James Forbat was born in Surrey, England and began dancing at the age of four. He trained professionally at the Royal Ballet School from 1994 graduating in 2005 with honours.

He joined English National Ballet in 2005 and was promoted to First Artist 2008, Solist 2009, and  First soloist 2013. James has danced the principal roles in The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Giselle,  Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty and Etudes as well as principal and soloist roles in many neoclassical and contemporary works by a range of choreographers including, Van Manen, Kylian and Macmillan. 

James left English National Ballet in 2020 and has subsequently been teaching and coaching  in Valencia in various schools. Most recently James has been working as Especialista de repertorio at the Conservatorio Profesional de Danza de Valencia.