Arthur Pita (1972–). South African-born Portuguese dancer, choreographer and director

Portuguese choreographer Arthur Pita was born and studied dance in Johannesburg, South Africa, winning the under-14 World Disco championships. He moved to London in 1991 and gained a masters’ degree from London Contemporary Dance School. Upon graduation, Pita became a dancer with Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures.

Critics often acknowledge the many influences within Pita’s work, filtered through a darkly theatrical, glamorous lens that highlights a kind of poignant deviance. Pita runs his own company, Ballo Arthur Pita, as well as choreographing across the creative arts. His adaptation of Franz Kafka’s short story The Metamorphosis, created on Edward Watson and first performed at the Linbury Studio Theatre in 2011, brought the choreographer widespread critical acclaim.

In recent years Pita has been commissioned by classical dancers looking to extend their range in new ways, including American ballerina Wendy Whelan and Russian star Natalia Osipova. Pita has expressed a growing interest in classical ballet and was commissioned by San Francisco Ballet in 2018 to make his Björk Ballet as part of their Unbound Festival. Arthur Pita has also choreographed for Ballet Black and The Royal Ballet, and is the partner of choreographer Matthew Bourne.