Your January 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 2025’s first ballet roster roundup.
Promotions and Appointments
After 17 years with The Royal Ballet, Melissa Hamilton has been promoted to principal, effective January 1.
The Lithuanian National Ballet has announced that Jurgita Dronina has been appointed its new artistic director. Following her November 24 farewell performance with National Ballet of Canada, where she was a longtime principal dancer,Dronina will take her final bows in Giselle January 9–11 with Lithuanian National Ballet.
Complexions Contemporary Ballet dancer Vincenzo Di Primo has been named the company’s artist in residence, a role he will carry out while continuing to perform. In addition, former CCB apprentice Laura Pernich Villasmi has been invited to join the main company.
Eleven dancers are moving up at The Australian Ballet, effective January 2025: Davi Ramos from soloist to senior artist; Drew Hedditch from coryphée to soloist; and Grace Carroll, Benjamin Garrett, Serena Graham, Samara Merrick, Joseph Romancewicz, Elijah Trevitt, Belle Urwin, Yichuan Wang, and Annabelle Watt from corps de ballet to coryphée.
Dutch National Ballet’s YuanYuan Zhang, who has been with the company since 2014,has been named a principal dancer.
In addition, Ernst Meisner will succeed Ted Brandsen as Dutch National Ballet’s artistic director, starting August 1, 2026. Meisner is currently the associate director of DNB’s Talent Development, as well as artistic director of the Junior Company and the Dutch National Ballet Academy.
Maya Schonbrun has been promoted to first soloist at the Royal Swedish Ballet.
Alberta Ballet celebrates the following promotions: Seira Iwamoto to soloist, Kurtis Grimaldi to senior corps, and Hotaru Maruyama and Hinata Takahara to the corps.
All four of Royal New Zealand Ballet’s 2024 scholars—Niamh O’Meara, Ruby Ryburn, Ema Takahashi, and Hannah Thomson—have moved up to company artist.
Cincinnati Ballet has appointed Cervilio Miguel Amador to artistic director. Amador, a former principal with the company, had served as interim artistic director since September 2023.
Dane Hurst has been named Joburg Ballet’s interim artistic director from January to June 2025.
Farewells, New Arrivals, and Guestings
After 29 years with American Ballet Theatre, principal Gillian Murphy will take her final bow as Odette/Odile in Swan Lake on July 18, during the company’s summer season. Murphy is the longest-standing current dancer at ABT.
Complexions’ Alberto Andrade, Jasmine Cruz, and Candy Tong have taken their final bows with the company. Tong will step into an expanded role at the Complexions Contemporary Ballet Academy, leading workshops and professional development training.
Kobe Courtney, who departed last year, is returning to Complexions, and Diego Tapanes joins from Texas Ballet Theater.
Orlando Ballet’s Sofia Tsutsakova-Abenanty gave her final bow following the company’s Nutcracker run. She will go on to teach at Orlando Ballet School.
Texas Ballet Theater has announced that principal Alexandra Light and soloist Joamanuel Velázquez will retire from the stage in May. Light will continue to pursue her choreographic career.
The Royal New Zealand Ballet says farewell to company artists Georgia Baxter, Shae Berney, Ella Chambers, Lara Flannery, Levi Teachout, and Damani Campbell Williams. They join departed dancers Macy Cook and Monet Galea-Hewitt, who left in October and August, respectively.
Royal New Zealand Ballet welcomes Emma Gavan and Jordan Sawtell as company artists; Hilary An-Roddie, Joshua Douglas, Angus O’Connell, and Olivia Platt join as scholars.
The Royal Ballet principal Reece Clarke and Dutch National principal Olga Smirnova will both perform with American Ballet Theatre as guest artists in the company’s summer season. Clarke, who will make his ABT debut, will dance the role of Aminta in Sylvia on July 9 and 12. Smirnova will perform the titular role of Giselle on June 21.
Awards and Recognitions
Longtime Royal Ballet principal Marianela Nuñez has been awarded Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to dance.
In its “Best Dance Performances of 2024,” The New York Times included the following ballet companies, dancers, and performances: New York City Ballet in Alexei Ratmansky’s Solitude, American Ballet Theatre principal Chloe Misseldine, NYCB principal Mira Nadon, Paris Opéra Ballet étoile Sae Eun Park in Giselle, The Royal Ballet’s Ashton Festival, POB in William Forsythe’s reworking of Rearray, and The Royal in Pam Tanowitz’s Or Forevermore.
The Heisman Trophy Trust selected Misty Copeland as the recipient of the 2024 Heisman Humanitarian Award for her outreach work through the Misty Copeland Foundation, which advocates for dancers of color and provides dance education in under-resourced communities.
National Ballet of Canada principal Tirion Law was included in Toronto Life’s 2024 “Rising Stars of Toronto” list.
Fort Worth Magazine named Texas Ballet Theater principal Alexandra Light as its December Fort Worthian.
The Australian Ballet has announced coryphée artist Sara Andrlon as the recipient of the 2024 Telstra Ballet Dancer Award, which recognizes dancers of exceptional artistry and leadership.
Annabelle Lopez Ochoa has been named one of Dance Lab New York’s 2025 honorees.
Bank of America has named Collage Dance Collective as its Memphis 2024 Neighborhood Champion, for which CDC will receive a $50,000 grant over two years, leadership training resources for its executive director, and access to technical coaching.
