Daniil Simkin (born 12 October 1987 in Novosibirsk, Russia) is a ballet dancer and entrepreneur, best known for his accomplished technical skill and charismatic stage presence.

His parents, former ballet dancers Dmitrij Simkin and Olga Aleksandrova, met when performing at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow.

[6] He received a conventional academic education in Wiesbaden, and completed Abitur, the German qualification to attend university, alongside his ballet studies.

[2] After receiving a Senior Gold Medal from the 2006 USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi,[7] Simkin was invited to perform in the gala "Stars of the 21st Century" in Paris, and then in New York.

[10] During the following years, he performed leading roles in classical and neoclassical repertoire (see list below) including Don Quixote, Prodigal Son, Swan Lake, and The Boy with Matted Hair in Antony Tudor's Shadowplay.

"[14] Simkin's love of electronic music and the potential for Berlin's club scene to filter into the ballet world was another appeal.

As creator Caspar Hees told Pointe: "[Simkin] breaks down the major elements, from balance to the preparation to the upper body, and offers exercises, turn combinations and a few of his own secrets.

[17] One of Simkin's most celebrated roles is Basil in Don Quixote, which he has performed since the age of 19, and has presented all over the world alongside such partners as Maria Kochetkova and Isabella Boylston.

[1] Simkin's efforts to make ballet accessible, and to connect a large and broad audience to the art form, began with an early and active social media presence.

These projects have offered an opportunity for Simkin to explore every aspect of the creative process, as well as executive production and fundraising.

Repertory: Gregory Dolbashian's Welcome a Stranger, Jorma Elo's Nocturne/Etude/Prelude, Alexander Ekman's biographical Simkin and the Stage, and Anna Lopez Ochoa's Islands of Memories, the first ballet ever to be performed using real-time generated, video projections that are responsive to the dance.

It premiered at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in July 2015,[27] toured to Houston and Buenos Aires in November 2015, and ran at the Joyce for a week in January 2016.

Dancers at the New York debut included Isabella Boylston, Alexandre Hammoudi, Blaine Hoven, Calvin Royal III, Hee Seo, Cassandra Trenary, James Whiteside, and Céline Cassone.

[29] Diorama, 2020, co-production with Staatsballett Berlin, was a dance film conceived at the height of the pandemic with long-time partner Maria Kochetkova.