Luke Ingham, born in Mount Gambier, South Australia, began studying ballet at the age of five after discovering his mother’s old ballet shoes. He received his early training at Maryke Dance Academy and then at the Pierrot School of Ballet in Adelaide before being accepted into the Australian Ballet School at age fifteen.
After graduation from the Australian Ballet School, Ingham joined The Australian Ballet in 2004, where he quickly established himself as a promising young artist. During his tenure with the company, he toured internationally and performed soloist and principal roles in a broad range of classical and contemporary works. He was the recipient of several early-career honors, including the Gary Norman Achievement Award and the Friends of The Australian Ballet Scholarship, and he completed a professional development tour of major American ballet companies through the Young and Emerging Artist program in 2005 granted by the Australian Arts council.
In 2011, Ingham relocated to the United States where he danced at Houston Ballet before joining San Francisco Ballet as a Soloist in 2012.
At San Francisco Ballet he received rapid recognition and was promoted to Principal in 2014. As a Principal, Ingham danced principal roles across an expansive classical and contemporary repertoire and was an integral part of many new works—including notable ballets choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, Liam Scarlett, Justin Peck, David Dawson, Cathy Marston and Yuri Possokhov—before retiring in 2023.
Throughout his career, Ingham has been recognized for his dramatic sensitivity, refined partnering , and the ability to inhabit roles ranging from classical ballet to innovative modern works.
As a teacher Ingham draws inspiration from his former San Francisco Ballet Master Felipe Diaz and internationally renowned teachers Johnny Eliason and Yannick Boquin.
