News of Note: What You Might Have Missed in May 2023
Here are the latest promotions, appointments, and departures, as well as notable awards and accomplishments, from May 2023.
Comings & Goings
Courtney Beck has been named executive director of Alonzo King LINES Ballet, succeeding cofounder Robert Rosenwasser, who remains as creative director.
Chicago Dance History Project artistic and executive director Jenai Cutcher has departed to join GroundWorks DanceTheater as executive director.
Stephanie Pacheco has been named executive director of The Yard, beginning June 9.
Thom Dancy will succeed Jena C. Woodbury as executive director of Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company on June 19.
David Gray has been named the next executive director of Kansas City Ballet, succeeding Jeffrey J. Bentley as of July 1.
Anna Williams will step down as chief operating officer of Birmingham Royal Ballet in late summer. Her role is being split into two, with Christopher Rodriguez joining as director of finance and resources at the end of June.
Natasha Adorlee, Daniel Randall Durrett, and Lorris Eichinger have been named to Ballet22’s newly formed artistic advisory committee. Cofounder Roberto Vega Ortiz has departed to pursue other performance opportunities.
At Philadelphia Ballet, Ashton Roxander has been promoted to principal, effective at the start of the 2023–24 season.
At Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, beginning at the start of the 2023–24 season, Tommie Lin O’Hanlon has been promoted to principal, Grace Rookstool to soloist. Gustavo Ribeiro has joined as a soloist.
Marco Corcella will join Oklahoma City Ballet as a principal at the start of its 2023–24 season. Alejandro González and Mayu Odaka will be promoted to principal, Randolph Fernandez, Joseph Hetzer, and Gabrielle Mengden to soloist.
At Ballet de l’Opéra National de Bordeaux, Riku Ota has been promoted to étoile. San Francisco Ballet principal Mathilde Froustey will join as an étoile this summer.
Dores André and Max Cauthorn have joined Ballett Zürich from San Francisco Ballet. SFB soloist Lucas Erni has departed the company; Hansuke Yamamoto has retired.
Dinu Tamazlacaru, Iana Balova, Marian Walter, Evelina Godunova, Daniil Simkin, Yevgeniy Kissamutdinov, and Aya Okumura will depart Staatsballett Berlin at the end of the season.
National Ballet of Canada principal character artist Alejandra Perez-Gomez will retire at the end of the 2022–23 season. Her final performance is scheduled for June 25.
Festival Ballet Providence has rebranded as Ballet Rhode Island.
Awards & Honors
Winners at the 2023 Chita Rivera Awards were Steven Hoggett (Outstanding Choreography in a Broadway Show, A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical), Robyn Hurder, Jess LeProtto, and Mattie Love (Outstanding Dancer in a Broadway Show, Hurder and LeProtto for A Beautiful Noise and Love for Bob Fosse’s DANCIN’), the casts of Bob Fosse’s DANCIN’ and New York, New York (Outstanding Ensemble in a Broadway Show), Gaby Diaz and Ryan Steele (Outstanding Dancers in an Off-Broadway Show, Only Gold), Andy Blankenbuehler (Outstanding Choreography in an Off-Broadway Show, Only Gold), Jamal Sims (Choreography in Film, 13: The Musical), and Dan Watt (Outstanding Direction of a Documentary Release, Everybody Dance). Jeffrey L. Page received the Douglas and Ethel Watt Critics’ Choice Award for his work on 1776. John Kander received the Lifetime Achievement Award. BroadwayHD, founded by Bonnie Comley and Stewart F. Lane, received the Ambassadors For The Arts Award.
Casey Nicholaw received the 2023 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography for Some Like It Hot, which also won Outstanding Musical. Cast members J. Harrison Ghee and Kevin Del Aguila won Outstanding Lead Performance in a Musical and Outstanding Featured Performance in a Musical, respectively.
Victor Abreu (New York City Ballet) and Lorna Courtney (Broadway’s & Juliet) received Clive Barnes Awards for Dance and Theatre, which includes a $5,000 unrestricted cash award.
