Roberta Marquez

Roberta Marquez was born in Rio de Janeiro to a Peruvian mother and a to a Portuguese father who was raised in Brazil. She started ballet at age 4, though she also learned tap, jazz, Spanish and African dance.^[1] She later trained at the Maria Olenewa State Dance School.^[2]

Marquez joined the Municipal Theatre Ballet in 1994 and became a principal dancer in 2002.^[1] In 2004, Marquez joined The Royal Ballet in London. Her repertoire includes classical full-lengths works, and works by Frederick Ashton, Kenneth MacMillan and George Balanchine.^[2] Her most notable partner in the company is Steven McRae.^[3]

In 2012, she performed at the Paralympics closing ceremony, alongside Thiago Soares, also a Brazilian principal at the Royal Ballet, as well as several visually-impaired dancers from Brazil.^[4]

In 2015, the Royal Ballet announced Marquez would leave the company after a performance of Romeo and Juliet in December that year.^[5] In the 2016/17 season, she returned to the Royal Ballet as a guest artist, dancing Lise in La fille mal gardée.^[2]

Marquez's repertoire with the Municipal Theatre Ballet and The Royal Ballet includes:^[2]