Wayne McGregor is knighted by The King in his Birthday Honours List
His Majesty The King has appointed Resident Choreographer of The Royal Ballet Wayne McGregor CBE a Knighthood in this year’s Birthday Honours List
Sir Wayne McGregor CBE said,
I am very honoured to be offered a knighthood and grateful to all of the incredible people who have nurtured me for over 33 years in the art form I love – dance. Building a career in the arts, creative thinkers make a vital and significant contribution to public life and to the nation’s economy while experimenting, risk-taking and challenging convention. Recognising that the arts matter, this honour reminds us that every young person given access to culture and creative expression has the opportunity to fly.
McGregor has been resident choreographer with The Royal Ballet since 2006. Works include Chroma, Infra, Yugen, Obsidian Tear, Woolf Works, Carbon Life, Qualia, The Dante Project and Untitled, 2023. This autumn, he brings a new three-act ballet MaddAddam to the Main Stage, inspired by Margaret Atwood’s monumental trilogy of novels with music by Max Richter.
He has works in the repertories of the most important dance companies in the world. His work is rooted in dance, yet encompasses a variety of genres including technology, visual art, film, fashion, opera and education.
McGregor is in demand as a choreographer for theatre (Old Vic, National Theatre, Royal Court, Donmar), opera (La Scala/Royal Opera, ENO, Dutch National Opera), film (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Legend of Tarzan, Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Sing, Mary Queen of Scots, The Outrun), and music videos (Radiohead, The Chemical Brothers). He choreographed ABBA Voyage, the revolutionary concert that launched the Swedish pop sensations back onstage in an outstanding avatar performance which runs until 2025.
Kevin O’Hare CBE, Director of The Royal Ballet, said,
Wayne has transformed the dance landscape in his 18 years as Resident Choreographer at The Royal Ballet and all of us are proud to call him a collaborator and colleague. His unrivalled curiosity has led him to create masterpieces that have been celebrated the world over and his collaborative dialogue with artistic, scientific and technological disciplines puts him at the vanguard of contemporary arts.
Wayne McGregor is Artistic Director of Studio Wayne McGregor, “a creative nexus that pushes the frontiers of physical intelligence through dance, design, and technology”. Company Wayne McGregor was founded in 1993 and is Resident Company at Sadler’s Wells, London.
Suhair Khan, Chair of the Board, Studio Wayne McGregor, said,
Wayne is one of the great British creative talents – with a global footprint and an eye always on the future, his polymathic practice has been built on a dynamic confluence of movement, the performing and visual arts, the sciences, spatial practices, and digital technologies. Here at Studio Wayne McGregor, he has created an incubator for choreography and the study of physical intelligence. We are proud to see Wayne’s work and legacy recognised and look forward to the journey yet to come!
In 2021 McGregor was appointed the Director of Dance for La Biennale di Venezia where he continues to programme the world-renowned festival that champions the very best of contemporary dance.
