Your June 2026 Roster Roundup: Dancers and Directors on the Move

Kyra Laubacher

June 3, 2026

The past few weeks have brought another exciting round of ballet career news—check out the latest farewells, appointments, promotions, and more in your June 2026 roster roundup.

Promotions and Appointments

At Ballet West, Rylee Ann Rogers has been promoted to first soloist; Nicole Fannéy, William Lynch, Lexi McCloud, and Loren Walton to soloist; Maren Florence and Jonas Malinka-Thompson to demi-soloist; and Ballet West II artists Olivia Book, Mario Mery, and Annalise Wood to the corps.

Philadelphia Ballet has announced the following promotions, effective at the start of the 2026–27 season: Jorge Garcia Alonso, Mine Kusano, and Gabriela Mesa have moved up to soloist; Javier Rivet to demi-soloist; and Ava DiEmedio to the corps.

Three photos side-by-side. On the far left, Gabriela Mesa poses in piqué arabesque wearing a light pink peasant-style dress with puffy sleeves. In the middle, Mine Kusano poses in retiré on pointe, her chest wide as she brandishes a magic wand. She wears a dress with a white bodice and a pink tulle skirt. On the right, Jorge Garcia Alonso jumps in a high retiré wearing a deep teal unitard. — From left: Gabriela Mesa in Swan Lake, Mine Kusano in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, and Jorge Garcia Alonso in William Forsythe’s *In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated*. Photos by Alexander Iziliaev, courtesy Philadelphia Ballet.

The following dancers have been promoted at Texas Ballet Theater: Rieko Hatato and Samantha Pille to principal; Jackson Bayhi, Adam Phillips, and Hannah Wood to soloist; and Alyssa Ramirez to apprentice.

At Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, apprentices Amelia McGravey, Isak Sorenson, and Michael Stadtherr have been promoted to the corps.

Francesco Messina has moved up to The Washington Ballet’s company from the trainee program.

Alabama Ballet’s Carrington Moser and Mollie Swindell have moved up from apprentice to company dancer.

Former rehearsal director Adam Blyde has been promoted to the newly created role of associate artistic director at Joffrey Ballet.

Arts venue Harlem Stage has appointed American Ballet Theatre principal Calvin Royal III and Grammy-nominated musician Divinity Roxx as its new associate artistic directors.

Calvin Royal III floats in the air with one leg in a high retiré devant as the other extends down and long. He rests one hand on his hip and reaches the other to the side. He wears white tights and boots, a white long-sleeve shirt, and an off-white vest with gold seams and a dark brown collar. Behind him, corps dancers dressed in 18th-century Parisian-style clothing, with gilded carriages among them. — Calvin Royal III in *Manon*. Photo by Gene Schiavone, Courtesy American Ballet Theatre.

Bobbi Jene Smith and Or Schraiber have been named Ballet BC’s resident choreographers, effective at the beginning of the 2026–27 season.

Farewells, New Arrivals, and Guestings

After 20 years at the helm of Ballet West, the longest artistic directorship in the company’s history, artistic director Adam Sklute will retire at the conclusion of the 2026–27 season. The company will hold an international search for his successor.

Adam Sklute sits on a chair at the front of a ballet studio, his back to the mirror, as dancers move in front of him. He rests his hands on his thighs and leans slightly, his mouth open as he addresses them. — Adam Sklute with dancers of Ballet West. Photo by Beau Pearson, courtesy Ballet West.

Dutch National Ballet bids farewell to principal Qian Liu, who will go on to teach at the Dutch National Ballet Academy. This August, the company will welcome back its former soloist and current Staatsballett Berlin principal Martin ten Kortenaar, joining at the principal rank. Also joining in August, as a soloist, will be National Ballet of Canada principal Siphesihle November.

After 22 years with The National Ballet of Canada, first soloist Jenna Savella will retire at the end of the 2025–26 season. Savella performed the title role of Helen Pickett’s Emma Bovary on May 29 and was honored onstage by the company on May 31.

Jenna Savella and Harrison James in rehearsal for Emma Bovary. They dance an emotional pas de deux together in a dance studio; she falls forward into his arms with an emotional look of desperation, and he catches her under her armpits. — Jenna Savella and Harrison James rehearsing Helen Pickett’s *Emma Bovary*. Photo by Karolina Kuras, courtesy The National Ballet of Canada.

Longtime Boston Ballet principal Lasha Khozashvili will give his final performance on June 7 as Prince Desire in The Sleeping Beauty.

After 12 years with the Royal New Zealand Ballet, soloist Shaun James Kelly has retired from the stage. He will continue working with the company as choreographer in residence.

Alberta Ballet soloist Allison Perhach has taken her final bow.

Onstage in front of a bright yellow backdrop, two dancers perform a contemporary pas de deux. Allison Perhach stands on flat with one leg in arabesque, looking up toward her right arm, which reaches toward the ceiling as her left arm reaches back. Behind her, Yoshiya Sakurai stands in tendu derriere with his arms in a wide third, pointer fingers extended gently. Perhach wears a yellow halter-top leotard, and Sakurai wears dark blue pants. — Allison Perhach and Yoshiya Sakurai in Helen Pickett’s *Petal*. Photo by Paul McGrath, courtesy Alberta Ballet

The Washington Ballet bids farewell to company dancers Nicole Graniero, Andile Ndlovu, Samara Rittinger, Stephanie Sorota, and Vladimir Tapkharov.

Ballet Austin’s Grace Morton and Alyssa Manguiat have given their final performances with the company.

Eugene Ballet’s Sam Neale, Sara Stockwell, and Hayley Tavonatti have retired from the stage.

Erinn Crittenden of Cleveland Ballet has taken her final bow.

Smuin Contemporary Ballet’s Tessa Barbour and Marc LaPierre have given their last performances with the company. Grand Rapids Ballet’s Anderson Da Silva will move to Smuin for the 2026–27 season.

Tessa Barbour in Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Requiem for a Rose. Photo by Chris Hardy, courtesy Smuin Contemporary Ballet.

The following dancers will move to Philadelphia Ballet at the start of the 2026–27 season: Rowan Lindamood will join the corps; and Alberto Gil Vicente, Roo Jacobsen, and Gabriel Saad will join as apprentices.

Raquel Smith has joined Ballet West as a corps member.

Ballet San Antonio principal Brenna Mulligan will move to Ballet RI for the upcoming season.

Alabama Ballet welcomes new company dancers Stirling Kolb and Gabriel Roush. It has also announced the launch of its Studio Company and its inaugural cohort.

Emma Fridenmaker, Karen Lopes de Avila, and Kirsten Rye have joined Ballet Arkansas.

New Chamber Ballet welcomes new dancer Arianna Hughlett.

Awards and Recognitions

Boston Ballet artistic director Mikko Nissinen has been named one of Boston Magazine’s 150 Most Influential Bostonians for 2026.

The Arts and Business Alliance of Eugene, OR, has announced its BRAVA Award winners: Suzanne Haag, Eugene Ballet associate artistic director and resident choreographer, has won the Arts and Letters Award, which honors individuals who have made significant contributions to Eugene’s arts community. Ballet Fantastique has won the Fentress Award, which recognizes organizations that have also made a notable impact.

roster roundup