Julian MacKay

Julian MacKay is the first American to graduate from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy with a full Russian Diploma having completed both the upper and lower school. He received medals in five consecutive international ballet competitions including gold medals at the Istanbul and Beijing International Ballet Competitions, and YAGP. 

Graduating in the top of his class, he was hailed as “Apollo” by Russian dance critics.

Age 17, Julian joined The Royal Ballet in London as their Prix de Lausanne 2015 Prize Winner and nine months later, upon invitation from Mikhail Messerer, joined The Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Petersburg as a Second Soloist. 

At 19 years old, he was promoted to First Soloist and danced all the main principal roles at Mikhailovsky. In 2020 Julian was invited by Helgi Thomason to join the San Francisco Ballet as a Principal Dancer, and in September 2022 Julian joined the ranks of the Bayerisches Staatsballett as their new Principal under the direction of Laurent Hilaire. 

He has been featured in numerous high profile magazines, television shows, and international star galas around the world.

Julian has a Bachelors Degree from GITIS (Russian University of Theatre Arts), Moscow, and is also the CEO of MacKay Productions a worldwide arts production company which he founded with his brother Nicholas MacKay.