Carlos Pinillos (Madrid, 1977) is principal dancer at the National Ballet of Portugal (CNB) and has taught, since September 2024, at Escola do Conservatório Nacional de Lisboa. With a stage career spanning over thirty years, he has performed the principal roles of the great pieces in the classical, neoclassical and contemporary dance repertories. He trained in the school of Víctor Ullate, disciple of María de Ávila—a major reference in the Spanish dance scene, owing to her all-encompassing academic view—, additionally receiving training under such masters as Alain Baldini and Attilio Labis (Paris Opera) and José Manuel Carreño, Menia Martínez and Aurora Bosch (Cuban National Ballet). At 16, he joined Ullate’s ballet company, where he rapidly ascended to the position of primo ballerino.
Since 2001, he has been part of CNB, where he has performed principal roles in the works of such choreographers as John Cranko, Uwe Scholz, George Balanchine, Nacho Duato, Jiří Kylián, Hans van Manen, William Forsythe, Ohad Naharin, Vasco Wellenkamp, Mauro Bigonzetti, and Olga Roriz. He danced as the partner of such dancers as Tamara Rojo, Alina Cojocaru, and Daria Klimentova, as well as of Filipa de Castro, with whom he represented CNB in over 80 cities across 25 countries.
He has participated in events such as the Gala des Étoiles in Montreal, the Havana Festival, the Nureyev Festival in Kazan, and the World Stars on Tour. In 2006, the Dance Europe magazine named him as one of the ten best dancers of the year. His distinctions include being awarded first prize at the Vienna International Competition (1998), the Positano Léonide Massine Award for best international dancer of the year (2016), and, together with Filipa de Castro, the Biloba award (2021).
He currently combines teaching with his artistic activities, dedicating himself to the training of the younger generations at Conservatório Nacional de Lisboa.
