Corps de Ballet
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Joined Boston Ballet in 2013
Ricardo Santos (Ricardo Santos de Paula) was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He began dancing at the age of seven with the project Luar of Hope. In 2004, he started training under Jorge Teixeira at the Conservatorio Brasileiro de Danca. In 2007, Santos performed in The Nutcracker with the Theatre Municipal of Rio de Janeiro. He then joined the Cia Brasileira de Ballet in Rio de Janeiro. While there, he danced many principal and soloist roles in ballets including Raymonda, La Bayadère, Nutcracker, La Sylphides, La Fille Mal Gardee, and Don Quixote, along with many other contemporary pieces.
Santos has competed in national and international dance competitions including the Beijing International Ballet Competition. At the youth American Grand Prix in New York City, he won a scholarship to attend the Australian Ballet. In 2007 and 2008, he competed in the Danza America International Competition in Argentina where he placed as a top finalist. During this competition he was invited to compete in the Prix de Lausanne. Recently in the New York International Ballet Competition he won a bronze medal and the Arpino Award for a one year contract at The Joffrey Ballet.
Past performances include the Nutcracker, In the Middle Somewhat Elevated by William Forsythe, Infra by Wayne McGregor, and other ballets choreographed by Edwaard Liang, Yuri Possikhov, and Stanton Welch. He was recently certified in the UltraBarre technique.
Santos joined Boston Ballet in 2013 as a Company Dancer.
