Agnes Oaks

Has been a Principal Dancer at the English National Ballet, receiving numerous awards during her career, constantly in demand as a Guest Artiste world-wide and danced all the major roles.

"Born in Estonia, she studied at the Estonian State Ballet School, where she developed a grand, open style influenced by Russian ballet training. After graduating in 1988, she continued her studies at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow. She joined the Estonian National Opera Ballet in 1989, making her debut as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet.

At the 1990 International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi, she won the Best Couple prize with Thomas Edur. Their performance caught the attention of Ivan Nagy, then director of the English National Ballet, who invited them to London. Agnes joined the English National Ballet as a Principal Dancer before moving to Birmingham Royal Ballet in 1996. In 1997, she became a freelance guest artist and a resident guest principal with the English National Ballet. She was named Dancer of the Year by Dance International Magazine in 2000 and 2001.

Currently, she works as a ballet teacher at the Estonian National Opera and the MUBA Ballet School, sharing her extensive experience with the next generation of dancers

In 2010 Agnes Oaks was awarded the CBE by HM by the Queen for services to the Arts and UK/Estonian cultural relations.

In 2001 Estonia’s president honored Agnes with the Third Class Order of White Star for her achievements in ballet.
Agnes received the Unique Partnership Award by London Critics' Circle (2002) together with Thomas Edur and has been nominated for Best Female dancer in 2002 & 2003.
Agnes Oaks is the winner of the Laurence Olivier Awards — for Outstanding Achievement in Dance 2004 — presented by the Society of London Theatre. The same year she became a Patron of the British Ballet Organization and was nominated for Benois de la Dance.
She took part in a concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium in London in 2007 in front of 62,000 people and a worldwide television audience.
Agnes is a graduate of the Royal Ballet School’s Professional Dancers Teachers Course with distinction (2007)
In 2008 she won the Best Female Dancer Award by the London Critics’ Circle.
Patron of English National Ballet School since 2008.
She has formed a world renowned partnership with Thomas Edur. In 2009 Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London hosted an evening of ballet tribute to Thomas and Agnes, where they celebrated their partnership of 20 years. In 2009 she retired from stage and became an assistant to the Artistic Director of the Estonian National Ballet.

She has performed on many stages around the world and danced all the major roles in most of the classical repertoire : Kenneth MacMillan’s The Sleeping Beauty and Manon, Sir Peter Wright’s The Nutcracker ,Raissa Strutchkova’s Swan Lake ,Ben Stevenson's The Nutcracker, Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, Four Last Songs and Three Preludes, R. Hynd's Coppelia, The Sleeping Beauty , Nureyev's Romeo and Juliet, Derek Deane’s Giselle, Paquita , Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, Strictly Gershwin ,The Sleeping Beauty , Alice in Wonderland, and Impromptu pas de deux, Michael Corder's Cinderella, Melody on the Move and The Snow Queen, G.Tetley's Sphinx and Voluntaries, Balanchine's Apollo, Who Cares, and Tchaikowsky pas de deux, Makarova's La Bayadere act of shades, Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella ,Peter Schauffus The Nutcracker, Heinz Spoerli has created Cinderella on her, Veronica Paeper's Don Quixote and Romeo & Juliet, Christopher Hampson’s The Nutcracker, Bianca in John Cranko's The Taming of The Shrew and Olga in Onegin, Christopher Dean's Encounters, Mai Murdmaa's Wedding Journey and Mark Morris's Drink to Me, David Dawson’s A Million Kisses to My Skin, Russell Maliphant’s Cheer, Wayne McGregor created 2 Human duet for her and Thomas Edur . She has also danced in Les Sylphides staged by Alicia Markova, Le Spectre de la Rose, Mary Sceaping’s Giselle, Etudes by H.Landers ,The Sleeping Beauty by Enn Suve, Our Waltzes by Vincente Nebrada and Duet by Wayne Eagling and many other ballets...

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