Chase O’Connell was born in Fredericksburg, Virginia. He trained at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C., under Vladimir Djouloukhadze and Anatoli Kucheruk, and at the Royal Ballet School in London. In 2012, he joined Ballet West II, was promoted to the main company in 2013, and became a Principal Dancer in 2016. He joined Houston Ballet as a Principal in 2022 before joining The National Ballet of Canada as a Principal Dancer in 2025.

A nuanced and elegant dancer, O’Connell is celebrated for his effortless virtuosity and exceptional musicality. With The National Ballet of Canada, his repertoire includes Leontes in The Winter’s Tale, an Icicle in The Nutcracker, Ringmaster in Pinocchio, Rodolphe Boulanger in Emma Bovary, and Kismet. He recently performed in the North American premiere of Crystal Pite’s Flight Pattern, the world premiere of Procession by Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber, and debuted in Thème Varié and Adage from Suite en Blanc.

His repertoire with Houston Ballet and Ballet West includes Mayerling, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Onegin, Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, Cinderella, Apollo, Serenade, Diamonds, and Symphony in C. He has originated works by numerous contemporary choreographers and guested with San Francisco Ballet in Kenneth MacMillan’s Song of the Earth.