Wayne Sleep OBE

Vice President

Wayne Sleep won a scholarship to The Royal Ballet School at the age of twelve and later became a Senior Principal of The Royal Ballet. Numerous roles were created for him by distinguished choreographers including Frederick Ashton, Kenneth MacMillan, Ninette de Valois, John Neumeier, Gillian Lynne and Rudolf Nureyev.

His musical theatre credits include: Cats, Song and Dance, The Point, High Society, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Cabaret. As an actor: Twelfth Night, The Tempest, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Servant of Two Masters and She Stoops to Conquer. Films: The First Great Train Robbery, The Virgin Soldiers and The Tales of Beatrix Potter. In television he was the subject of: This Is Your Life, The South Bank Show and appeared in The Hot Shoe Show, The Royal Variety Shows, The Soldier’s Tale, Big Ballet and The Real Marigold Hotel. His concert tours include: Magic of the Musicals with Marti Webb and Hollywood and Broadway with Lorna Luft. He created, choreographed, directed and appeared in a revue DASH which, for the first time, incorporated all dance genres (including ballet, jazz, tap and contemporary), and after many London seasons, toured internationally.

Wanye has honorary degrees from the universities of Exeter, Teesside and Plymouth and was appointed OBE. He is a Vice-President of the Royal Academy of Dance (RAD), a Patron of many institutions including the British Ballet Organisation, and is the recipient of many awards including The Carl Alan Award (International Dance Teachers Association) and Show Business Personality of the Year (The Variety Club of Great Britain,) and has two entries in The Guinness Book of Records. He has been on the judge’s panel for the RAD Genée International Ballet Competition, as well as a dance judge on the ITV series Stepping Out. His charity, The Wayne Sleep Foundation, helps students who have successfully gained a place at a performing arts vocational college. He continues to pass on his knowledge through private tuition and workshops for all ages.