Xander Parish trained at London’s Royal Ballet School and graduated into the Royal Ballet in 2005 as a member of the corps de ballet. He remained with the company for five years before joining the Mariinsky Ballet in St. Petersburg in January 2010, making him the first British dancer in history to join the ranks of this revered Russian institution. Within three weeks of joining the Mariinsky Ballet, he made his debut dancing the lead role in Fokine’s Chopiniana. He was promoted to soloist in 2014 and principal dancer in 2017. For his contributions to dance and UK-Russia cultural relations, Xander was appointed as an officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the New Year Honours List for 2019.   
 
Since August 2022, he has been dancing with the Norwegian National Ballet, under artistic director Ingrid Lorentzen. Xander maintains a close friendship with Viking Executive Vice President, Product, Karine Hagen.