Joshua Junker

Joshua Junker is a South African-Dutch Soloist of The Royal Ballet, promoted in 2024. Born in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, to a South African family, he came to ballet late — discovering it at 14 after a childhood of contemporary dance and breakdancing. He attended the Royal Conservatory in The Hague before joining The Royal Ballet School at 16. He entered the company via the Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme in 2017.

Junker is as compelling a choreographer as he is a performer. He has created works for the Royal Ballet's Draft Works and International Draft Works platforms and co-created Bird of Paradise with Calvin Richardson during the pandemic. As a dancer his roles include Bottom in The Dream and a wide range of classical and contemporary works.