Nancy Osbaldeston
{{short description|English ballet dancer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}{{Use British English|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox dancer
| name = Nancy Osbaldeston
| image = File:Nancy Osbaldeston L'Oiseau de Feu Ballet Vlaanderen Ghent 2017.jpg
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| caption = Nancy Osbaldeston at the curtain call of L'Oiseau de Feu (2017)
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1989}}
| birth_place = Cuckfield, England
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| education = Roshe School, Cardwell Theatre School, English National Ballet School
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| current_group = Royal Ballet of Flanders
| former_groups = English National Ballet
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Nancy Osbaldeston (born 1989){{cite web|url=https://operaballet.be/en/the-house/bio/nancy-osbaldeston|title=Nancy Osbaldeston|website=Opera Ballet Vlaanderen|accessdate=10 July 2020}} is an English ballet dancer who is currently a principal dancer with the Royal Ballet of Flanders. She was formerly first artist at the English National Ballet.
Biography
Osbaldeston was born in 1989 in Cuckfield, England. She started dancing at age 3, and appeared in Birmingham Royal Ballet's The Nutcracker at age 6. She trained at Roshe School, Cardwell Theatre School (from 1996 until 2005){{Cite web |title=Alumni |url=https://cardwelltheatreschool.co.uk/alumni/ |access-date=2025-04-12 |website=Cardwell Theatre School |language=en-GB}} and the English National Ballet School.{{Cite web |date=2018-11-01 |title=Osbaldeston Nancy |url=https://www.staatsoper.de/en/biographies/osbaldeston-nancy |access-date=2025-04-12 |website=Bayerische Staatsoper |language=en}} She later won the third prize of Young British Dancer of the Year.{{cite web|url=http://www.ballet.org.uk/the-company/dancers/nancy-osbaldeston/|title=Nancy Osbaldeston|website=English National Ballet|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927100912/http://www.ballet.org.uk/the-company/dancers/nancy-osbaldeston/|archivedate=27 September 2013}} Another of her early performances was as the ballerina doll in the Petrushka duet, which she would perform at competitions.{{Cite web |date=2013-06-19 |title=Cupcakes & Conversation with Nancy Osbaldeston, Artist, English National Ballet {{!}} Ballet News |url=https://www.balletnews.co.uk/cupcakes-conversation-with-nancy-osbaldeston-artist-english-national-ballet/ |access-date=2025-04-12 |language=en-GB}}
Osbaldeston joined the English National Ballet as an Artist in 2008. She won the Emerging Dancer Competition in 2013 by dancing an extract from Don Quixote and John Neumeier's Bach Suite no. 2. She was promoted to First Artist the same year.{{cite news|url=https://dancetabs.com/2013/03/english-national-ballet-announces-winner-of-the-emerging-dancer-competition-2013/|title=English National Ballet Announces Winner of The Emerging Dancer Competition 2013|website=DanceTabs|date=5 March 2013}}{{cite news|url=https://bachtrack.com/review-enb-emerging-dancer-award-2013|title=English National Ballet's Emerging Dancer Award showcases future stars|website=Bachtrack|last=Salib|first=Antonia|date=6 March 2013}} In 2014, she performed in an original English National Ballet production inspired by Vera Brittain’s memoir Testament of Youth, which was choreographed by Stina Quagebeur. Osbaldeston played Vera and Guilherme Menezes performed as the ghost of her fiancé.{{Cite web |last=Marriott |first=Bruce |date=2014-05-25 |title=English National Ballet – Choreographics 2014 – London |url=https://dancetabs.com/2014/05/english-national-ballet-choreographics-2014-london/ |access-date=2025-04-12 |website=DanceTabs |language=en-US}}
At the English National Ballet, Osbaldeston's other performances have included in adaptions of Alice in Wonderland, Angelina Ballerina and Sleeping Beauty, as well as in Coppelia, Les Sylphides, Manon, The Nutcracker, Petrushka, Scheherazade, Strictly Gershwin (at the London Coliseum) and Swan Lake.{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxxJ9feQSEU |title=Nancy Osbaldeston, A Day in the Life of a Ballerina |date=2012-01-18 |last=cranetvlifestyle |access-date=2025-04-12 |via=YouTube}}
In 2014, Osbaldeston moved to Antwerp to join the Royal Ballet of Flanders as a demi-soloist. She was named first soloist in 2016 and principal dancer in 2017. Her repertoire includes works by Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, Pina Bausch, Akram Khan, William Forsythe, Marcia Haydée, Hans van Manen, Jiří Kylián and John Cranko. She had also performed with the Bavarian State Ballet as a guest, appearing in "Rubies" from George Balanchine's Jewels and as Marie in Neumeier's The Nutcracker.
Osbaldeston is also employed as brand ambassador for So Danca UK & Ireland.{{Cite web |title=Up Close with Nancy Osbaldeston |url=https://www.sodancastore.com/blogs/dancers/up-close-with-nancy-osbaldeston |access-date=2025-04-12 |website=So Danca |language=en}}
References
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Category:People from Cuckfield
Category:English National Ballet dancers
Category:English expatriates in Belgium