Introduced by David Bintley
Born in Australia, Elisha Willis trained at the Australian Ballet School, joining Australian Ballet in 1999 where she was promoted to Soloist in 2001. She joined Birmingham Royal Ballet in 2003 and following a succession of accomplished debuts in many leading roles was promoted to Principal in 2004. One of the youngest of our Principal dancers, Elisha is blessed with a fearless technique and has already created a number of important roles in the recent repertory, most notably Roxane in Cyrano and Eurydice in The Orpheus Suite. Since joining the Company she has been slowly building her classic repertory having already taken on the roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Aurora and Giselle. She is also no stranger to the role of Odette, albeit in the version by Graeme Murphy for Australian Ballet, in which Elisha was invited to guest during that company's visit to London.


REPERTORY INCLUDES
Frederick Ashton: La Fille mal gardée (Lise), The Two Pigeons (Gypsy Girl), Enigma Variations (Dorabella) and Scènes de ballet
George Balanchine: Apollo (Terpsichore, Calliope) and Duo Concertant
David Bintley: Cyrano (Roxanne),Beauty and the Beast (Belle, Fière), Hobson's Choice (Maggie Hobson), The Nutcracker Sweeties (Candy Kane), The Sons of Horus (Isis, Hapi pas de trois, Duamutef pas de trois) and David Bintley and Galina Samsova's production of Giselle (Giselle, Moyna, Peasant pas de deux)
John Cranko: The Lady and the Fool (La Capricciosa)
Mikhail Fokine: The Firebird (title role)
Michael Kopinski: Dumbarton Oaks
Kenneth MacMillan: Romeo and Juliet (Juliet) and Solitaire (The Girl)
Hans van Manen: Five Tangos
Tywla Tharp: Nine Sinatra Songs ('That's Life')
Ninette de Valois: Checkmate (Black Queen)
Peter Wright's productions of The Nutcracker (Sugar Plum Fairy), The Sleeping Beauty (Aurora, Enchanted Princess, Fairy of Modesty, pas de quatre) and Peter Wright and Galina Samsova's production of Swan Lake (pas de trois, Hungarian Princess)
With Australian Ballet: In the middle somewhat elevated, Gemini, Études, Other Dances, Por vos muero, In the Upper Room, Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude, Don Quixote (Queen of the Dryads), Manon (Courtesan), Giselle (Peasant pas de deux, lead Wilis), Spartacus (Cladia) and Swan Lake (Odette).

CREATED ROLES
David Bintley: Cyrano (Roxanne)The Orpheus Suite (Eurydice), E=mc² ('Energy')
Michael Kopinski: Dumbarton Oaks

GUEST APPEARANCES
Graeme Murphy's production of Swan Lake for Australian Ballet.

Last updated August 2010.