News

News of Note: What You Might Have Missed in May 2022

June 3, 2022

Here are the latest promotions, appointments and departures, as well as notable awards and accomplishments, from May 2022. Also of note: new or newly available funding opportunities for dance artists.

Comings & Goings

Susan Jaffe has short, layered dark hair and fair skin. She wears a black suit and sits cross-legged on a stool, facing the camera.
Susan Jaffe. Photo by Jordan Bellotti, courtesy ABT.

Susan Jaffe will be the next artistic director of American Ballet Theatre, succeeding Kevin McKenzie in December.

Laurent Hilaire has been appointed director of Bayerisches Staatsballett, succeeding Igor Zelensky after his resignation in April.

Nicole Taney has been named the next artistic director of Celebrity Series of Boston, beginning with the 2023–24 season.

Jessica Tong has left her position as associate artistic director of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago.

National Ballet of Canada associate artistic director Christopher Stowell will leave his position at the end of June.

Kansas City Ballet executive director Jeffrey J. Bentley will retire at the end of June.

Michael Auer has been dismissed from his position as ballet master at Royal New Zealand Ballet, allegedly following reports of inappropriate behavior.

At New York City Ballet, Chun Wai Chan has been promoted to principal.

At The Royal Ballet, Reece Clark and William Bracewell have been promoted to principal, beginning with the 2022–23 season.

Alone on a shadowy, yellow-lit stage, William Bracewell moves through an off-kilter balance. His right leg is raised in a turned out side attitude as his torso hinges to the left. His gaze is turned downward as his right arm curves in high fifth overhead. He wears black pants and ballet slippers.
William Bracewell, here in Wayne McGregor’s Infra, has been promoted to principal at The Royal Ballet. Photo by Helen Maybanks, courtesy ROH.

At Miami City Ballet, Dawn Atkins and Samantha Hope Galler have been promoted to principal soloist, Taylor Naturkas, Adrienne Carter and Ariel Rose to soloist.

At Ballet West, Amy Potter and Jordan Veit have been promoted to principal, Chelsea Keefer to first soloist, David Huffmire to soloist, and Dominic Ballard, Olivia Gusti, Kazlyn Nielsen, Jake Preece, and Kristina Weimar to demi soloist, beginning with the 2022–23 season. Brian Waldrep will join as a soloist. Principal Rex Tilton and soloist Allison DeBona have departed the company.

At Boston Ballet, Maria Álvarez and Haley Schwan have been promoted to soloist, Daniel Durrett and Nina Matiashvili to second soloist.

At English National Ballet, effective with the 2022–23 season, Daniel McCormick has been promoted to first soloist, Precious Adams, Julia Conway, Fernando Carratalá Coloma and Erik Woolhouse to soloist, Emily Suzuki and Francesca Velicu to junior soloist. Lorenzo Tossello has joined as a junior soloist. Anu Sistonen has been named ballet mistress. Junior soloist Anjuli Hudson has retired.

At The Australian Ballet, Jill Ogai, Nathan Brook, Imogen Chapman and Rina Nemoto have been promoted to senior artist, Mason Lovegrove, Lucien Xu and Luke Marchant to soloist. Joseph Caley will join as a principal for the 2022–23 season.

Derrick Agnoletti, April Daley, Anna Gerberich, Chloé Sherman and Temur Sulashvili will retire from The Joffrey Ballet at the conclusion of the 2021–22 season.

92nd Street Y has rebranded as The 92nd Street Y, New York, aka 92NY.

Awards & Honors

Joel Grey will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2022 Chita Rivera Awards, at a ceremony on June 20.

Anurima Banerji, Hope Boykin, Brooke Holmes and Kara Yoo Leaman have been named fellows at New York University’s Center for Ballet and the Arts for the 2022–23 academic year.

Ariana DeBose was named to Time’s 100 Most Influential People of 2022 list.

New Funding Opportunities

Pentacle’s Cash Advance Program, which will provide selected artists a $5,000 cash advance as well as financial mentorship, professional development and administrative support, is accepting applications through June 8. More information and application here.

The NYSCA/NYFA Artists with Disabilities Grant program, which will provide $1,000 grants to New York State–based artists with disabilities outside of New York City, is accepting applications through June 28. More information and application here.

The Anonymous Was A Woman Environmental Art Grants will award up to $20,000 to fund environmental art projects led my female-identifying artists taking place through June 30, 2023. Applications are open through June 14. More information and application here.