Your April Roster Roundup: Dancers and Directors on the Move
The past few weeks have brought another exciting round of dancer career news—check out the latest farewells, appointments, promotions, and more in this month’s ballet roster roundup.
Promotions and Appointments
Bleuenn Battistoni has been promoted to étoile of the Paris Opéra Ballet. POB artistic director José Martinez and national opera director Alexander Neef announced the news on March 26, following Battistoni’s performance of Lise in Frederick Ashton’s La Fille Mal Gardée.
On March 13, American Ballet Theatre artistic director Susan Jaffe announced that Jarod Curley, Carlos Gonzalez, and Jake Roxander have been promoted to soloist, effective immediately.
Nine Staatsballett Berlin dancers have been promoted, effective at the start of the 2024–25 season: Weronika Frodyma, Martin ten Kortenaar, and Haruka Sassa have been promoted to principal; Danielle Muir and Kalle Wigle to soloist; and Marina Duarte, Gregor Glocke, Leroy Mokgatle, and Clotide Tran to demi-soloist.
Birmingham Royal Ballet’s Beatrice Parma has been promoted to principal. BRB artistic director Carlos Acosta shared the news on March 21 onstage following the company’s performance of The Sleeping Beauty.
On March 22, Alberta Ballet artistic director Francesco Ventriglia announced four promotions onstage after the company’s performance of Loughlan Prior’s Hansel & Gretel. Aaron Anker and Alexandra Hughes were promoted to principal, and Scotto Hamed-Ramos and Allison Perhach to soloist.
At Boston Ballet, four dancers have been promoted for the 2024–25 season: Daniel Durrett and Lauren Herfindahl to soloist, and Kaitlyn Casey and Courtney Nitting to second soloist.
On March 22, the opening night of Ballet Tucson’s Spring Concert, artistic directors Margaret Mullin and Chieko Imada promoted Sarah Wilkerson to the rank of soloist.
On March 19, San Francisco Ballet announced the appointment of Antonio Castilla as its new associate artistic director. Castilla, who currently serves as a répétiteur at English National Ballet, is a former SFB principal and will assume his new role this June 2024. At that time, current SFB associate artistic director Kerry Nicholls will transition to the position of director of artist development, a newly created role.
Pacific Northwest Ballet has announced that Jessica Lang will become the company’s resident choreographer, starting at the beginning of the 2024–25 season. Lang will kick off her residency in August with the creation of her fourth new work for the company.
The Washington Ballet’s former acting artistic director, Trinidad Vives, has been appointed director of The Washington School of Ballet. She will join in time for the school’s 2024 summer program.
Farewells
After 25 years with Miami City Ballet, principal Katia Carranza gave her final bow on March 10. Carranza, who joined MCB’s corps in 1998, was celebrated onstage following her last performance.
Dresden Semperoper Ballett principal Denis Veginy gave his final performance on March 21 as Prince Florimund in Aaron S. Watkin’s Dornröschen, after 16 years with the company. Veginy joined Dresden in 2008 as a soloist and will go on to serve as a company ballet master.
Former American Ballet Theatre corps dancers Jonathan Klein and Emily Hayes resigned from the company in March to pursue their skin-care company, Murmure, full-time.
Madeline DeVries and Maya Harr have announced their retirements from the stage after 10 and eight years with Alonzo King LINES Ballet, respectively. They will both give their last performances with the company on April 14, at the conclusion of LINES’ Spring Season.
Ballet Tucson soloist Alexis Collins has retired after 10 years with the company. The company celebrated Collins onstage on March 24 as she took her final bow at the end of its 2023–24 season.
Awards and Recognitions
On March 17, Staatsballett Berlin principal Iana Salenko received the honorary title of “Berlin Chamber Dancer” from Berlin’s senator for Culture and Social Cohesion, Joe Chialo.
The Official London Theatre’s 2024 Olivier Award nominees were announced on March 12. They include Ballet Black’s Isabela Coracy for an Outstanding Achievement in Dance, recognizing her performance in Mthuthuzeli November’s Nina: By Whatever Means; and Time Spell, by Tiler Peck, Michelle Dorrance, and Jillian Meyers, as part of the Sadler’s Wells performance of Turn It Out With Tiler Peck and Friends last December.
The 2023 Clive Barnes Award in Dance finalists have been announced. The award, presented by the Clive and Valerie Barnes Foundation, honors promising young talent in the arts. This year’s dance finalists are ABT corps member Michael de la Nuez, newly promoted ABT soloist Jake Roxander, Ballet de Lorraine artist Mac Twining, and Limón Institute faculty member Frances Lorraine Samson. The awards ceremony, where the winner will be announced, is on April 29 at Manhattan’s Florence Gould Hall.
On March 12, The London Ballet Circle named five UK-based organizations as the recipients of its 2024 Choreographic Award, which provides monetary prizes to programs that support the development of new ballets. Northern Ballet was awarded for its project Sketches, which supports emerging choreographers; English National Ballet School for its Young Choreographic Initiative, which provides third-year students with collaborative choreographic opportunities; Birmingham Royal Ballet for its Ballet Now project, which supports the creation of new contemporary ballets; New English Ballet Theatre to finance the production of a new commission by Royal Ballet principal Matthew Ball; and Let’s All Dance Ballet Company to fund a new Puss in Boots children’s ballet.
