Linnar Looris is the Artistic Director of the Estonian National Ballet at the Estonian National Opera, a position he has held since 2019. Under his leadership, the company has grown artistically and internationally, building a diverse repertoire that bridges classical heritage with contemporary innovation.
Originally from Estonia, Mr. Looris received his ballet training at the Tallinn Ballet School. During his graduation years (2000–2001), he was selected to represent Estonia at the European Dance Festival in France, where he performed leading roles and toured across France, Italy, and Switzerland. There, he also received coaching from celebrated ballet icons Vladimir Vasiliev and Monique Loudières.
In 2001, Looris joined the Estonian National Ballet, and quickly rose to prominence. In 2002, he was awarded the Philip Morris Young Dancer of the Year, and in 2003 was promoted to Principal Dancer. He received Cultural Foundation Scholarships in 2004 and 2006. During his time with the company, he danced all major roles in both classical and contemporary works and toured to Finland, Sweden, Ukraine, Russia, and the USA.
In 2006, he joined the Birmingham Royal Ballet (UK) as a Soloist, where he performed leading roles such as Romeo and Paris in Romeo and Juliet (Sir Kenneth MacMillan), The Prince in The Nutcracker (Sir Peter Wright), Apollo in Apollo (George Balanchine), and That's Life in Twyla Tharp's Nine Sinatra Songs.
In 2007, he moved to the Houston Ballet (USA) as a First Soloist, where he remained for over a decade. His roles included:
The Prince in The Nutcracker (Ben Stevenson)
Onegin in Onegin (John Cranko)
Solor in La Bayadère (Stanton Welch)
Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake (Stanton Welch)
Prince Florimund in The Sleeping Beauty (Ben Stevenson)
Pinkerton & Sharpless in Madame Butterfly (Stanton Welch)
He also appeared in leading roles in works by Christopher Wheeldon, Antony Tudor, Kenneth MacMillan, George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, Jerome Robbins, and Stanton Welch, who created several roles specifically for him in world premiere ballets such as Tapestry, The Core, and Marie.