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 talented American ballet dancer. He made history as the third Black dancer to become a principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre. This is one of the highest ranks a dancer can achieve.

Early Life and Dance Training

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

When he was 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 experience, he was accepted into the program.

At 17, Calvin competed in the Youth America Grand Prix. He hoped to get some helpful advice. Instead, he won a scholarship to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in New York City. This was a big step for his dance career.

Calvin Royal III's Dance Career

Calvin Royal III joined ABT II in 2007. This is the second company of the American Ballet Theatre. In 2010, he became an apprentice with the main company. He joined the corps de ballet in 2011. Then, in 2017, he was promoted to soloist.

In 2014, Calvin received a special fellowship worth $50,000. He used this money to travel and train in Europe. He studied at the Royal Ballet in London and the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Making History in Ballet

In 2019, Calvin Royal III and Misty Copeland made history. They were 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, Calvin 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, Calvin was promoted to principal dancer. This is a very high honor in ballet. He became the third Black person to reach this rank. The others were Desmond Richardson and Misty Copeland. His planned debuts in Giselle and MacMillan's Romeo and Juliet were delayed. This was due to the global pandemic.

Working with Other Dancers

In 2017, Calvin performed a pas de deux (a dance for two) 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 NYCB. He also created the role Calvin performed. Mitchell said the ballet was "in good hands." He later added, "If they ever did a film of a young me, it would be Calvin."

After Mitchell's passing, Calvin and Phelan performed the Agon pas de deux again. This was at Mitchell's memorial in 2018.

Calvin has often performed at the Vail Dance Festival since 2015. He was named an artist-in-residence for the festival in 2020. Misty Copeland also chose Calvin to be her dance partner for performances outside of their company.

Education and Life Outside of Dance

While dancing with ABT II and as an apprentice, Calvin studied at Long Island University. He stopped his studies when he joined the corps de ballet because of his busy schedule.

In 2018, after becoming a soloist, he went back to school. He resumed his studies through Saint Mary's College of California's LEAP program.