Alum | Craig Cathcart

Former ballet dancer and executive producer Craig Cathcart

Craig Cathcart began ballet training at the age of five. From 1990 – 95, he attended the College to further develop his classical skills. In 1996 he was invited to study at The Australian Ballet School before dancing with the Australian Ballet. Afterwards, Craig joined the Norwegian National Ballet.

He has danced the Prince in The Nutcracker, the Bluebird in Sleeping Beauty, the pas de trois in Swan Lake, Carlotta Grisi in Pas de Quatre and the Hilarion / Peasant pas de deux in Giselle. He has also danced in works such as Balanchine’s Symphony in Three Movements, Forsythe’s The Second Detail and Limb’s Theorem, Tetley’s The Rite of Spring, Wheeldon’s The Christening Suite and Kylián’s Symphony of Psalms and 27’52”. In addition, he has had roles created specifically for him by the choreographers Boyadjiev and Øyen.

In the last three years of his dancing career, Craig attained his Graduate Certificate of Arts and Entertainment Management through Deakin University in Melbourne.

Craig accepted an invitation to apply for the role of Company Manager by Artistic Director, Li Cunxin AO at Queensland Ballet, who put him forward for the role at the Brisbane-based ballet company. He’s been there for 7 years now and currently working with Li as Head of Artistic Operations overseeing the strategic planning of the company’s world-class productions and the Artistic administration of his team.

Speaking to the Australian Institute of Business, Craig said, “I never really sought out a career in arts management. Honestly, I just fell into it. It feels so familiar somehow being around the art form I’m so passionate about. I love it! … One of the key motivators for Craig to undertake his MBA is that he wanted to “learn more about key areas of the business like governance, finance, marketing, and HR, to have a more well-rounded view with some sort of credibility.”