PRESS RELEASE: Royal Ballet Promotions, Joiners and Leavers

[Jan McNulty]

Promotions, joiners and leavers for The Royal Ballet’s 2012/13 season

 

The Royal Ballet’s Ryoichi Hirano and Alexander Campbell have been promoted to First Soloists in the recent Company promotions. Ryoichi, 28 from Japan, joined The Royal Ballet in 2002 and was promoted to Soloist in 2008. Sydney-born Alexander, 25, joined the Company as a Soloist at the beginning of this season .

 

Congratulations also go to Beatriz Stix-Brunell, Claire Calvert, James Hay, Dawid Trzensimiech and Valentino Zucchetti who have all been promoted to Soloists, along with Meaghan Grace-Hinkis, Fumi Kaneko and Yasmine Naghdi who are promoted to First Artists.

 

Joining the Company at the start of the 2012/13 season will be Tierney Heap, Mayara Magri and Donald Thom from The Royal Ballet School and Nicol Edmonds from the Finnish National Ballet. All join as Artists.

 

During the course of the season, the Company has said good-bye to Principals Sergei Polunin and David Makhateli, First Artist Francesca Filpi and physiotherapist Daryl Martin, whilst leaving at the end of the season are Principal Tamara Rojo, First Soloist José Martin, Artists Celisa Diuana and Aaron Smyth and Ballet Mistress Ursula Hageli.

 

[Jan McNulty]

Congratulations to all the promotees and (yes I know I am biased) especially Alex Campbell.

[alison]

Can't quibble with any of those promotions: congratulations to all. Aaron Smyth leaving already, though? That's a shame.

 

But oops: "Joining the Company at the start of the 2011/12 season will be ..."

[Nina G.]

Congratulations to all dancers promoted this Season but especially to the ex-White Lodgers James Hay, Yasmine Naghdi and Claire Calvert. Really so well deserved!!! Very pleased for them

(Janet, I am afraid I am biased as well - but love Campbell too!)

[Jan McNulty]

Alison - thanks for noticing the date faux pas. I have taken the liberty of correcting the date.

[Bluebird]

Alison - thanks for noticing the date faux pas. I have taken the liberty of correcting the date.

 

They got the date wrong in the body of the press release as well as in the title:

 

Joining the Company at the start of the 2011/12 season will be Tierney Heap, Mayara Magri and Donald Thom from The Royal Ballet School and Nicol Edmonds from the Finnish National Ballet. All join as Artists.

[Jan McNulty]

Thanks Bluebird. I've amended the body now too. Just shows that I should read the blummin' things properly before I publish them.

[alison]

There's a slightly different version on the ROH website: http://www.roh.org.uk/news/royal-ballet-promotions-leavers-and-joiners

[Arky]

Congratulations to all concerned. It is great that ex-White Lodgers are included.

 

Delighted for Beatrix Stix-Brunell, who has jumped from Artist to Soloist - a well-deserved promotion, I feel.

 

I can see from comments above that I must look out for Alex Campbell!

[Nina G.]

Aaron Smyth only joined a few months ago. Leaving?

[alison]

I can see from comments above that I must look out for Alex Campbell!

 

You mean you've managed to miss him this year?

[zxDaveM]

I'm sure my word in Monica's ear paid dividends, seeing both Yasmine and Beatriz promoted!!

 

(Actually, they were probably already decided when I had that word - just joshing LOL )

[Arky]

Alison,

 

Looking at the cast list for Birthday Offering I now know that I have seen Alex Campbell quite recently, but without realising which dancer he was! Will do better in the future!

[SusanR]

I am really pleased that Dawid Trzensimiech has been promoted. I have been following his progress for the last couple of years. Thought he made a very good debut in Le Sylphide.

Susan

[Jan McNulty]

As all his fans from BRB can tell you, Alex Campbell is definitely worth watching!

[alison]

Looking at the cast list for Birthday Offering I now know that I have seen Alex Campbell quite recently, but without realising which dancer he was! Will do better in the future!

 

He was the one (again) doing the very fine "bookends" act along with Ricardo Cervera. I've found him easily recognisable from the first time I saw him with the RB (last time I saw him with BRB, he was dancing Cyrano, which isn't the easiest role for recognising dancers' faces!)

[capybara]

There is much to celebrate in this list and some well-deserved promotions among the younger members of the Company who have attracted our interest and given us so much pleasure this year. But, alas, there are some regrettable omissions. We predicted this would be the case as opportunities within a ballet company are so much a matter of Directorial taste. But isn't it time, for example, for Ludovic Ondiviela to become a soloist - he has done so much so well this year including Alain and Kolia - and for an addition to be made to the female Principal ranks? We will not tempt fate by mentioning any names!

 

It will be interesting to see who replaces Ursula Hageli.

[greypuss]

Congrats to all concerned. Pretty much as I expected really. I agree about the omissions. I would like to add that perhaps the RB like the Northern ballet are cutting back some of the bigger salaries at the top to give some more opportunites lower down the ranks.

[Nina G.]

The Company is (was ) very bottom heavy and thinning out towards 1st Soloist level. It makes good sense they are promoting the most talented younger ones faster (instead of keeping them for several years at the same level as they use to) so these dancers can gradually start filling up the 1st Soloist/Soloist ranks. The salary of one Principal perhaps pays for 2 if not 3 First Soloists/Soloists.

 

Anyhow that's my view on things and all the current Promotions are well deserved as all these dancers did stand out during the past Season.

[Wulff]

Yes, some well deserved promotions indeed, especially Dawid and Beatriz who have both shown that they can cope admirably with principal roles. Sorry to see that Aaron Smyth is leaving, but I have it on good authority that he was only employed on a short term contract to fill a gap in the boys' ranks caused by injury. Regarding the new intake I note that Nicol Edmonds is a 2010 graduate from Elmhurst. The BRB intake is notable for having only one RBS graduate, which brings the total RB/BRB intake from the RBS to only 4.

[capybara]

Laura Day joined BRB from the RBS Upper School Third Year some months ago. So that makes a total of 5 students graduating to the Royal Ballet Companies.

[Nina G.]

Also a Japanese student (sorry but I don't have her name) from RBS Thrid Year. She already joined in December, before Laura Day did. That makes 6

 

Three RBS Graduates go to the RB and three to BRB (of which 2 joined earlier)

Edited July 12, 2012 by Nina G.

[MichelleS]

The Japanese student was Reina Fuchigami

[Nina G.]

Out of the six RBS Graduates joining the Royal Companies only one trained at White Lodge&Upper School (?) Well done to Laura Day. Success at BRB!

 

Does anyone know which companies the other White Lodge trained dancers will be joining?

In fact, how many White Lodge trained dancers are graduating at the RBS - out of the whole lot of Graduates?

[alison]

This is getting rather off the original topic. Could someone please start another thread if you want to discuss RBS graduates in general? Thanks.

[Don Q Fan]

Great news for Alexander Campbell I am so pleased as I almost felt he was "wasted" at RB after taking on full Principal roles at BRB e.g. Will Mossop in Hobson's Choice. Looks like they were testing him out just to be sure. He certainly put in good performances in Birthday Offering and Les Noces recently - he partnered Principal Laura Morera in all the Birthday Offerings I saw. I have some photos from curtain calls but I can't see how to upload here easily.

I am also delighted to see Dawid Trzensimiech and Valentino Zuchetti promoted, well deserved. Congrats to all.

[Bluebird]

On the ROH YouTube website - "Claire Calvert on becoming a Royal Ballet soloist":

 

Edited July 13, 2012 by Bluebird