Born in Barnsley, David Pickering trained at The Royal Ballet School. He joined the Company in 1990 and danced roles across the whole Royal Ballet repertory, including created roles in Winter Dreams and The Judas Tree. He was appointed Royal Ballet Education Administrator in 2008 and retired from dancing in 2014 when his position of Learning and Participation Creative Associate (Ballet) was created specifically. He is involved with Royal Opera House projects such as Chance to Dance, Create and Dance, Ballet Dots, Monday Moves, Dance with The Royal Ballet, Everybody Dance and Ballet Studio Live. He co-creates and co-delivers bespoke Learning and Participation programmes that support The Royal Ballet’s tours throughout the world. He was appointed an MBE in 2018.