After leaving home, Wright auditioned for
Ninette de Valois, to join what is now the
Royal Ballet School, but was rejected. He subsequently decided to accept an offer from the German choreographer
Kurt Jooss to become an apprentice with his company "Ballets Jooss". He trained with the company for two years, dancing in many expressionist and modern dance works. Eventually, Wright decided he needed to train in classical ballet, so he returned to London to study with
Vera Volkova, a leading teacher of the
Vaganova method. He then re-auditioned for Ninette de Valois, who offered him a contract to dance with the
Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet, the predecessor of today's Birmingham Royal Ballet. In 1955, de Valois gave Wright his first opportunity to direct, making him responsible for the formation of the Sadler's Wells Opera Ballet, a troupe of dancers who would perform the dances in the operas at the Sadler's Wells Opera company. Later in 1957, he received his first commission as a choreographer, creating the ballet
A Blue Rose for the Sadler's Wells Theatre Ballet. In 1959, Wright was appointed as a teacher at the
Royal Ballet School. In 1961, Wright made a critical career decision, when he agreed to work for
John Cranko, a former dancer and choreographer with the
Sadler's Wells Ballet. Cranko had moved to Germany, where he established the
Stuttgart Ballet as a world-class classical company. Wright joined the company as ballet master, teacher and choreographer, and would create several works for the company, including
The Mirror Walkers,
Namouna,
Designs for Dancers, "The Great Peacock" and
Quintet. It was also during his tenure at Stuttgart that he would direct his first seminal work, a production of
Giselle that would lead to him becoming internationally renowned as a producer of the major classical repertory. Wright's production of
Giselle has subsequently been staged by the
Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and almost all the international ballet companies. He would become particularly noted for his interpretations of the great length classical ballets, mounting
The Sleeping Beauty,
Coppelia and
Swan Lake, which continue to be regularly performed internationally today. His most successful production is
The Nutcracker, which in 2024 celebrated its 40th anniversary. In 1969, Wright returned to the Royal Ballet as a member of the artistic staff, later being promoted to the post of associate director, working in partnership with Sir
Kenneth MacMillan. MacMillan was the director and resident choreographer of the company and had been appointed by Dame Ninette de Valois. Wright would work closely with Macmillan for a number of years until 1977, when he was made artistic director of the Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet, which was the name for Birmingham Royal Ballet at that time. It was Wright who led the company when it relocated to Birmingham in 1990, when the current name of Birmingham Royal Ballet was adopted. Wright served as the company's artistic director until his retirement in 1995, when
David Bintley was appointed artistic director. ==Awards==