Birmingham Royal Ballet announces personnel for 2018/19

Promotions and new joiners named for BRB’s new season.

As the 2017/18 season comes to a close, Birmingham Royal Ballet has announced the following:

Yasuo Atsuji (front page pic) is promoted from First Soloist to Principal.

Yvette Knight (pictured) is promoted from Soloist to First Soloist
Brandon Lawrence is promoted from Soloist to First Soloist.
Maureya Lebowitz is promoted from Soloist to First Soloist.
Miki Mizutani is promoted from Soloist to First Soloist.
Yaoqian Shang is promoted from Soloist to First Soloist.

Karla Doorbar is promoted from First Artist to Soloist.
Max Maslen is promoted from First Artist to Soloist.
Lachlan Monaghan is promoted from First Artist to Soloist.

Aitor Galende is promoted from Artist to First Artist.
Beatrice Parma is promoted from Artist to First Artist.
Brooke Ray is promoted from Artist to First Artist.
Edivaldo Souza da Silva is promoted from Artist to First Artist.
Daria Stanciulescu is promoted from Artist to First Artist.

The following dancers join the company:

August Generalli will join as an Artist from Boston Ballet II.
Alexander Yap will join as an Artist from Northern Ballet.
Louis Cohen, graduate of the English National Ballet School, will join as an Artist.
Callum Findlay-White, graduate of the Royal Ballet School, will join as an Artist.
Tori Forsyth-Hecken, graduate of the Royal Ballet School, will join as an Artist.
Isabella Howard, graduate of the Royal Ballet School, will join as an Artist.
Yu Kurihara, graduate of the Royal Ballet School, will join as an Artist.
Lennart Steegen, graduate of the Royal Ballet School, will join as an Artist.
Yuki Sugiura, graduate of the Royal Ballet School, will join as an Artist.

Eilish Small, graduate of the Australian Ballet School, joined as an Artist earlier in 2018.

Joseph Taylor, graduate of Elmhurst Ballet School, will join as an Apprentice for the 2018/19 season. Joseph is the recipient of the Birmingham Royal Ballet and Elmhurst Ballet School Award for Excellence.

Jessica Wheeler, Principal of Elmhurst Ballet School said: “This exciting Award for Excellence in collaboration with our friends at Birmingham Royal Ballet is with thanks to the generosity of one of our most dedicated supporters. Each year it enables a talented graduate student, selected by David Bintley, to work full-time with BRB for an entire ballet season, gaining invaluable experience of the day-to-day life of our associate company, from class and rehearsals at its Birmingham Hippodrome home, to touring across the UK and internationally.

“We’re thrilled 2018 graduate Joseph Taylor follows in the footsteps of Jade Wallace, the first recipient of the award, and we wish him all the very best of luck as he takes his next big step into a professional dance career.”

Eight dancers, including Principals Nao Sakuma, Chi Cao and Jenna Roberts, took their final curtain calls at the end of the season following long and successful careers.

The Birmingham Royal Ballet Beyond Words 2018/19 season opens with La Fille mal gardée at Birmingham Hippodrome, 26th-29th September. Further information can be found here

Pics – Bill Cooper