Robert Stephen

Biography

Robert Stephen is a Canadian choreographer, dancer and teacher. A graduate of Canada’s National Ballet School, he joined the National Ballet of Canada in 2004 and was promoted to First Soloist in 2011. Throughout his fourteen years with the company, he performed a diverse range of repertoire by James Kudelka, Christopher Wheeldon, Wayne McGregor and Crystal Pite. During this time he also gained recognition as a choreographer, winning the Audience Choice Award at the Erik Bruhn Competition, the Clifford E. Lee Choreography Award from the Banff Centre, and a Creative Partnerships Commission from Dance Ontario. In 2018, he relocated to Germany to join Gauthier Dance/Dance Company Theaterhaus Stuttgart, where he performed works by Ohad Naharin, Hofesh Shechter and William Forsythe. Since his return to Canada, Robert has been commissioned by Ballet Kelowna three times, to create Celestial Mechanics (2021), In the Light of the Waking Sun (2022), and the evening-length story ballet Mustard (2024) based on the Dora-winning play by Kat Sandler. He has collaborated with Echo Chamber Toronto, choreographing their first production Origin and dancing in their first national tour. He is currently a member of the artistic staff at Canada’s National Ballet School, where he teaches and choreographs for the Professional Ballet and Company Life programs.