RAVENNA TUCKER

Ravenna Tucker was born in Malaysia and began dance in Hong Kong with the Christine Liao School of Dancing under Paula Lau. In 1978 she won the Adeline Genée Gold Medal Competition, and in 1979, the French Foundation Prize at the Prix de Lausanne. She joined The Royal Ballet in 1979, and was in 1984 named “Dancer of the Year” by Dance and Dancers magazine.

Ms. Tucker was promoted to principal dancer with The Royal Ballet in 1985 and danced title roles in the Royal Ballet versions of the classics, as choreographed by Ninette de Valois, Frederick Ashton, Kenneth MacMillan, Anthony Dowell, Peter Wright, Rudolf Nureyev, Natalia Makarova, David Bintley, such title roles including Aurora, Odette/Odile, Juliet, Giselle, Cinderella, Sugar Plum Fairy, and Nikiya.

In 1990, she joined the Birmingham Royal Ballet, where her roles included Lise, Snow Queen, and Sylvia. In September 1997, Ms.Tucker joined LASALLE-SIA College of the Arts in Singapore as a full-time dance lecturer.

She continued to perform in various works, including In Seasons, Pikake at ASPACAE 1999 conference in Singapore, No Face, Spectre, Shadow of your Wings, Seven Gifts, Pas a Pas, Requiem, Shadow Is the Queen of Color, Awakening, Au Bord de la Mer, Dance Me to the End of Love for International Dance Day 2001 in Manila, Seven Years in a Night with Ecnad Project Ltd., and as a guest with Singapore Dance Theatre as the Stepmother in Cinderella and other character roles.

She has served on various committees including the Dance Association (Singapore) / World Dance Alliance, Singapore Dance Theatre Artistic Committee, and as a board member for TALK Dance Co (Jackson). Certified in R.A.D., C.S.T.D. (Children’s Syllabus), Pilates, and holding a Masters of Creative Industries from Queensland University of Technology in Australia, Tucker presently serves as Associate Professor of Dance at Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi. Ravenna is married to Stan Wagnon.