Loughlan Prior

Described by Dance Aotearoa New Zealand as ‘a creative tour de force’, Loughlan Prior is an award-winning choreographer and creative director whose diverse portfolio of work spans stage, film, and television.

Prior joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet (RNZB) in 2010 and rose to become a company Soloist, enjoying a decade-long career performing in New Zealand and internationally. Appointed RNZB Choreographer in Residence in 2018, he is also the co-founder and artistic director of Lo|Co Arts. Prior has received Creative New Zealand’s Tup Lang Award for choreography, a Warren Douglas Scholarship, the Ballet Foundation of New Zealand’s Harry Haythorne Choreographic Award, and was recognised as a ‘Distinguished Graduate’ of the New Zealand School of Dance in 2019.

Prior’s critically acclaimed productions include Hansel & Gretel (2019, RNZB), The Firebird (2021, RNZB), Cinderella (2022, RNZB), Half | Life (2022, Lo|Co Arts), and Woman ofWords (2023, RNZB). He has created and staged works for Alberta Ballet, BalletX, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Queensland Ballet, and Singapore Ballet, among others. Prior has also taught and choreographed at the Australian Ballet School, Canada’s National Ballet School, New Zealand School of Dance, and Palucca University Dresden. In 2022, he was invited to present an evening-length programme of works (Coloratura, Curious Alchemy, Storm Surge, Time Weaver, Verse) for the New Zealand School of Dance’s Performance Season.

Prior has created numerous live and digital projects for a diverse range of creative partners, including TV3’s Dancing with the Stars, as well as Auckland Arts Festival, BalletCollective Aotearoa, Chamber Music New Zealand, iD Fashion Week, New Zealand String Quartet, Te Papa National Museum, Tempo festival, Vogue Australia, Wānaka Festival of Colour, WGT LUX festival, and Zambesi fashion house.

His dance-films have been screened at numerous international film festivals, including the Film Society of Lincoln Center, San Francisco Dance Film Festival, and the Short Film Corner of the Cannes Film Festival. His film Inklings received first prize in the dance category at the Berlin Filmhaus Awards in 2022.

In 2025, Loughlan Prior’s dramatic ballet The Firebird makes its return to stages across New Zealand, and his production of Hansel & Gretel will enter the repertoire of Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet. He will also create new works for Ballet Ireland and West Australian Ballet.