Calvin Royal III facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Calvin Royal III
Born	1988/1989 (age 35–36)
Nationality	American
Education	Pinellas County Center for the Arts Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School
Occupation	ballet dancer
Years active	2007-present
Spouse(s)	Jacek Mysinski
Current group	American Ballet Theatre

Calvin Royal III is a famous American ballet dancer. He was born on September 10, 1988. He is known for being a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre (ABT). This means he holds one of the highest ranks in the company. He is also the third black dancer to reach this important position at ABT.

Early Life and Dance Training

Calvin Royal III grew up in Tampa, Florida. When he was younger, he first learned to play the piano. He also appeared in a local dance show called The Chocolate Nutcracker.

At 14, he was encouraged to try out for a dance program. This was at the Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School. Even though he didn't have much dance training, he was accepted into the program.

When he was 17, he entered the Youth America Grand Prix. This is a big competition for young dancers. He hoped to get some helpful advice. Instead, he won a scholarship! This allowed him to study at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in New York City. This school is a very respected place for ballet training.

Calvin Royal III's Dance Career

Calvin Royal III started his professional journey in 2007. He joined ABT II, which is the second company of the American Ballet Theatre. In 2010, he became an apprentice with the main company. He then joined the corps de ballet in 2011. The corps de ballet is the group of dancers who perform together.

He became a soloist in 2017. A soloist is a dancer who performs important individual parts. In 2014, he received a special fellowship worth $50,000. He used this money to travel and train. He studied at the Royal Ballet in London, England. He also trained at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia. These are two of the world's most famous ballet companies.

Major Performances and Achievements

In 2019, Calvin Royal III made history with Misty Copeland. They became the first black duo at ABT to dance the main roles in a ballet. They performed in Ratmansky's version of Harlequinade.

Later that year, he debuted in the main role of Balanchine's Apollo. The New York Times newspaper praised his performance. They wrote that he was "suddenly the most elegant male dancer in the company."

In 2020, he was promoted to principal dancer. This is the highest rank a dancer can achieve. This made him the third black person to become a principal dancer at ABT. The others were Desmond Richardson and Misty Copeland. His debuts in lead roles for Giselle and MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet were delayed. This happened because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Working with Arthur Mitchell

In 2017, Royal performed a special dance called a pas de deux. This was from Balanchine's Agon. He danced with New York City Ballet soloist Unity Phelan. Arthur Mitchell was in the audience. Mitchell was the first African American dancer with New York City Ballet. He also created the role Royal was dancing.

Mitchell said that the ballet was "in good hands" with Royal. He later added, "If they ever did a film of a young me, it would be Calvin." After Mitchell passed away, Royal and Phelan performed the Agon pas de deux again. They did this at Mitchell's memorial event.

Vail Dance Festival

Calvin Royal III has often performed at the Vail Dance Festival. He has been a frequent performer there since 2015. In 2020, he was named an artist-in-residence for the festival. This means he has a special role there. Misty Copeland also personally chose him to be her dance partner. They performed together outside of their main company.

Images for kids

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  Calvin Royal III, a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre.