Chase O'Connell

Chase O’Connell was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He trained at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C., studied under Vladimir Djouloukhadze and Anatoli Kucheruk and the Royal Ballet School in London. In 2012, he joined Ballet West II, was promoted into the main company in 2013 and then promoted to Principal in 2016. In 2022, he joined Houston Ballet as a Principal Dancer before joining The National Ballet of Canada as a Principal Dancer in 2025. 

Chase is a nuanced and elegant dancer, celebrated for his effortless virtuosity and exceptional musicality. Most recently, he performed in the North American premiere of Crystal Pite’s Flight Pattern and the world premiere of Procession by Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber. He also made his debut in Thème Varié and Adage in Suite en Blanc. Chase’s repertoire with The National Ballet of Canada includes Leontes in The Winter’s Tale, an Icicle in The Nutcracker, Rodolphe Boulanger in Emma Bovary, Pinocchio and Kismet.

While at Houston Ballet he performed the leading role in Mayerling, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Overgrown Path, The Little Mermaid, In the Night, Tutu, Velocity, Red Earth, Divergence, Bespoke and Maninyas. At Ballet West, he had the privilege to perform the principal role in Onegin, Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, Glass Pieces, In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, Diamonds, Apollo, Serenade, Chaconne and Symphony in C. He also had contemporary principal roles created on him by Cathy Marston, Nicolo Fonte, Edwaard Liang, Africa Guzman and Val Caniparoli. O’Connell guested with San Francisco Ballet for Kenneth MacMillan’s Song of the Earth. 

He has appeared in galas internationally and his performance in Onegin was one of Pointe Magazines top performances in 2019.

1. Mayerling (Kenneth MacMillan)
2. On the Nature of Daylight (David Dawson)
3. Onegin
4. Diamonds
5. Red Earth (Stanton Welch)