Your August 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, Guestings, and Appointments
Paris Opéra Ballet’s Thomas Docquir and Jack Gasztowtt have been promoted to premier danseur.
Isaac Hernández will dance with American Ballet Theatre as a guest artist for its 2024 fall season. He will then join full-time as a principal in January 2025.
Léa Fleytoux, Patrick Frenette, and Fangqi Li have been promoted to soloist at ABT, effective September 1.
Jacopo Bellussi has been named étoile at Ballet de l’Opéra National du Capitole.
At English National Ballet, several promotions have been made for the 2024–25 season. Gareth Haw has been promoted to principal; Precious Adams, Ivana Bueno, Lorenzo Trossello, and Erik Woolhouse to first artist; Rentaro Nakaaki, Emily Suzuki, and Francesca Velicu to soloist; Alice Bellini, Georgia Bould, Minju Kang, Eric Snyder, Angela Wood, and Rhys Antoni Yeomans to junior soloist; and Claire Barrett, Emilia Cadorin, Breanna Foad, Shunhei Fuchiyama, and Chloe Keneally to first artist. Lead principal Erina Takahashi will also take on the additional role of company répétiteur.
At Birmingham Royal Ballet, Riku Ito has been promoted to first soloist, and Reina Fuchigami, Sofia Linares, and Enrique Vidal to soloist. In addition, Eilis Small has been promoted to first artist; Yvette Knight will transition from first soloist to principal character artist; and BRB2 dancers Jack Easton, Frieda Kaden, Maïlène Katoch, Oscar Kempsey-Fagg, and Mason King will all join the main company as artists.
Joburg Ballet celebrates the promotions of Ruan Galdino, Tammy Higgins, and Revil Yon to principal following the company’s opening-night performance of The Sleeping Beauty on June 28.
Colorado Ballet has announced several promotions: Leah McFadden and Jessica Payne to principal; Patrick Mihm and Alexandra Wilson to soloist; Liam Hogan, Ever Larson, and Sara Thomas to demi-soloist; Lily Bines, Stefanee Montesantos, Sonata Ross, and Tate Ryner to the corps; and Lily Hagan, Chloe Kinzler, and Wyatt Mier to apprentice.
At Cincinnati Ballet, Katherine Ochoa has been promoted to first soloist, Llonis del Toro Cintra to the corps, Simone Muhammad to new dancer, and Annie Fitzpatrick and Salomé Tregre to apprentice.
Washington Ballet Studio Company dancer Catherine Doherty joins the main company’s corps for the 2024–25 season. Trainee Francesco Messina has been promoted to the Studio Company.
New York City Ballet apprentices Sierra Griffith, Claire Kim, Mia Williams, and Oscar Estep have been promoted to the corps de ballet.
Six graduates from The Royal Ballet School will join The Royal’s main company as Aud Jebsen Young Dancers: Ravi Connier-Watson, Emile Gooding, Francesca Lloyd, Alejandro Muñoz, Katie Robertson, Rebecca Myles Stewart .
Ayami Goto, Hamish Lowe, Keira Sanford, and Pravda Tranfield have been promoted to the National Ballet of Canada corps from its RBC Apprentice Programme.
Houston Ballet II dancers Eli Go, Remie Goins, Kaito Matsuoka, and Saela Rivera Martinez have been promoted to apprentice.
Studio company dancer Caleb Emory has been promoted to the Louisville Ballet main company.
Alabama Ballet’s Isabella Bertellotti and Audra Cockrell have been promoted to company dancer.
New England Ballet Theatre apprentice Luna Esmerode has been promoted to company artist.
Molly McGuerty has been promoted to company artist at Ballet Hartford. Ella Gorney, Annabella Hartog, and Payton McGrew have been promoted to apprentice.
On July 14, John Neumeier took his final bow as director of Hamburg Ballet after 51 years at the helm.
Queensland Ballet has announced that after six months, Leanne Benjamin OBE AM has resigned from her position as artistic director, effective August 2. Assistant artistic director Greg Horsman will serve as acting artistic director in the interim.
Thirty-year Béjart Ballet dancer and interim director Julien Favreau has officially been appointed the company’s new artistic director.
Former English National Ballet répétiteur Antonio Castilla has joined San Francisco Ballet as associate artistic director.
On July 9, Muriel Romero was named the new director of Spain’s Compañía Nacional de Danza. She will begin the role on September 1 with a tenure of five years.
Domenico Luciano, formerly the principal of Colorado Ballet Academy, has been appointed the new director and artistic coordinator of Ballet de Barcelona’s junior company.
Farewells and New Arrivals
American Ballet Theatre said farewell to several company artists at the end of its 2024 Metropolitan Opera House season: soloists Luciana Paris, Blaine Hoven, and Katherine Williams; and corps dancers Alexandra Basmagy, Kiely Groenewegen, and Eric Tamm.
In addition, 17-year corps member Lauren Post has departed the company to direct Minneapolis’ Minnesota Dance Theatre School, starting August 15. Corps dancer Erica Lall departs to join the National Ballet of Canada’s corps de ballet.
National Ballet of Canada also welcomes Shaakir Muhammad as a first soloist for the 2024–25 season.
After 21 and 19 years with English National Ballet, respectively, first artist Van Le Ngoc and first soloist Alison McWhinney have left the company (McWhinney will join Queensland Ballet). In addition, company artists Matei-Hadrian Holeleu, Hamish Longley, and William Yamada departed at the end of ENB’s season. Soloist Fernando Carratala Coloma, junior soloist Victor Prigent, first artist Rebecca Blenkinsop, and company artist Archie Sullivan left mid-season.
ENB also welcomes: Swanice Luong and Madison Whiteley as first artists; Anri Sugiura and Alexandra Terry as company artists; Thalina Chapin, Paulo Gonzalez, Marta Monesi, Vincent Philp, and Nathaniel Ritter-Magot as foundation rank artists; and Martinho Santos as the Prix de Lausanne dancer.
Longtime Staatsballett Berlin principals Elisa Carrillo Cabrera and Ksenia Ovsyanick and soloist Luciana Voltolini have retired from the company.
Ballet Zürich welcomes Karen Azatyan and Nancy Osbaldeston as first soloists, Joel Woellner as a soloist, Caroline Perry as a group-with-solo dancer, and Erik Kim as a group dancer. Le’Ronnie Bussey, Wesley Cloud, Yelyzaveta Lazovska, Maia Roberts, Edoardo Savini, and Jana Teruel will join the junior company.
K-Arts graduate Jeon Min-cheol will join the Mariinsky Ballet as a soloist in February 2025.
Birmingham Royal Ballet principal Tyrone Singleton and first soloist Kit Holder have retired from the stage. Holder will join the company staff as artistic coordinator.
Dance Theatre of Harlem bids farewell to Amanda Smith, who joins Alonzo King LINES Ballet as a company dancer, and Lucas Castro, who returns to Utah Metropolitan Ballet as a principal. Michaela Martin-Mason, Kira Robinson, and Luis Rego join DTH for the upcoming season.
At The Royal Ballet, Airi Kobayashi joins as its 2024–25 Prix de Lausanne dancer; 2023–24 Prix de Lausanne dancer Julie-Ann Joyner departs to join Norwegian National Ballet 2. Former Royal Ballet Aud Jebsen dancer Seunghee Han leaves to join the National Ballet of Canada as an apprentice.
Ballet West welcomes seven new dancers: Alexis Bull, Kai Casperson, Taylor Fikes, Mikayla Gyfteas, James Jobson-Larkin, Schuyler Lian, and Lexi McCloud.
Tulsa Ballet’s Michael Paradiso and Miami City Ballet’s Julian Goodwin-Ferris will join New Jersey Ballet for the upcoming season.
Kirsten Hunsberger of Houston Ballet has joined Cincinnati Ballet as a corps member. Sarasota Ballet’s Joshua Fisk joins CB as a new dancer, and Mia Schlosser as an apprentice.
Richmond Ballet says hello to new company dancers Kaitlin Roemer (from Atlanta Ballet), Alejandro Mariño Hechavarria (BalletMet), and Annika Kuo (BalletX).
The Washington Ballet welcomes new dancers Felecia Baker and Akira Iida, as well as new Studio Company members Roman Aldrete, Ida Cacanindin, Olivia DeAngelo, Elena deGuzman, Mario Elefante, Jackson Rankin, Charlize Villacorta, and Katelyn Yang.
Nicholas Yurkevich joins Atlanta Ballet as a company dancer.
At Alabama Ballet, Humberto Ramazzina joins from Charlotte Ballet, and Caroline Love joins as an apprentice.
Louisville Ballet welcomes Nicholas Bentz, Nicholas Gray, and Joel Morin Kensicki to the company.
Boulder Ballet bids farewell to artist Catherine Lasak and welcomes newcomers Marian Faustino, Jordan Lovelace, Sarah MacGregor, Jethro Paine, and Monteś Pirtle.
Sacramento Ballet’s Eugene Obille, formerly of Ballet Philippines and Les Ballets Eloelle/Grandiva, took his final bow on May 19.
Medea Cullumbine-Robertson joins Indianapolis Ballet from Oregon Ballet Theatre.
Rochester City Ballet welcomes eight new dancers: Sophia Barnard-Decann, Jessica Bealer, Olivia Bevilacqua, Samantha Goodelle, Lily Janneck, Elizabeth Pinel, Marlena Roberts, and Sofia Stitz.
Ballet Spartanburg says hello to new company members Marlon Fometa, Jesse Joiner, Liz King, Maddie Kucensky, and Sophia Magliocco.
Mikaela Guidice and Caitlin Sendlenski have joined Ballet Quad Cities.
Awards and Recognitions
Misty Copeland has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the Live Theater/Live Performance category.
San Francisco Ballet principal Sasha De Sola and soloist Julia Rowe have been named the inaugural fellows of Raising Leaders, the company’s new artist development initiative that offers selected company dancers specially-tailored curriculum in leadership training.
Ballet Austin artistic director Stephen Mills was voted Best Dancer/Choreographer in the Austin Chronicle’s 2024 Best of Austin readers’ poll.
