Quick Facts

Born: Port of Spain, Trinidad
Trained: Canada’s National Ballet School
Joined: 2001
Principal Dancer Since: 2021

Tina Pereira is sponsored through Dancers First by The Honourable Margaret Norrie McCain, C.C.

Five Things to Know

1. 1Tina is the 2007 recipient of female prize at The International Competition for the Erik Bruhn Prize.
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3. 2Tina was invited to perform the Prokofiev Pas de Deux at the New York debut of Morphoses, a company co-founded by Christopher Wheeldon and Lourdes Lopez in 2007.
    
4. 3Her featured roles include Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, the title role in Cinderella, Lise in La Fille mal gardée, the title role in Carmen, Katerina in The Taming of the Shrew, The Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Valencienne in The Merry Widow, among others.
    
5. 4A successful entrepreneur, Tina founded Ballerina Couture, a chic collection of leotards, while she was offstage recovering from an injury. Tina designs the leotards and all are handmade in Toronto.
    
6. 5Tina was featured in a short documentary film by David Kalinauskas, TINA, released in May 2020, capturing her recovery from an injury.

Favourite Ballets

1. 1Petite Mort
    
2. 2The Winters Tale
    
3. 3The Four Seasons
    
4. 4Cinderella
    
5. 5In The Upper Room

Full Biography

Tina Pereira was born in Port of Spain, Trinidad and trained at Canada’s National Ballet School. She joined The National Ballet of Canada in 2001, leaving in 2004 to dance with Het Nationale Ballet. Tina re-joined The National Ballet of Canada in 2006 and was promoted to Principal Dancer in 2021. 

Most recently, Tina made her debut as Ren in the world premiere of MADDADDAM by Wayne McGregor and the title role in James Kudelka’s Cinderella. A strong technician with gorgeous lines, Tina brings elegance to each role she performs. Her repertoire includes Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, directed and staged by Karen Kain, The Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Valencienne in The Merry Widow, Lise in La Fille mal gardée, Katerina in The Taming of the Shrew, Spring in The Four Seasons, the title role in Carmen, Perditia and Young Shepherdess in The Winter’s Tale, Le Serpent in Le Petit Prince as well as lead roles in Symphony in C, Monotones I, In The Upper Room and Chroma. She has also danced roles in The Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Nijinsky, Pinocchio, Paquita, The Four Temperaments, The Second Detail, The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, Genus, Emergence and Alleged Dances. 

In 2007, Tina won The International Competition for The Erik Bruhn Prize and was invited to perform Prokofiev Pas de Deux at the New York debut of Morphoses. 

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