Paul started ballet aged 10 training with Leo Kersley. He then joined The Legat School in 1977 under the directorship of Eunice Bartell. He remained there for 5 years before joining the Royal Ballet Upper School. In 1984 Paul embarked on his professional career with Northern Ballet Theatre under the directorship of Robert De Warren. In his first year Paul danced Florestan pas de trois in Sleeping Beauty and Lysander in A Midsummer Night’s Dream by De Warren as well as works by Andre Prokovsky and many others. In 1985 he joined The Royal Ballet of Flanders under the directorship of Valeri Panov and danced many roles choreographed by him, including The clowns in Romeo and Juliet, General Iwolgin in The Idiot and the Stepmother in Cinderella. In 1987 Robert Denvers took over the helm of the company and Paul danced roles including The Teacher in Fleming Flindt’s the Lesson as well as Rubies and Allegro Brilliante by George Balanchine and works by Jiri Kylian, Rudolf Nureyev, Violette Verdi and Luc De Layress. Paul returned to Northern Ballet theatre now directed by Christopher Gable in 1989 as a soloist. He created many roles for Gable including Hilarion in Giselle, Rothbart in Swan Lake and danced the role of Tybalt in his Romeo and Juliet and many other roles in the company repertoire, with choreographers such as Gillian Lynne, Michel Rahn and Dennis Wayne.
Paul joined English National Ballet in 1992 under the directorship of Ivan Nagy. He danced in Kim Brandstrup’s White nights and danced Rothbart in Raissa Strutchkova’s Swan Lake and created the Arabian Pas de deux in Ben Stevenson;s Nutcracker and also danced Drosselmeyer in the same production. Nagy’s departure saw the arrival of Derek Deane as director in 1993. This brought many new opportunities and Paul was promoted to Junior Soloist and then Soloist. He danced Tybalt in Rudolph Nureyev’s Romeo and Juliet, the General in David Lichine’s Graduation Ball, Dr Coppelius in Ronald Hynd’s Coppelia, and also danced the role of Sullivan opposite Wayne Sleep’s Gilbert in the specially commissioned work Savoy Suite, he created a solo role in Olga Roriz’ The Seven Silences of Salomi and created the role of Rothbart for Derek Deane’s “In the round” Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall. Paul left the company in 1999 to pursue new adventures and he has returned to ENB many times as a Guest Character Artist and company teacher. Paul created the role of Lord Capulet in Derek Deane’s Romeo and Juliet opposite Lynn Seymour as Lady Capulet and also created the role of the King in Deane’s Sleeping Beauty.
Paul’s dancing career has taken him all over the world. He has toured USA, China, Korea, Mexico as well as Belgium. Holland, Ireland, Italy, Germany and Greece
From 2000 Paul was a freelance teacher in London and developed a reputation that lead him to become the 2nd year boy’s teacher at Central School of Ballet in 2005. He remained there for five years until he joined English National Ballet School in September 2010 as the 3rd Year boy’s Teacher and Artistic Co-ordinator. In 2013 Paul was invited to join the Royal Ballet Upper School as the 1st year boy’s Teacher and is now the 2nd year boys teacher at Royal Ballet School in Covent Garden. Paul was invited as a guest teacher at The Paris Opera Ballet School in 2015 and has taught twice for Royal Ballet School of Antwerp Summer programme and the Yorkshire Summer School. Paul has also been a guest teacher in Japan, Italy and the USA.
