A principal dancer (often shortened to principal) is a dancer at the highest rank within a professional dance company, particularly a ballet company.
A principal may be male or female. The position is similar to that of soloist; however, principals are hired by (or promoted from within) a company to regularly perform not only solos, but also pas de deux. It is a coveted position in the company and the most prominent position a dancer can receive. The term is used mostly in ballet but can be used in other forms as well, such as modern dance. The terms prima ballerina, premier danseur, and première danseuse have been used to denote similar levels of prominence. They are usually the star of the ballet.
The term senior principal dancer is sometimes used as well.
Famous quotes containing the words principal and/or dancer:
“We must reserve a back shop all our own, entirely free, in which to establish our real liberty and our principal retreat and solitude.”
—Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592)
“Not fat but the greatest possible suppleness and strength is what a good dancer wants from his nourishment—and I could not even guess what the spirit of a philosopher might wish to be more than a good dancer. For dance is his ideal, and also his art, and finally also his only piety, his “service to God.””
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)