Born on 29 October 1946 in Tegernsee, Germany, Prof. Peter Breuer is widely recognised as one of the most influential figures in international ballet. Raised in a deeply musical household as the son of pianist and conductor Peter Bruno Breuer, he was immersed in the arts from an early age. After the family relocated to Munich following the war, he began his formal ballet training at the Roleff-King Ballet School at the age of eleven, studying under Gustav Blank in the rigorous Vaganova tradition.

Breuer’s professional ascent was remarkably swift. At just fifteen, he made his stage debut with the Bavarian State Opera Munich in 1961. In 1964, he joined the German Opera on the Rhine in Düsseldorf, where he progressed from demi-soloist to principal dancer within two years under the guidance of Erich Walter and Victor Gsovsky.

From 1969 to 1973, Breuer was engaged as a principal guest artist with the London Festival Ballet (now English National Ballet), becoming a full-time principal dancer in 1973. His exceptional technique, dramatic intensity, and musicality led to international invitations, including appearances with American Ballet Theatre and La Scala Ballet. He toured extensively across Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia, performing in major cultural centres such as Venice, New York, Hong Kong, and Johannesburg. He concluded his performing career in 1988.

Parallel to his stage career, Breuer began choreographing in 1981. His works were presented at leading opera houses and theatres, including the Bavarian State Opera, the German Opera on the Rhine, and the Budapest State Opera. Full-length narrative ballets such as Tschaikovsky and Siegfried for the Karlsruhe State Ballet established his reputation as a choreographer with a strong dramaturgical voice.

In 1991, Breuer was appointed Ballet Director and Chief Choreographer of the Salzburg Ballet at the State Theatre, a position he held until 2019. During this nearly three-decade tenure, he created a wide repertoire of narrative and contemporary ballets, including Peer Gynt, Orpheus and Eurydice, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, celebrated for their emotional depth and theatrical clarity. Later works such as Elements, The Beatles, Ballet and Blues, and a contemporary reinterpretation of Marie Antoinette demonstrated his continued artistic evolution and ability to engage new audiences.

In 2004, recognising the need for high-level professional ballet education, Prof. Breuer founded the Salzburg International Ballet Academy (SIBA), laying an important foundation for advanced dance training in the region and supporting generations of young dancers entering the professional field.

His contributions to ballet have been honoured with numerous distinctions, including the Maya Plisetskaya Award (2005) for his interpretation of Carmen, the German Dance/Ballet Prize (2015) for lifetime achievement, and the Austrian Great Cross of Honour. In 2017, he was awarded the title of Professor by the Governor of Salzburg on behalf of the President of Austria.

Since 2019, Prof. Breuer has served as Resident Choreographer of Europaballett St. Pölten, where recent creations such as Madama Butterfly and Farinelli have received critical acclaim.

With an oeuvre comprising more than 65 full-length ballets and 15 one-act works, Prof. Peter Breuer’s legacy continues to shape contemporary ballet practice, education, and artistic leadership across Europe and beyond.