# Evan McKie

Evan McKie is a ballet dancer in classical and contemporary ballet and an actor-dancer known for interpreting roles from literature, recognised as a danseur noble. He was principal dancer at Stuttgart Ballet from 2008 to 2014, and at the National Ballet of Canada from 2014 to 2022. He has served as an honorary advisor to Dance Collection Danse, and is a guest writer and a member of the international advisory board of Dance Magazine.

## Early life and education

McKie lived in Oakville, Ontario, from the age of 5, and began classes at Canada's National Ballet School aged 8. Aged 14, he began studying at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington D.C. under the guidance of Vladimir Djouloukhadze. He was then invited to train under Pyotr Pestov at the Stuttgart Ballet affiliated John Cranko Schule, and joined Stuttgart Ballet in 2001.

## Career

McKie became a first soloist with Stuttgart Ballet in 2008. The Financial Times described his performance of Onegin as "the sensation of the entire season".
In Stuttgart, under the direction and mentorship of fellow Canadian Reid Anderson, McKie danced in classic ballets, narrative works, and contemporary collaborations. Anthony Dowell coached McKie in the British style in some of his own originated roles.
In 2014, McKie joined the National Ballet of Canada as Principal Dancer. McKie received critical acclaim while on tour and at home with the company. He was mentioned in Gary Smith's Top 10 performances of the year list in 2019 for his debut of George Balanchine's Apollo.
McKie did not give performances with the National Ballet from the beginning of Covid-19 in 2020. He left the company in July 2022.
McKie is a contributor and advisory board member for Dance Magazine.

### Performance repertoire

| Year | Ballet | Choreographer(s) | Role | Company |
| | Pastorale | James Kudelka | child | |
| 1995 | The Nutcracker | Celia Franca; James Kudelka | Naughty Boy | |
| 2004 | Hikarizatto | Itzik Galili | | Stuttgart Ballet |
| 2006, 2007 | Onegin | John Cranko | Vladimir Lensky | Stuttgart Ballet |
| 2008 | Hamlet | Kevin O'Day | Laertes | Stuttgart Ballet |
| 2012 | The Sleeping Beauty | Rudolph Nureyev | Prince Florimund | National Ballet of Canada |
| | Giselle | | Albrecht | National Ballet of Canada |
| 2013 | Initials RBME | John Cranko | soloist | Stuttgart Ballet |
| 2013 | Fanfare LX | Douglas Lee | pas de deux | Stuttgart Ballet |
| 2014 | Songs of a Wayfarer | Maurice Béjart | (pas de deux) | Stuttgart Ballet |
| 2014 | Swan Lake | | Siegfried | National Ballet of Canada |
| 2014 | Onegin | John Cranko | Vladimir Lensky | National Ballet of Canada |
| 2015 | Chroma | Wayne McGregor | | National Ballet of Canada |
| 2015 | Romeo and Juliet | Alexei Ratmansky | Tybalt | National Ballet of Canada |
| 2015 | The Winter's Tale | Christopher Wheeldon | | National Ballet of Canada |
| 2016 | Onegin | John Cranko | Eugene Onegin | National Ballet of Canada |
| 2016 | Romeo and Juliet | Alexei Ratmansky | Romeo | National Ballet of Canada |
| 2016 | The Four Temperaments | George Balanchine | Phlegmatic | National Ballet of Canada |
| 2017 | A Streetcar Named Desire | John Neumeier | Mitch | National Ballet of Canada |
| 2017 | Nijinsky | John Neumeier | Diaghilev | National Ballet of Canada |
| 2019 | Apollo | George Balanchine | Apollo | National Ballet of Canada |

## Awards

* McKie has several times received Italy's ApuliArte prize for achievement in dance.
* McKie was chosen as one of LaNotte Magazine's Top Five International Dancers of the Year for 2020 and 2021.