Madeline Woo

Madeline Woo
A person against a nighttime street setting in downtown San Francisco, dressed up mainly in black
Madeline Woo outside the War Memorial Opera House after a San Francisco Ballet performance
Born1998 (age 27–28)
EducationV and T Dance
John Cranko School
OccupationBallet dancer
Years active2017–present
Career
Current groupSan Francisco Ballet
Former groupsRoyal Swedish Ballet
Websitewww.maddwoo.com

Madeline Woo (born 1998)[1] is an American ballet dancer. Since 2025, she has been a principal dancer for the San Francisco Ballet, and was previously a principal dancer for the Royal Swedish Ballet. She is known for her deviation from traditional ballet dancer aesthetics and has founded her own fashion brand, Maddwoo Studios.

Early life

Woo grew up in Huntington Beach, California, and in her youth, she trained at V and T Dance in Laguna Hills.[2] While a freshman at Huntington Beach High School, Woo won the Los Angeles Regionals of the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) in 2014.[3] She went on to reach the final round of the YAGP finals and earn a one year scholarship at the Stuttgart Ballet's John Cranko School.[4] She qualified to compete in the Prix de Lausanne in 2015.[5][6]

Career

After graduating from the John Cranko School, Woo was not offered a position with the Stuttgart Ballet and auditioned for several other European companies, joining the Royal Swedish Ballet (RSB) in 2017.[7] During the COVID-19 pandemic, she was promoted two ranks at once from the corps de ballet to first soloist.[7] In 2022, she was promoted to principal.[8][7] Both writing for Bachtrack, Graham Watts described her performance in Julia and Romeo (a retelling of Romeo and Juliet choreographed by Mats Ek) as an "enchanting and charismatic Julia",[9] and Maggie Foyer, reviewing her performance in The Nutcracker, described her as a "dancer of huge vitality and charm".[10]

In 2025, desiring to be closer to her family and to move on before becoming too comfortable, she departed the RSB to become a principal dancer for the San Francisco Ballet (SFB).[11][12] Woo had danced in a 2022 production of Cinderella in the RSB choreographed by Tamara Rojo, who in turn would go on to become the SFB's artistic director late that year.[7] Rojo described Woo as a natural hire for the SFB.[7]

Writing for the San Francisco Chronicle, critic Rachel Howard described Woo's Spring 2026 season-opening performance of Stars and Stripes as having "space-devouring split jumps and saut de chat".[13]

Social media

Woo has an extensive social media following, particularly on Instagram, where she had about 421,000 followers as of March 11, 2026.[14] She began to accumulate a large following, which partly motivated her decision to start her fashion brand, after her decision to get tattoos.[7][15]

Fashion

Woo has described herself as "that ballerina with the tattoos" and "rebellious" against traditional ballet aesthetics; having never felt fully comfortable in traditional ballet attire, she chose instead a "grungier" look.[16] Tattoos have historically been considered taboo in ballet, and Woo covers hers for performances if required.[17][7] Woo feared termination for getting her first tattoos that would be visible onstage and, for the subsequent month, covered them with long sleeves in the studio.[7]

In 2024, while sidelined from an injury, Woo reflected on her future after ballet, and launched her fashion brand Maddwoo Studios in December 2025.[16][7]

References

  1. ↑ "About us the team". Retrieved April 28, 2026.
  2. ↑ "O.C. ballerina to dance at international youth ballet competition". OC Register. April 12, 2013. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  3. ↑ "Artists of the Week: Madeline Woo and Clara Mason". OC Register. April 13, 2014. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  4. ↑ "V&T Spring Showcase 2015 & Seven Beauties Ballet". Playbillder. June 27, 2015. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Madeline Woo - San Francisco Ballet". San Francisco Ballet. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  6. ↑ "Prix de Lausanne 2015 Selected Candidates" (PDF). Prix de Lausanne. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Sims, Caitlin (May 4, 2026). "San Francisco Ballet Principal Madeline Woo Is a Forward-Thinking Force". Dance Magazine. Retrieved May 5, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Two new Principal Dancers appointed by the Royal Swedish Ballet". December 20, 2022. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  9. ↑ Watts, Graham (April 24, 2023). "Royal Swedish Ballet's Julia and Romeo: surreal and modern". Bachtrack. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
  10. ↑ Foyer, Maggie (December 19, 2023). "Royal Swedish Ballet's The Nutcracker is a national treasure". Bachtrack. Retrieved May 7, 2026.
  11. ↑ Laubacher, Kyra (July 4, 2025). "Your July Roster Roundup: Dancers and Directors on the Move". Pointe Magazine. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  12. ↑ Eden, Rose (March 18, 2026). "At San Francisco Ballet, Principal Dancer Madeline Woo Brings Fashion, Edge, and Real Life to the Stage". Out Front. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  13. ↑ Howard, Rachel (January 15, 2026). "What does 'Stars and Stripes' mean now? San Francisco Ballet's season opener raises hard questions". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  14. ↑ Sweeney, Katie (March 11, 2026). "Madeline Woo Leaps into the Spotlight with San Francisco Ballet". Modern Luxury. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  15. ↑ Parent, Tabitha (December 22, 2025). "Nutcracker Ballerina Madeline Woo Reveals the Surprising Scene in the Show That Can Be Most Difficult to Perform (Exclusive)". People Magazine. Retrieved May 6, 2026.
  16. 1 2 Parent, Tabitha (January 26, 2026). "Ballerina Rebelled Against 'Traditional' Aesthetic with 'Grungier' Look". People Magazine. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
  17. ↑ Hitchcock, Sierra (February 4, 2025). "Body Art in Ballet: 3 Dancers on Their Tattoos". Pointe Magazine. Retrieved March 22, 2026.
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