Greta Hodgkinson, O.Ont.

Born in Providence, Rhode Island, Greta Hodgkinson joined The National Ballet of Canada in 1990, where she danced as a Principal Dancer from 1996 to 2020. Following her exceptional 30- year performing career, Greta was appointed Artist-in-Residence, a role designed to support the artistic development of the company and its extensive repertoire. In 2024, her responsibilities expanded to include mentoring and coaching the RBC Apprentices, nurturing the next generation of dancers.

In 2025, Artistic Director Hope Muir appointed Greta to the role of The Arrell Family Apprentice Programme Director. As one of the company’s most acclaimed dancers, she draws on her vast international experience to develop and lead a comprehensive programme that provides high-level coaching, career guidance and artistic mentorship to dancers as they prepare for professional careers.

Throughout her illustrious performance career, Greta danced every leading role in the classical repertoire, pairing immaculate technique with dramatic depth. She originated roles in both classical and contemporary creations and worked closely with such world-renowned choreographers as; William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Glen Tetley, John Neumeier, Alexei Ratmansky, Christopher Wheeldon, Wayne McGregor, James Kudelka and Crystal Pite. Greta has also been a close collaborator and muse of choreographer Guillaume Côté for more than a decade, both at the National Ballet and with Côté Danse. Her distinguished career brought invitations from major ballet companies around the world including The Mariinsky Ballet, Teatro alla Scala, The Royal Ballet, The Australian Ballet and Stuttgart Ballet.

Greta’s dedication to dance has been recognized with honours in Canada and abroad. Among them, she has twice received Citations from the State of Rhode Island for her contributions to arts and culture in the United States and in 2017, Greta was appointed to the Order of Ontario. 

Greta holds an advanced coaching certification from Performance Coach University, where she earned distinction as a certified High-Performance Coach. She is the founder of Dance Mentoring by Greta, an independent and comprehensive mentorship initiative that offers artistic direction to dancers at various stages of their career. She is also an international guest teacher, stager, competition judge, speaker and peer assessor.