Sergei Polunin, the 21-year-old star of the Royal Ballet, has stunned the dance world by abruptly leaving the company. The Ukrainian dancer, who two years ago became the Royal Ballet's youngest ever principal, told its director Monica Mason on Tuesday afternoon that he was quitting with immediate effect.

Polunin's dancing has been critically acclaimed for its technical and expressive brilliance, with the Observer's critic Luke Jennings describing him in October as "one of the most gifted dancers of his generation". Others have compared him to Nureyev and Baryshnikov. (Guardian)

The much admired and praised danseur has starred in many classic Royal Ballet productions since joining the company in 2003. We celebrate his performance with a special collection of Polunin images here:
Click to view the Sergei Polunin collection at ArenaPAL

These images are all available for editorial use. please contact enquiries@arenapal.com for usage information or email us at enquiries@arenapal.com for your FREE indepth search by one of our expert picture researchers