News of Note: What You Might Have Missed in May 2024
Here are the latest promotions, appointments, and departures, as well as notable awards and accomplishments, from May 2024. Plus, a newly available funding opportunity for dance organizations.
Comings & Goings
Nikolaj Hübbe will step down as artistic director of Royal Danish Ballet at the conclusion of his current contract in summer 2026.
Amanda Ram will serve as National Ballet of Canada’s interim executive director after Barry Hughson departs for American Ballet Theatre on July 1.
Lucinda Lent has stepped down as executive director of L.A. Dance Project, with artistic director Benjamin Millepied assuming the additional role.
Dance Umbrella Festival artistic director Freddie Opoku-Addaie and executive director Tania Wilmer have been named joint chief executive officers.
Zack Winokur has been named producing artistic director of New York City’s Little Island.
National Ballet of Canada senior répétiteur Peter Ottmann will retire from the company at the end of the current season.
At New York City Ballet, Emma Von Enck has been promoted to principal, David Gabriel, Jules Mabie, and Alec Knight to soloist.
At Philadelphia Ballet, beginning with the 2024–25 season, Sydney Dolan has been promoted to principal, Pau Pujol and So Jung Shin to first soloist, Jacqueline Callahan, Lucia Erickson, Isaac Hollis, and Nicholas Patterson to soloist, and Yuval Cohen and Mine Kusano to demi soloist.
At Miami City Ballet, Cameron Catazaro has been promoted to principal soloist, Mayumi Enokibara to soloist.
San Francisco Ballet principal Angelo Greco will join Houston Ballet as a principal at the start of the 2024–25 season.
Pacific Northwest Ballet principal James Kirby Rogers will depart at the end of the current season to join Dresden Semperoper Ballet. Soloist Ezra Thomson will retire from performance and shift to the role of rehearsal director at PNB at the start of the 2024–25 season.
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre principal Yoshiaki Nakano and soloist William Moore have retired. Principal Masahiro Haneji and soloists Jessica McCann and Gustavo Ribeiro will depart the company at the end of the current season.
Big Muddy Dance Company has rebranded as Saint Louis Dance Theatre.
Awards & Honors
Rosie Herrera was named the inaugural recipient of the National Center for Choreography-Akron’s Knight Choreography Prize, which includes a $30,000 unrestricted grant and $20,000 in programmatic support over two years.
Misty Copeland received the George Peabody Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Music and Dance in America from the Peabody Institute of Johns Hopkins University.
Justin Peck received the 2024 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Choreography (Broadway or off-Broadway) for Illinoise.
Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck won the Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Choreographer for their work on Buena Vista Social Club.
Winners at the 2024 Chita Rivera Awards included Camille A. Brown (tie, Outstanding Choreography in a Broadway Show, Hell’s Kitchen), Jesse Robb and Shana Carroll (tie, Outstanding Choreography in a Broadway Show, Water for Elephants), Antoine Boissereau (Outstanding Dancer in a Broadway Show, Water for Elephants), Tilly Evans-Krueger (Outstanding Dancer in a Broadway Show, The Outsiders), the cast of Illinoise (Outstanding Ensemble in a Broadway Show), Jennifer White (Outstanding Choreography in a Theatrical Release, Barbie), and David Petersen (Outstanding Direction of a Dance Documentary, Lift). Mayte Natalio received the Douglas and Ethel Watt Critics’ Choice Award. Phil LaDuca received the Vanguard Award.
New Funding Opportunity
Dance/NYC is accepting expressions of interest for the fourth iteration of its Dance Advancement Fund, which will award two-year general operating support grants of $6,000 to $40,000, as well as ongoing professional development, beginning in September. It is open to New York City–based organizations with operating budgets between $25,000 and $250,000. Expression of interest forms are due June 18, at 5 pm ET; more information available here.
