Quick Facts

Born: Poznan, Poland
Trained: State Ballet School of Poznan in Poland and Canada’s National Ballet School
Joined: 1998
Principal Dancer since: 2008

Five Things to Know

1. 1Born in Poland, Piotr trained as a competitive swimmer but shifted his focus in his early teens to ballet. Today, Piotr is pursuing his growing interest in ballet pedagogy.
    
2. 2Piotr’s classical repertoire with The National Ballet of Canada includes Mercutio and Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, the title role in Onegin, Leontes in The Winter’s Tale, and Stanley in A Streetcar Named Desire. In 2017, he created the role of Geppetto in Will Tuckett’s Pinocchio.
    
3. 3Excelling in dramatic roles, in 2012, Piotr won the Rolex Dancers First Award for his portrayal of the title role in Kevin O’Day’s Hamlet and in 2003, he won the William Marrié Award for his portrayal of Jaguar in James Kudelka’s The Firebird.
    
4. 4Piotr gives one of his most touching performances in James Kudelka’s The Man in Black, set to the music of Johnny Cash. Piotr appears regularly in works by today’s new and established choreographers, such as Alexei Ratmansky, Crystal Pite, Christopher Wheeldon, John Neumeier and Alysa Pires.
    
5. 5As a guest artist, Piotr has performed internationally with the Vienna State Ballet, International Ballet Festival of Miami, Charleston Ballet, Brott Music Festival and the Canadian All Star Ballet Gala.

Favourite Ballets

1. 1Onegin
2.  
3. 2The Winter’s Tale 
4.  
5. 3The Man in Black
6.  
7. 4The Nutcracker 
8.  
9. 5 Don Quixote 5

Full Biography

Piotr Stanczyk was born in Poznan, Poland and trained at the State Ballet School of Poznan before studying at Canada’s National Ballet School. He joined The National Ballet of Canada in 1998 and was promoted to Principal Dancer in 2008. 

A compelling artist with a gift for storytelling, Piotr has been a brilliant interpreter of dramatic roles in both the classical and contemporary repertoires. Most recently, he danced in the world premiere of Wayne McGregor’s MADDADDAM. His repertoire includes Count Danilo Danilowitch in The Merry Widow, Eugene Onegin in Onegin, Leontes in The Winter’s Tale, Karenin in Anna Karenina, L’Aviateur in the world premiere of Le Petit Prince, Geppetto in the world premiere of Pinocchio, Stanley in the Canadian premiere of A Streetcar Named Desire and Rothbart in Swan Lake. He has danced principal roles in The Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, Nijinsky, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, The Nutcracker, La Fille mal gardée, Hamlet, Petrouchka, Theme and Variations, Symphony in C, Serenade, Etudes, Song of a Wayfarer, The Second Detail, Chroma, The Four Seasons, Rubies, in a state of vanishing and The Man in Black. Piotr has performed in company premieres by such contemporary choreographers as Alexei Ratmansky, Wayne McGregor, Kevin O’Day and John Neumeier. 

This season, Piotr will retire from the National Ballet after a 25-year career with James Kudelka’s Passion. 

As a guest artist, Piotr has performed at the Vienna State Opera, International Ballet Festival of Miami, Charleston Ballet and Brott Music Festival.  

In 2012, Piotr received the Rolex Dancers First Award and was the recipient of the William Marrié Award for Dramatic Excellence in 2003, for his role as Jaguar in The Firebird.

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