Northern Ballet - Promotions, Leavers and New Arrivals

[Jan McNulty]

Northern Ballet has announced the following promotions:

 

Dreda Blow to First Soloist

Antoinette Brooks-Daw to Soloist

Giuliano Contadini to Soloist

 

Congratulations to all three dancers on their promotions!

 

The following dancers have left the company:

 

Julie Charlet

Ben Mitchell

Isabella Gasparini

Graham Kotowich

Joshua Barwick

Mark Dennis

Shanti Mouget

 

Best wishes to all of them for the future.

 

The following dancers will be joining the company:

 

Soloist:

Lucia Solari

 

Dancers

Maria Beseghi

Isadora Valero Meza

Mlindi Kulashe

Matthew Koon

 

 

More details here:  http://northernballet.com/index.php?q=media-releases/welcoming-new-dancers

[Bruce Wall]

My word, what a lot of leavers at the end of one season from one relatively small company.  Janet, is this an unusual occurrence for NB?  

[Jan McNulty]

It was a surprise but not unprecedented.  I think these things come in waves - stability for a couple of years and then a bit of an exodus.

[BristolBillyBob]

I remember Josh as a relative newbie in the Northern Ballet "Arts Troubleshooter" documentary. There were a few interesting points about him in this article (which I read to jog my memory). 

 

[edits because I'm an idiot and didn't read the link!  ]

 

For apprentice Josh Barwick, his job (and that of others) could be on the line if they can’t secure funding and he is the only Leeds born dancer in the company so his story has great resonance – if the company can be persuaded to follow up on it (eventually they do).

 

 

Bateman and Barwick say that they have never wanted to work anywhere other than at Northern Ballet.

 

Edited July 22, 2013 by BristolBillyBob