In the gilded, storied halls of Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, history is not merely preserved—it is earned. For Navrin Turnbull, a 26-year-old Queenslander with a gentle demeanor and a formidable technique, that history became personal on the evening of 17 December 2025. Following a bravura performance as Prince Désiré in Rudolf Nureyev’s notoriously demanding The Sleeping Beauty, the young Australian was met on stage not just with applause, but with a life-altering announcement. In front of the assembled company and a packed house, CEO and Artistic Director Fortunato Ortombina officially announced Turnbull’s promotion to the rank of Principal Dancer.
The promotion, proposed by Director of the Company Frédéric Olivieri, was a recognition of Turnbull’s artistic maturity and his brilliant handling of one of the most complex roles in the repertoire. For Turnbull, who has been a soloist with the company since 2021, the moment was a total surprise. “I was there with my partner, Alice Mariani... at the end of the show, we’re taking our bows, and at one point, the director of the theatre comes on stage with microphones,” Turnbull recalls. “I thought, maybe it's something to do with me. He spoke about how people come from far away... and then he said I was promoted to principal. I had no idea what was happening. I was so concentrated because I still had another show two days after. Everyone kept it really hush-hush.”
Turnbull’s rise within the 248 year old institution is nothing short of meteoric. Leaving the Gold Coast at 14 to study in Brisbane at Classical Coaching Australia and later moving to Stuttgart at 15, he is part of a diaspora of Australian dancers who trade the familiar surf for the rigorous studios of Europe. He admits the initial move was a big shock to his tight knit family and was “definitely traumatic” at such a young age, yet he attributes much of his professional resilience to his roots. He notes that Australians often bring an open, easy approach to life that helps navigate the high pressure environment of a major European house. “I think we Australians have a very open mindset. We're very open to change and new things. I think having that sort of Australian mentality has helped me to sort of realise that it's not that deep, you know? You try to take in the bigger picture.”
That bigger picture is often framed by the intense, historical system of La Scala, where the public is strongly involved and the work environment is incredibly concentrated. Unlike many who enter through the academy, Turnbull won his place through the grueling open competition system, ranking high enough to secure a soloist contract immediately: a significant feat for an outsider. He explains that one must learn how to navigate the theatre's particular bureaucracy and hierarchy. “It's such a historical place and a theatre with so much history. You have to integrate yourself into the system. It takes time, but I definitely feel very much at home and happy here. Here it’s very, very important to the culture and the public is also strongly involved.”
His journey to Principal was paved with roles that pushed him to the brink of his capabilities. He speaks of the Nureyev versions of The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty as technical mountains that require a dancer to learn the art of survival. “You really have to know how to pace yourself, how to go step by step, otherwise if you just go in with all your energy straight away, you're never gonna come out at the end,” he says. Beyond the technical, Turnbull found an emotional home in contemporary works like Edward Klug’s Peer Gynt. Despite being a soloist at the time, he was cast as the lead over established principals. “It was artistically something very emotional because it was really a moment that I could be completely myself and I felt very much at home with the piece.”
Off stage, Turnbull is a polyglot in the making, studying everything from Italian and German to Russian. This intellectual hunger mirrors his approach to dance; he views himself as a danzatore or a dancer artist rather than merely a technician. He credits much of this artistic nurturing to ballet master Massimo Murru, a former étoile at the house. “He was an artist; he wasn’t just a technician. I really felt a nurturing sort of side to him and he really wanted me to succeed. It’s one of the big things why I love La Scala.”
As he reflects on his career, Turnbull remains wary of the modern pitfalls of social media, where the focus often shifts to leg height and pirouette counts. His advice to young Australians is to look inward and remain conscious of their own path. “I think it's important to know exactly what you want as a person, first and foremost. You have to be mature and conscious enough to look inside yourself and go, ‘Okay, this is what I want.’ And how am I going to get there? It is a big thing to be able to disassociate from all the noise that's going on outside.”
At 26, Navrin Turnbull stands as a Principal in one of the world’s most prestigious companies, yet he still possesses the humble, fighting spirit that first led him away from the Queensland coast. While he misses the mild winters of Brisbane and hopes to return for a visit this summer, the stage at La Scala has become his home. “If you’re going to go, it’s important to go,” he concludes, standing as a testament to where bravery and an open mindset can lead.