Melissa Hamilton in Gramilano interview

Dance, opera and photography online magazine Gramilano published an interview with Melissa Hamilton, The Royal Ballet's newest Principal, on 10th May 2025.

Melissa joined The Royal Ballet in 2007. She got promoted relatively quickly up to the rank of First Soloist in 2023. Then, it took more than ten years for her to reach the rank of Principal in December 2024.

Now Melissa is 35 years old, according to the interview.

She told Gramilano, "Two days after we had completed the run of Wayne’s MADDADDAM I got called into [artistic director] Kevin O’Hare‘s office and then the promotion happened in December – an exceptional Christmas present. It came at a point where I genuinely believed that ship had sailed, so it’s been a whirlwind of emotions for me."

The discussion in the ballet industry had been why Melissa was not Principal.

As a personal note, I moved to London in May 2007 from Tokyo for a corporate assignment and saw Melissa -- I believe -- in Limen a few years later. A thought came to me like an electric shock that she would become Principal one day. And I am right about these things 99 percent of time. I became her loyal follower and went to watch her whenever I noticed she was casted. A several years later- I cannot remember when exactly, I saw her Juliett with Timofej Andrijashenko as Romeo and I was certain she was going to be promoted to Principal. It did not happen, however, and I was literally pissed off with The Royal Ballet. I had an impression that she was appreciated more overseas, rightly so.

Now it finally happened and I am so happy with Melissa! It is delightful to learn a good dancer can become a principal in her/his mid-thirties, which is old for dancers and elite athletes.

The Gramilano interview touches upon many other aspects of Melissa. Have a read. Thank you for the interview!