Steven McRae is 'A Resilient Man'

26 February 2024

Steven McRae is a famous dancer, principal of the Royal Ballet in London. Born in Australia, he is a model and inspiration to myriad dance fans, not just at his live performances but through his massive Instagram following – he has well over 200,000 followers.

But he has also suffered some major blows during his career - devastating injuries to his Achilles tendon and to his knee. In 2019 he dramatically snapped his Achilles on the Royal Opera House stage, during a performance of Manon. At 35 years old, was this a sign that his career was over? He went under the knife, undertook a gruelling rehabilitation program (with the help of fellow expat Leanne Benjamin). Incredibly, he returned to the stage.

Now a new documentary feature about McRae’s injury treatment and recovery has been released, called A Resilient Man, that charts his physical and mental journey back from the brink. Filmmaker Stephane Carrel followed the dancer for a year, documenting his recovery and his fight against retirement. Carrel is a French director who has previously made a film about the Paris Opera Ballet School.

The film is being released first in France on April 17, followed by Switzerland and the UK. The producers are waiting for an Australian release date.

In the meantime, look out for our upcoming interview with Steven McRae about the film and enjoy this sneak preview.