Principal dancer Greta Hodgkinson plans to retire from the National Ballet of Canada next year. The company says her final performance as principal dancer will be the role of Marguerite in Frederick Ashton’s Marguerite and Armand which makes its company premiere next February.

In her 30-year career, Hodgkinson has worked with top choreographers and dancers, and performed key roles on stages around the world. The 2019-20 season marks Hodgkinson’s 24th year as a principal dancer, a milestone achieved only by two others in the company’s history; Veronica Tennant and artistic director Karen Kain. In a statement, the Ballet says Hodgkinson is “a gifted interpreter of great classical roles and an instinctive collaborator on new work, making her a favourite with choreographers.”