A pro-Palestine protester who caused a scene at the end of a Royal Opera House performance has been reportedly identified as a self-described ‘queer dance artist’.
Daniel Perry, a privately educated performer who attended the £16,000-per-term Tring Park School for the Performing Arts, has worked as a dancer since 2013, according to an online biography.
The artist – who uses ‘they/them’ pronouns – caused a scene during the curtain call of Il Trovatore on Saturday as they unfurled the Palestine flag on stage.
Perry could be seen resisting a furious attempt by a man identified as Royal Opera director Oliver Mears to yank the flag out of their hands.
They pull the flag back towards them, sending Mr Mears stumbling, as Perry’s fellow performers awkwardly side-step out of the way of the carnage.
The protesting performer then stands with the flag as – in video seen from another angle – a woman appears to remonstrate with them from behind a curtain.
Self-described as a ‘queer dance artist’, Perry has privatised their social media accounts, one of which features the transgender, pride and Palestinian flags alongside a watermelon emoji – a symbol of pro-Palestine protest.
A post earlier this month seen by MailOnline showed them standing outside the musical Cabaret in London’s Charing Cross in a vest daubed with the slogan ‘Free Palestine’.
Daniel Perry could be seen resisting an attempt by a man identified as Royal Opera director Oliver Mears to drop a Palestinian flag after unfurling it on stage on Saturday
Perry describes themselves as a ‘queer dance artist’ on Instagram. Their biography features transgender, rainbow and Palestine flags
Perry’s online biography states they have performed in several West End productions including Cabaret and Mary Poppins
In the caption, they compared the events of the play – which charts the rise of the Nazi party in Germany through the lens of a Berlin cabaret club – to current events.
They previously performed as a dancer in an earlier run of the play alongside Eddie Redmayne and Jessie Buckley, as well as West End productions of Mary Poppins and Carousel, according to a biography.
An online CV suggests they also worked on a number of cruise lines as a dancer, and appeared in a straight-to-DVD gangster film and a TV advert for crisps.
‘I decided to make this top and wear it as a reminder to myself, and to those around me, of the themes of the show and its relevance to our current times,’ they wrote.
‘I am so disappointed in an industry that I have worked in for over 10 years. Where is your support for those who need our help?’
They also called for a boycott of Coca-Cola, which has been a target of the so-called ‘boycott, divest, sanctions’ movement targeting businesses that continue to trade with Israel amid its war with Hamas in Gaza.
Perry is reported by The Telegraph to have been hired as a freelancer for the Royal Opera’s latest run of Il Trovatore – a four-part opera composed by Verdi – which ended on Saturday night.
A witness said the dancer unfurled a Palestinian flag during the opera’s curtain call.
They said: ‘Someone from the opera house/company came on stage from the wings to try to remove the flag from the cast member who wrestled it back and refused to give it up during Il trovatore.’
It remains unknown whether they have been reprimanded for their on-stage protest.
The Tring Park School for the Performing Arts in Hertfordshire charges up to £16,000 per term for boarding, or around £48,000 a year. Its alumni include Dame Julie Andrews and Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley.
The man seen to attempt to yank the flag out of Perry’s hands has been identified as Royal Opera director Oliver Mears (pictured)
Perry unfurled the flag during the curtain call for the last night of Il Trovatore at the Royal Opera House on Saturday
Perry has called for a boycott of businesses that continue to trade with Israel such as Coca-Cola, and compared the events of Cabaret to current events in Gaza
Perry describes themselves as a Queer dance artist, choreographer/movement director and DJ
Opera fan Stephen Ratcliffe, who was also watching the production, on X added: ‘Controversy at end of Trovatore @rbo_org tonight when an extra/chorus member unfurled a Palestinian flag.
‘Off stage manager tried to grapple with him but he held his ground. Bet he won’t be working there again.’
Royal Ballet and Opera – which counts the King as its patron – says the protest was ‘spontaneous and unauthorised’ and was ‘not in line with our commitment to political impartiality’.
It has previously staged concerts in solidarity with Ukraine, featuring performers who fled to Britain in the wake of Russia’s 2022 invasion.
A spokesman said: ‘The display of the flag was spontaneous and unauthorised action by the artist.
‘It was not approved by the Royal Ballet and Opera and is not in line with our commitment to political impartiality.’
MailOnline has contacted the Royal Ballet and Opera and Daniel Perry for further comment.
