Agnes Oakes

"It is not often one gets the chance to share your experiences and dedication with students so keen to become professional dancers."

Agnes Oaks was born in Estonia and studied at the Estonian State Ballet School, where she began to dance her first principal roles, Swanilda in Coppelia and Aurora in Act III of Sleeping Beauty. Her training has endowed her with a generous open style and grand manner associated with Russian Teaching. After graduating, she studied at the Bolshoi Ballet School in Moscow.

She joined the Estonian Opera Ballet in 1989 and made her debut as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. At the 1990 International Ballet Competition in Jackson Mississippi, she was awarded the Best Couple prize with Thomas Edur, with whom she started a partnership at the school. Later that year, Agnes joined English National Ballet as principal dancer. She has performed most of the classical ballerina roles. She danced the world premiere of Raissa Struchkova’s Swan Lake and created the role of Aurora in Ronald Hynd's Sleeping Beauty and Giselle in Derek Deane's production. Her repertoire includes Ben Stevenson's Nutcracker, Cinderella, Four Last Songs and Three Preludes, Hynd's Coppelia, Nureyev's Romeo and Juliet, Derek Deane's Paquita, Romeo and Juliet, and Impromptu, Tetley's Sphinx, Balanchine's Apollo and Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Makarova's La Bayadère, Bianca in John Cranko's The Taming of The Shrew and Olga in Onegin. She has also danced in Les Sylphides, Etudes, Our Waltzes, Christopher Dean's Encounters and other ballets.

Agnes joined Birmingham Royal Ballet for 1996-97 season and the same year became an Freelance guest artist. She has been invited to perform in many productions and gala performances around the world and frequently returns to the English National Ballet as a guest artist. Recently Miss Oaks was invited by Heinz Spoerli to create the leading role in Cinderella with the Zurich Ballet and danced Princess Aurora in Derek Deane’s new production of Sleeping Beauty at the Royal Albert Hall.

Agnes has also won numerous other awards including: Third Class Order of the White Star (Estonia); one of Dance International Magazine's Dancers of the Year (2000 and 2001); Unique Partnership Award – Critics' Circle (2002) with Thomas Edur; Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dancer (2004); Patron of British Ballet Organisation (2004); and nominated for Benois de la Dance (2004).