Rex Harrington, O.C.
Rehearsal Director, Principal Coach
Biography
One of the most accomplished and acclaimed male dancers of his era, Rex Harrington, O.C. brought seemingly limitless panache, energy, style and showmanship to the vast range of characterizations he created during his 20 years with The National Ballet of Canada. A much sought-after dancer internationally, he performed with Teatro alla Scala, San Francisco Ballet and Stuttgart Ballet. Renowned for his incomparable partnering skills, Rex danced with such legendary ballerinas as Ekaterina Maximova, Carla Fracci, Evelyn Hart and Karen Kain. He created numerous roles during his career as a dancer, including the central role in James Kudelka’s The Four Seasons, Peter in Kudelka’s The Nutcracker, Lewis Carroll in Glen Tetley’s Alice and The Young Gentleman in Tetley’s La Ronde, as well as lead roles in works by such choreographers as Jean-Pierre Perrault Jiří Kylián and Majesh Mrozewski.
Rex was born in Peterborough, Ontario and graduated from Canada’s National Ballet School in 1981, joining The National Ballet of Canada in 1983. He became a Principal Dancer in 1988 and remained in that position until his retirement in 2004. He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2000 and was given a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2005. In 2006, he received an Honorary Degree from York University and was appointed Artist-in-Residence with the National Ballet.
Rex was a frequent judge on the popular television programme, So You Think You Can Dance Canada, acted on the Showcase series King in 2012 and was a contestant on The Amazing Race Canada in 2014.
