Francesca Velicu - English National Ballet

Francesca Velicu in Pina Bausch's Le Sacre du printemps by English National Ballet

The Company
Dancer
Francesca Velicu

Birthplace
Bucharest, Romania

Training
Choreography High School Floria Capsali, Bucharest; Bolshoi Ballet Academy

English National Ballet
Joined 2016, promoted to First Artist 2017. Notable roles include Clara/Sugar Plum Fairy, Chinese and Spanish in Wayne Eagling’s Nutcracker, Odalisque in Le Corsaire, Pas de Trois in Derek Deane’s Swan Lake, Princess Florine (Bluebird) in MacMillan’s Sleeping Beauty and third principal couple in Liam Scarlett’s No Man’s Land

Previous company
2015-2016, Romanian National Ballet

Career highlight
Winner of 2017 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance for her performance as The Chosen One in Pina Bausch’s Le Sacre du printemps,
Dancing Kitri from Don Quixote and the first couple in George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations

Favourite role
Manon

Role would like to dance
Juliet

Other info
2013 – Second Place YAGP (Youth America Grand Prix) Junior category, 2013 Finalist YAGP, New York and 2012 Gold Medal – World Ballet Competition. Loves painting and singing and animals and has a puppy named Richie. Francesca was named in Pointe Magazine’s ‘Stars of the Corps’ list following her performances as the Chosen One in Pina Bausch’s Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring) in 2017. Awarded the 2018 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance for her role as the Chosen One in Pina Bauch’s Le Sacre du printemps. Finalist at the 2018 Emerging Dancer Competition. In 2019 she reprised her role as the Chosen One in Le Sacre du printemps

Explore

Daniel McCormick, winner of Emerging Dancer 2018, performing the pas de deux from Don Quixote with Francesca Velicu.

Francesca Velicu performing Toccata, choreographed by Nancy Obaldeston, at Emerging Dancer 2018.

Daniel McCormick and Francesca Velicu performing the pas de deux from Le Corsaire for Emerging Dancer 2018.

Associate Conductor Orlando Jopling and dancers Giorgio Garrett and Francesca Velicu on the power of Le Sacre du printemps.

Francesca Velicu as the Chosen One in Pina Bausch’s Le Sacre du printemps (a role she won the 2018 Olivier Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Dance).