Australian dancer Steven McRae is a Principal of The Royal Ballet. He joined The Royal Ballet School on a Prix de Lausanne scholarship in 2003, moving across the globe to pursue his passion. He graduated into The Royal Ballet in 2004 and was promoted to First Artist in 2005, Soloist in 2006, First Soloist in 2008 and Principal in 2009. 

McRae has performed as a guest artist with companies including American Ballet Theatre, National Ballet of Canada, Australian Ballet, Tokyo Ballet and at numerous international galas. His awards include the 2006 Emerging Male Artist (Classical) and the 2011 Best Male Dancer awards at the Critics’ Circle National Dance Awards. In 2014 he was named Young Australian Achiever in the UK by the Australia Day Foundation. 

In 2019, Steven snapped his Achilles tendon during a live performance at The Royal Ballet – a potentially career-ending injury. Following extensive rehabilitation and work over the subsequent two years, Steven defied expectations and stepped back onto the stage to perform again in October 2021. More recently, at the end of 2023, Steven sustained an ACL injury and is currently working through a strenuous recovery programme.

His first-hand experience of the devastating impact of injury, caused through long-term physical and mental burnout, makes Steven an advocate for greater understanding of the causal effects of injury and the need to empower teachers and coaches to better support young people in their formative years to deliver lasting change.