Sergei Polunin in shock resignation from Royal Ballet In a statement, Dame Monica said: "This has obviously come as a huge shock, Sergei is a wonderful dancer and I have enjoyed watching him tremendously, both on stage and in the studio, over the past few years. I wish him every success in the future. The only possible hint of Polunin's plans came on New Year's Eve, when he posted on Twitter that 2012 was "going to be controversial." Frantic arrangements are now being made to ensure that The Dream goes ahead. Steven McRae is likely to take Polunin's place. Polunin was one of the Royal Ballet's most exciting talents. He was born in an impoverished area of southern Ukraine and moved with his mother to Kiev, where he attended the State Ballet School. His dance teacher made a tape of him performing and sent it to the Royal Ballet School, which offered him a place. He arrived in 2003, aged 13 and speaking little English, and likened the experience of living at White Lodge in Richmond to being "in Harry Potter." In 2007, he joined the Royal Ballet and rose rapidly through the ranks. He was promoted to principal at the end of the 2009-10 season, aged 19. In interviews, he has spoken of wanting "a life outside ballet" and expressed an ambition to open a tattoo parlour. In November, Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev sent ripples through the dance world when they resigned from the Bolshoi to join the rival Mikhailovsky Theatre. At the time, there were suggestions that the pair had been lured away by a lucrative deal, but Mikhailovsky director Vladimir Kekhman said: "The reason they are switching theatres is definitely not the money. Money is irrelevant to creative people.