The Royal Ballet Principal Marianela Nuñez is awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to dance in The King’s New Year’s Honours.
The New Year’s Honours List was published on 30 December 2024. You can find Nela in the 45th page of the 158 page PDF document.
The Royal Ballet and Opera said it “is delighted to congratulate” Nela in a news release dated 31 December 2024.
The company published her comment:
“I am deeply honoured and humbled to receive this OBE. I have been privileged to make The Royal Ballet my dancing home for over a quarter century, and receiving one of this country’s most special honours means the world to me. I am indebted to everyone who has supported me over the years to help communicate the life-affirming power of dance.”
Marianela Nuñez was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She began ballet training aged six at the Teatro Colón Ballet School and the Teatro Colón company aged 14.
She joined The Royal Ballet School in 1997 and graduated into The Royal Ballet the following year. She was promoted to First Soloist in 2000 and to Principal in 2002 aged 20.
Congratulations Nela!
As BBC summarises well, “The New Year Honours are awarded by the King following recommendations by the prime minister or senior government ministers. Members of the public can also recommend people for an award.
“More than 1,200 people from fields including sport, business, entertainment and politics are recognised in this year's list.
“As well as celebrating the success of people already in the public eye, it also highlights the unsung achievements of people who make major contributions to their local communities, to charities and to fields such as education and healthcare.
“Honours are also given out to mark the King's birthday in June.”
As a personal experience, my teacher in London Romayne Grigorova was awarded the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2017 Queen's Birthday Honours List for her services to Dance.
Romayne, who was a dancer and Ballet Mistress of the Royal Ballet, referred me as “a little one I am always nagging at” , and said to me, “you have a lot of potential. But you didn’t train well. You are your own enemy and it may not be your fault. I will correct you.”
This experience brought me down to tears and made me think if I had met her when I was 14, my life would have been different. I believe she is now 97 years old.
My childhood teacher absolutely hated me and said to me, “I don’t teach you because you can’t do it anyway.” I begged my mother to move me to another ballet school but she said I should listen to the teacher. Never mind!
Here are Kitty and me watching Nela and Vadim’s Black Swan PDD coda.