Vadim Muntagirov joins the Royal Ballet He said: "This is a very exciting time for me. I have had so many fantastic opportunities with English National Ballet over the past four years and have many great memories to take with me. At this point in my career I feel ready to take on new challenges and felt that the Royal Ballet could offer me that opportunity. To dance some of the great roles in the Royal Ballet's repertory as well as create new work being made by some of the greatest choreographers is a dream come true. Muntagirov trained at the Royal Ballet Upper School but was not taken on when he graduated. Instead he joined the ENB in 2009, where he was promoted to male principal dancer in 2011 and lead principal a year later. However, in interviews he hinted at being unhappy with the ENB's often unglamorous touring schedule. It can be very boring, and usually we don't have time to see anything. It's just theatre, hotel, theatre, hotel. I like seeing different places, but I like being in London because the stages are so big," he has said. Kevin O'Hare, director of the Royal Ballet, was keen to stress that Muntagirov made the first move. "I was delighted when Vadim approached me about the possibility of joining [the company]," he said. Since graduating from the Royal Ballet School he has made a huge impact during his career with English National Ballet and I very much look forward to him joining our company. IN PICTURES: Top ten ballet stars