Jonathan Cope (born 1963) is a British ballet dancer. He was a principal dancer at The Royal Ballet until his retirement in 2006, then served as a '' répétiteur'' with the company until 2019.

Early life

Cope was born in Devon. He started ballet at age six and trained in Wales. He later enrolled in

The Royal Ballet School The Royal Ballet School is a British school of classical ballet training founded in 1926 by the Anglo-Irish ballerina and choreographer Ninette de Valois. The school's aim is to train and educate outstanding classical ballet dancers, especially ...

in London.

Career

He joined The Royal Ballet in 1982, at age 19, was promoted to soloist in 1985 was named a principal dancer in 1986. He created the role of The Prince alongside Darcey Bussell in Kenneth MacMillan's '' The Prince of the Pagodas'' in 1989. In 1990, at age 27, Cope retired from the Royal Ballet due to physical stress. He went to pursue "a lifestyle more in tune with that of the majority of the population" and a career in property development, but returned to the Royal Ballet in 1992. His repertoire include works by MacMillan and

Frederick Ashton Sir Frederick William Mallandaine Ashton (17 September 190418 August 1988) was a British ballet dancer and choreographer. He also worked as a director and choreographer in opera, film and revue. Determined to be a dancer despite the oppositi ...

, and originated works by choreographers including MacMillan, David Bintley and

Christopher Wheeldon Christopher Peter Wheeldon OBE (born 22 March 1973) is an English international choreographer of contemporary ballet. Life and career Born in Yeovil, Somerset, to an engineer and a physical therapist, Wheeldon began training to be a ballet dan ...

. His most notable partnerships are with Bussell and Sylvie Guillem. Cope was appointed a CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2003 Queen's New Year's Honours List for his services to Ballet. In September 2005, Cope, at age 42, announced he would retire from dancing after two performances of '' The Firebird'' in February 2006, with Miyako Yoshida as his final partner, and withdrew from all performances prior to ''The Firebird''. He became a '' répétiteur'' with the Royal Ballet that year. However, he broke a leg in a car accident in January 2006. Cope had briefly returned to the stage from retirement several time. In 2007, Cope appeared in Bussell's pre-retirement gala at

Sadler's Wells Theatre Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue in Clerkenwell, London, England located on Rosebery Avenue next to New River Head. The present-day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500-seat ...

and danced Wheeldon's ''Tryst''. In Bussell's farewell at the Royal Opera House, Cope presented live coverage alongside Martha Kearney and interviewed Bussell backstage. In 2009, during the Royal Ballet's first tour in Cuba, he stepped in for an injured

Rupert Pennefather Rupert Pennefather is a former principal dancer of the Royal Ballet Company. He joined the company in 1999 and was promoted to principal status alongside his pas-de-deux partner Lauren Cuthbertson in June 2008, following well-received performance ...

, who Cope had coached, in '' A Month In The Country''. In 2012, Cope performed at the London Olympics closing ceremony, in a sequence titled 'Spirit of the Flame', choreographed by Wheeldon and composed by David Arnold. Bussell, who also came out from retirement, flew to the stage on a flaming phoenix and when landing was met by Cope,

Gary Avis Gary Avis MBE is an English ballet dancer who is currently a Principal Character Artist and Senior Ballet Master with The Royal Ballet, London. Early life Avis was born in Ipswich. He was first trained in musical theatre, and had performed in t ...

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and over 200 ballet dancers, after which the Olympic Flame was extinguished. In 2019, he left his role as a full-time ''répétiteur''. Kevin O'Hare, the artistic director of the company, said he hoped Cope would return and coach from time to time.

Personal life

Cope is married to former Royal Ballet principal dancer Maria Almeida. They have two children.

Selected repertoire

Cope's repertoire with the Royal Ballet includes:

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cope, Jonathan 1963 births People from Devon Living people British male ballet dancers Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Principal dancers of The Royal Ballet People educated at the Royal Ballet School 20th-century British ballet dancers 21st-century British ballet dancers