Jason Reilly
Principal Dancer
Photo Gallery (6 images)
Jason Reilly, Principal Dancer
Biography
A native of Toronto, Ontario, Jason Reilly studied at Canada’s National Ballet School. Before joining The National Ballet of Canada in 2009 as a Principal Dancer, Mr. Reilly was a Principal Dancer with Stuttgart Ballet.
Mr. Reilly has danced most of the major works in the classical repertoire, including Swan Lake, Onegin, Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, The Sleeping Beauty and Giselle. His wide-ranging repertoire also includes a vast number of neoclassical and modern works. Many roles have been created for him by contemporary choreographers, among them Mauro Bigonzetti, Wayne McGregor, Kevin O’Day, Marco Goecke and Christian Spuck.
Prior to joining the company, Mr. Reilly held guest engagements with the National Ballet, including The Taming of the Shrew in 2007 and Romeo and Juliet in 2006 and 2009.
In 2006, Mr. Reilly received the German Dance Prize “Future”, which is awarded each year by the German Association for Dance Education and the German Association for the Promotion of the Art of Dance.
Video
Watch the "Jason Reilly - 101" video on You Tube.
Quotes
Romeo and Juliet
"His Romeo in John Cranko's Romeo and Juliet is near perfection... Reilly can pull off all the virtuoso tricks, but he also layers the role with passion. As a danseur noble, he has it all — good looks, manly demeanour, wonderful technique and superb partnering and acting skills."
- The Globe and Mail, 2009
"It's not only the lovers on stage who swoon in Romeo and Juliet. Hearts skip a beat among the many adoring fans of the ballet… Reilly is the consummate Romeo, with a smile that beams back to the stalls and melts the heart of every woman it lights on… [he] makes everything look effortless."
- The Toronto Star, 2009
"This isn't just a good performance, it's a brilliant one, informed with meticulous detail and acted with so much truth it hardly seems acting at all."
- The Hamilton Spectator, 2009