Laurynas Vėjalis

Laurynas Vėjalis made his Royal New Zealand Ballet debut in Val Caniparoli’s The Nutcracker in 2018, performing the role of Nutcracker Prince. Laurynas was promoted to Soloist in 2019 and then to Principal in December 2020. He has performed multiple principal roles including Prince Désiré and Bluebird in The Sleeping Beauty (2020), Albrecht in Ethan Stiefel and Johan Kobborg’s Giselle (2021), Arrow in Loughlan Prior’s The Firebird (2021), and Oberon in Liam Scarlett’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2021). In 2022, his roles included The Royal Messenger and The Fab Five’s Alexander in Loughlan Prior’s Cinderella, Cavalier in Val Caniparoli’s The Nutcracker grand pas de deux and Ali in the Le Corsaire pas de trois as part of Tutus on Tour and featured roles in Alice Topp’s Aurum and Twyla Tharp’s Waterbaby Bagatelles™ in Venus Rising.  As part of the digital season Ballet Bites he performed in Shaun James Kelly’s Alba and Loughlan Prior’s Ultra Violet. 

Most recently, Laurynas appeared as Tybalt and Romeo in Romeo & Juliet, as the Waltz Man in Serenade, and in Annabel Lopez Ochoa’s Requiem for a Rose and Alice Topp’s Logos.  

Laurynas moved to New Zealand after three years with the National Ballet of Canada, which he joined as a member of the corps de ballet in 2015. Highlights from his time at the National Ballet of Canada include the peasant pas de deux in Act I of Giselle and solo roles in Balanchine’s Rubies and Genus by Wayne McGregor, as well as productions including Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, The Nutcracker, Onegin, The Winter’s Tale, La Sylphide, Cinderella, Nijinsky, The Concert, and A Streetcar Named Desire. 

Laurynas was born in Lithuania and moved to Japan when he was four. He studied ballet at the Austrian Ballet School in Tokyo and then finished his studies at The Royal Ballet School in London. 

Laurynas is supported by Erica McLean.