Yuhui Choe to retire as Royal Ballet First Soloist

The Royal Ballet's First Soloist Yuhui Choe will retire from the stage, the company said in a press release on 10th November 2026.

Yuhui Choe in La Bayadere The Royal Ballet

"She steps down to undertake The Royal Ballet School’s Diploma of Classical Ballet Teaching and to pursue external artistic opportunities," the press release said.

Choe, who has danced with the London-based company for 24 years, is casted as Lescaut's Mistress in  Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon later this week and as the Sugar Plum Fairy in Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker in December. Her last performance will be on 30th December.

Yuhui Choe as Alice and her husband Nehemiah Kish in Christopher Wheeldon's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Photo by Bill Cooper

Choe was from Fukuoka, Japan. She moved to Paris, France, to train with Daini Kudo when she was 14 years old and later with Dominique Khalfouni. She won the contemporary dance prize at the Prix de Lausanne in 2002 and joined The Royal Ballet as an apprentice. She became an Artist of the company in the following year and a First Soloist in 2008.

With The Royal Ballet, Choe has performed various principal roles, including Nikiya and Gamzhatti in La Bayadère, Lise in La Fille mal gardée, Swanilda in Coppélia, Cinderella in Cinderella and Alice in Alice's Adventure in the Wonderland.

Yuhui Choe as Cinderella in Frederick Ashton's Cinderella - Photo by Tristram Kenton

As a personal note, Choe was already talked about as a child protégé in Japan. It is simply amazing she has had such a long, prosperous career given that many child protégés experience burnouts at an early stage. I have seen her performances many times in Covent Garden. In my mind, she is a Principal.

Yuhui Choe in a Fille mal gardée - Photo by Tristram Kenton

Toi toi toi!