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

October 5, 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 October 2026 roster roundup.

Promotions and Appointments

New York City Ballet principal Tiler Peck has been appointed the company’s first-ever choreographic associate. The company also welcomes six apprentices to the corps: Ariel Erez, Corbin Holloway, Keenan Kiefer, Laina Mae Kirkeide, Simeon Daniel Neeld, and Lucie Richard.

In a ballet studio, Tiler Peck stands with her back toward the barre and mirrors, folding her hands and smiling at the group of dancers in front of her, whose reflections show in the mirror behind her.
Tiler Peck leading rehearsal at New York City Ballet. Photo by Erin Baiano, courtesy NYCB.

Abigail Willson-Heisel has risen to principal at the Stuttgart Ballet. The company has also promoted Irene Yang to soloist, and Natalie Thornley-Hall and Peter Hull to demi-soloist.

Staatsballett Berlin has announced a host of promotions: Kalle Wigle has been promoted to principal; Emma Antrobus, Marina Duarte, Fiona McGee, and Leroy Mokgatle to soloist; and Jessica Beardsell, Gustavo Chalub, Achille De Groeve, Jack Easton, Vivian Assal Koohnavard, Yuka Matsumoto, Giovanni Princic, Alicia Ruben, and Lewis Turner to demi-soloist.

Miami City Ballet has announced the promotions of Ilona Halloran-Rojas and Shadian Rodolfo Aquia from apprentice to corps members.

At Atlanta Ballet, Sayaka Iwase, Camille-Margaret Jackson, and Ícaro Queiros have moved upto the main companyfrom Atlanta Ballet 2.

Kansas City Ballet has announced the promotions of KCB II dancers Audrey Lynn and Ben Workman to the main company. 

Golden State Ballet congratulates Haley Mauldin on her promotion to soloist and Annabelle Eurich, who enters the corps.

Abigail Willson-Heisel splits her legs in a saut de chat across the stage, arms curved up gently to either side. She smiles, wearing a light cream and peach-colored tutu with puffy short sleeves and rose ornamentation. Behind her, courtiers sit and watch.
Abigail Willson-Heisel in Marcia Haydée’s The Sleeping Beauty. Photo by Roman Novitzky, courtesy Stuttgart Ballet.

At Ballet Tucson, Sky Byrd has been promoted to demi-soloist. The company also welcomes former apprentices Olivia Ballone, Maya Hughes, and Kiera Morgan to the corps.

Ballet RI’s Shawn Pearson and Jayden Towers have moved up from apprentice to company dancer.

South Carolina Ballet’s Claire Rapp has been named a ballerina, the company’s highest rank, and Sydney Murrell and Dylan Van Dyke have moved up to demi-soloist.

Eugene Ballet’s Hana Luebke and Brita Malena have been promoted from aspirants to company dancers. In addition, EB principals Mark Tucker and Danielle Tolmie have been named rehearsal assistants.

Julia Erickson, wearing black formal attire, folds her arms across her body and peers into the camera serenely for her headshot.
Julia Erickson. Photo by Duane Rieder, courtesy Indianapolis Ballet.

Indianapolis Ballet has announced that former Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre principal Julia Erickson will succeed Victoria Lyras as artistic director, effective November 16.

Dr. Adesola Akinleye joins the Royal Academy of Dance as its new national director for the U.S., succeeding Patti Ashby. Chan Hon Goh, a former National Ballet of Canada principal, will also join RAD as its new vice president. 

Dutch National Ballet director Ernst Meisner has appointed three choreographers as creative associates of the company: Zoë Greten, Joshua Junker, and Mthuthuzeli November.

Former Scottish Ballet soloist Thomas Edwards has joined The Joffrey Ballet as a rehearsal director.

Kaatsbaan Cultural Park has named choreographer Jessica Lang as its next artistic advisor.

After eight seasons performing with Nashville Ballet, Michael Burfield has stepped into his new role as rehearsal director.

Claudia Mota has joined Oklahoma City Ballet as a guest rehearsal director for the 2026–27 season.

Farewells, New Arrivals, and Guestings

American Ballet Theatre has announced that principals Herman Cornejo and James Whiteside will take their final bows with the company this summer. Cornejo, who joined ABT in 1999 and has been a principal there since 2003, will give his last performance on July 22, opposite Skylar Brandt in Swan Lake. Whiteside, who joined as a soloist in 2012 and was promoted to principal the following year, will give his on June 30, opposite Isabella Boylston in Giselle.

After 29 years with the National Ballet of Canada, principal Heather Ogden will retire at the end of the 2026–27 season. The company will celebrate Ogden with a farewell gala on June 8, which will include a world premiere by former artistic director James Kudelka created especially for her.

Finnish National Ballet artistic director Javier Torres will step down in July 2027, two years earlier than his contract intended. (Torres took the helm in 2022.) The company is entering a transition period this month (October 2026), during which artistic administrator Sampo Kivelä will step in as human resources manager.

Heather Ogden performs as Odette in "Swan Lake," wearing a white classical tutu with feathers and a matching headpiece. She poses in tendu croisé derriere with her front leg in plié, arms extended in a high arabesque position. She looks up and past her top arm with a pained expression.
Heather Ogden in Swan Lake. Photo by Karolina Kuras, courtesy NBoC

Boston Ballet has bid farewell to artist Abigail Merlis and soloist Haley Schwan, who both joined the company in 2017.

New York City Ballet corps member Samuel Melnikov has departed the company.

In addition to new principal Chyrstyn Mariah Fentroy, The Royal Swedish Ballet has recruited 13 more dancers for the 2026–27 season: Benjamin Garrett and Gabriel Lorena as second soloists; and Erik Åhl, Iacopo Arregui, Femke Feith, Zoé Ferla, Chloé Hoffmann, Arion Javér, Alexandre Joaquim, Alexandra Melsom, Eoin Robinson, Joan Sempere Martínez, and Jessica Templeton as corps members.

The following dancers have joined Staatsballett Berlin: Benjamin Freemantle as a soloist; and Grace Boyd, Robyn Hodges, Phillipa McCann, and Magdalen Wood as corps members.

Dillon Brizic, Matteo Miccini, Mark Sims, and Kadelle Smith have joined Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo.

Isabella DeVivo, dressed in a short, light green dress with fairy wings, poses on pointe with one leg croisé devant at 90 degrees. She leans forward slightly with her opposite arm reaching forward, the other extended up and back. Corps dancers in light green tutus stand in tendu back behind her.
Isabella DeVivo in Don Quixote. Photo by Erik Tomasson, courtesy San Francisco Ballet.

Miami City Ballet says hello to new soloist Isabella DeVivo, who joins from San Francisco Ballet, as well as new corps members Scarlett Barone, Peyton Cole, and Emryck Sanchez Raffy.

Aoi Morohashi, Fabian Raschitor, and Sam Stampleman are The Joffrey Ballet’s newest dancers.

Ayumi Kobayashi, Elizabeth Powell, Isabella Roman, Ashley Rosendahl, Minji Son, and Yi-Min Tsung have joined Atlanta Ballet.

Kansas City Ballet welcomes new dancers Anya Chiu, Michael Dadlez, and Jordan Long.

Hilary An-Rodie, Lydia Hough, and Mikaela Milic have joined Alberta Ballet’s corps.

BalletMet’s newest joining dancers are Arsentii Lazarev and Sophie Mossa.

After 11 seasons with Collage Dance Collective, Rickey Flagg II has given his last performance and has joined the Collage Dance Conservatory as a faculty member.

Onstage within a modern set with cream-colored walls, Ricky Flagg II stands in first position with his fingers interlaced, palms facing away, as he presses his arms down and to the right. He leans slightly away, chin lifted and head turned to look up to the side. He wears a short, sleeveless brown costume with loose fabric.
Ricky Flagg II in Wayne McGregor’s Chroma. Photo courtesy Collage Dance Collective.

Nikolas Gaifullin and Emily Sapsford have joined Louisville Ballet.

Ballet RI says hello to new company members Ciarán Barlow and Malerie Moore.

Ballet Memphis welcomes new dancer Isaac Lee.

Cleveland Ballet’s Sydney Henson has retired from the stage.

At Golden State Ballet, Margot Aknin and Amélie Freeman have joined the corps.

Ahmad Hill has joined Madison Ballet as a company artist.

Antonio Lopez has departed Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo.

The Royal New Zealand Ballet welcomes the following dancers for its run of The Sleeping Beauty October 29–December 20: Jason Ferro, Matthew Maxwell, Michael Scott-Kahans, and Rory Taylforth.

Awards and Recognitions

The Royal Academy of Dance has presented director and choreographer Christopher Wheeldon, OBE, with its highest honor, the Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Award, for his services to ballet and dance.

Christopher Wheeldon, Queen Camilla, and Elizabeth Honer stand together on a stage at an awards ceremony, wearing formal attire. Wheeldon holds an awards and smiles at Queen Camilla, who folds her hands and smiles at the audience offscreen. Honer folds her hands, as well, and looks at the queen. Behind them, "Royal Academy of Dance" is projected onto a screen.
From left: Christopher Wheeldon OBE, Queen Camilla of England, and Royal Academy of Dance chief executive Elizabeth Honer CB. Photo by Jimmy Parratt, courtesy RAD.

Dwight Rhoden, co-founding artistic director of Complexions Contemporary Ballet, has been honored with the Palm Desert Choreography Festival’s 2026 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Regan Hutsell, who previously danced with Birmingham Royal Ballet, Ballet RI, and the Radio City Rockettes, has been crowned the 99th Miss America. She is the first Black woman to win wearing her natural hair.

The National Ballet of Canada principal Agnes Su and first soloist Donald Thom have received the 2026 Dancers First Award, which is determined by a committee of the company’s artistic staff and recognizes outstanding performances in the previous season.

Stuttgart Ballet, Ballet Basel, Vienna State Ballet, and Ballett am Rhein have been named season standouts in the 2026 Tanz magazine Yearbook awards, which also recognize Marcia Haydée with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Regan Hutsell poses on pointe with her left leg extended a la seconde, a slight twist in her body as she leans slightly to the right for style. Her arms extend in a high arabesque; she looks over her left fingertips as her arm matches her extended leg's line. She wears a sleeveless black leotard.
Regan Hutsell. Photo courtesy Miss America.

abigail willson-heisel american ballet theatre heather ogden herman cornjeo indianapolis ballet james whiteside julia erickson national ballet of canada new york city ballet regan hutsell staatsballett berlin stuttgart ballet tiler peck