Alanna McAdie
Edmonton, Alberta
Principal Dancer
“...simply mesmerising; she has a unique presence on stage, and it works perfectly for Godden’s choreography.”
- Jessica Storoschuk | An Historian About Town, 2019
Alanna McAdie was promoted to Principal Dancer with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet in 2021, after a decade with the Company. Upon graduating from the RWB School’s Ballet Academic Program in 2009, she joined the Anna McCowan-Johnson Aspirant Program, and in 2011 she became a Company Apprentice. Alanna was promoted to Second Soloist in 2015 and to Soloist in 2017. She has spent more than half her life at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet.
Alanna has held leading roles as Giselle in Giselle, Aurora and Princess Florine in The Sleeping Beauty, Clara in Nutcracker and Nikiya in Greg Horsman’s La Bayadère. Additional highlights for her include performing as Niska in Mark Godden’s Going Home Star: Truth and Reconciliation, as Red Girl in Godden’s Dracula, as Nathalie and Mome Fromage in Jorden Morris’ Moulin Rouge® - The Ballet, as Wendy in Morris’ Peter Pan and as Princess Irene in Twyla Tharp’s The Princess and the Goblin. Beyond her work within the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Alanna has been performing with Peter Quanz’ Q Dance since 2012. She finds the best characters to perform are the ones with many layers and she prefers roles that she has to take the time to think about.
Born in Edmonton, Alberta, Alanna began her dance training at the age of seven. She trained at the Strathcona School of Highland Dancing, the Edmonton School of Ballet and the RWB School Professional Division. Alanna credits her first ever ballet teacher, Jacques Bourgouin, for suggesting she attend the RWB School.
Outside of dance, Alanna enjoys gardening, baking and dancing around her house. Her favourite foods are pizza and pasta. Alanna’s go-to karaoke songs are Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’”. Alanna also enjoys reading and her favourite authors are Ayn Rand and Margaret Atwood.
Alanna would love to see the RWB touring across Canada and internationally soon. She would also love to see the company perform the ballet Sylvia, a revived work choreographed by Frederick Ashton.
Training
Edmonton School of Ballet
Royal Winnipeg Ballet School Professional Division
Royal Winnipeg Ballet School Anna McCowan-Johnson Aspirant Program
Awards
While training at the RWB School, McAdie was awarded the Juanita Y. Alexander Award for Artistic Excellence.