in 2018, and principal in 2019.
Lawrence has been nominated for Best Male Classical Performance (2018 and 2019) and Best Male Dancer—Classical (2019) at the National Dance Awards. In 2008, he received the RAD Phyllis Bedells Award.
Lawrence’s repertoire includes lead roles in Sir Frederick Ashton’s The Dream (Lysander), Les Rendezvous (lead couple), and La Fille mal gardée (Colas); David Bintley’s The Prince of the Pagodas (King of the South), Beauty and the Beast (Beast), Far from the Madding Crowd (Tumbler), Carmina burana (Third Seminarian), The King Dances (La Grâce), Aladdin (‘Emerald’, ‘Gold’), ‘Still Life’ at the Penguin Café (Southern Cape Zebra, ‘Now Nothing’), The Shakespeare Suite (Othello), and Giselle (Albrecht); José Limón’s The Moor’s Pavane (Othello); Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet (Romeo); and Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker (Prince) and Swan Lake (Prince Seigfreid) as well as roles in David Bintley’s Cinderella, Faster, Flowers of the Forest, E=mc², and Tombeaux; John Cranko’s Pineapple Poll, Card Game, and The Taming of the Shrew; Kenneth MacMillan’s Pavane, La Fin du jour, Elite Syncopations, and Concerto; Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room; Ninette de Valois’s Checkmate; Didy Veldman’s Sense of Time; and Peter Wright’s Coppélia.
He has created roles in Alexander Whitley’s Kin., Didy Veldman’s Sense of Time, Jessica Lang’s Lyric Pieces and Wink, Jack Lister’s A Brief Nostalgia, George Williamson’s Embrace, Ruth Brill’s Arcadia, David Bintley’s The King Dances, and Juanjo Arqués’s Ignite.
He has performed at the International Ball Festival of Miami in 2018, “Move It” in 2019, and at Buckingham Palace for Charles, Prince of Wales.
Lawrence is involved in BRB’s “Ballet? What’s That?” program, which introduces people to the world of ballet.
In June 2020, Lawrence launched an online choreography challenge “to stimulate students’ creativity and support their psychological wellbeing during lockdown.” In 2021, he graduated from BBO Dance’s Dance Teaching Qualifications program with distinctions and joined the board at Elmhurst Ballet School. Lawrence has his own line of dancewear in collaboration with Dansez.
