Biography

Russell Ducker is a British-born choreographer whose work spans ballet, opera, and dance film. Trained at The Royal Ballet School, he creates work that blends classical ballet vocabulary with theatrical storytelling and contemporary visual language.

His work has been commissioned by Philadelphia Ballet, Barcelona Ballet, and Opera Philadelphia, and presented internationally at venues and festivals across Europe, Asia, and the United States, including the Beijing International Ballet Competition Gala, the Galileo Awards, the Gala de Ballet de Buenos Aires, and the Vail Dance Festival. His collaborations include projects with Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award–winning composer Jennifer Higdon and internationally renowned violinist Ara Malikian.

He has also worked alongside institutions including the Curtis Institute of Music and the Royal Academy of Music. In August 2026, he will become Resident Choreographer for the School of Philadelphia Ballet, extending an ongoing engagement with institutions dedicated to artistic excellence and the development of emerging artists.

Blending classical ballet vocabulary with contemporary influence, Ducker’s choreography places particular emphasis on storytelling through movement, theatrical invention, and the creation of richly imagined visual and musical worlds.