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Dancers going/coming


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I try to keep up with Pennsylvania Ballet, even from down here in the south. Does anyone know of dancers who are leaving the company, or new ones coming in? How about promotions for the new season? I know that Francis Veyette is going to Kansas City Ballet, and I'd heard that Sarah Edery is going to Boston Ballet. Anyone know anything else?

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Have you checked their website lately? I know there is a newsletter you can download as a pdf file... and then I was almost sure I'd read something recently on the board in the Links forum about their dancers but my initial search didn't turn anything up.

Click around on their website they have press releases, etc., there and let us know if you find anything pugbee - I know I read about their current company members somewhere!

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PABallet web site is not updated yet it seems. There are changes in the roster this year but they have not seemed to release it to the press yet. I would hope it would be soon. Maybe this is because contracts have not been mailed out yet.......the company is still in union negotiations.

:shrug: They begin back after Labor Day. Yes, Sarah did go to BB and Francis to Kansas City Ballet. And James Ady will return as a soloist to PABallet.

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Hi!

I know that a number of SAB students have accepted contracts with PA Ballet II or as apprentices with the main company. As of now, I have confirmation for:

PA Ballet II: Rebecca Azenberg, Keith Mearns

PA Ballet apprentice: Barrette Vance, Elysia Lichtine

When I get confirmation on the other dancer(s), I will post the info at my SAB website: wwww.sabworkshops.org.

Cheers!

Kate

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It's official!

Pennsylvania Ballet's press release on next year's roster:

PENNSYLVANIA BALLET ANNOUNCES CHANGES

TO COMPANY ROSTER FOR 2003-2004 SEASON

Artistic Director Roy Kaiser announces Pennsylvania Ballet’s company roster for the 2003-2004 season, which includes five promotions and six new members. The Company embarks on its 40th season with a total of 42 dancers, ranked into Principal, Soloist, Corps de Ballet and Apprentice positions.

James Ihde, Tara Keating and Riolama Lorenzo are being promoted to the level of Soloist from their previous positions in the Corps de Ballet, and Laura Bowman and Ashley Flood are becoming members of the Corps de Ballet after each serving two years as Apprentices. The Company also welcomes the return of former Corps de Ballet member James Ady as a Soloist; a new Corps de Ballet member, Jamar Goodman; and four new Apprentices, Elysia Lichtine, Michael Patterson, Barette Vance and Gabriella Yudenich.

Commenting on the new promotions, Mr. Kaiser says, “I am thrilled to be able to promote these fine artists. Each of these hard-working individuals displays a level of excellence that warrants this recognition.”

A member of the Company since 1995, James Ihde has danced several feature roles including Paris in John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet, Cavalier in The Nutcracker, the title role in Ben Stevenson’s Dracula, Ivan in James Kudelka’s The Firebird, and the title role in George Balanchine’s Apollo. He has also danced leading roles in Jerome Robbins’ Interplay, Lar Lubovitch’s Concert Six Twenty-Two and Waiting for the Sunrise, Paul Taylor’s Company B, and Margo Sappington’s Rodin, Mis En Vie. A native of Kent, Ohio, Mr. Ihde studied for eight years at the Dance Institute of the University of Akron, and completed a two year apprenticeship with Pennsylvania Ballet from 1993 to 1995. He resides in Philadelphia.

Originally from Massachusetts, Tara Keating joined Pennsylvania Ballet as a member of the Corps de Ballet in the spring of 1998. She has danced such principal roles as Helena and Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s

Dream, Myrtha in Giselle, Emilia in José Limon’s The Moor’s Pavane, and Dew Drop and Coffee in The Nutcracker. She has also danced featured roles in John Butler’s Carmina Burana, Lar Lubovitch’s Concerto Six Twenty-Two; Paul Taylor’s Company B and Arden Court, Margo Sappington’s Rodin, Mis En Vie, and Matthew Neenan’s Le Travail. Prior to joining the Company, Ms. Keating danced with American Repertory Ballet for two years. She is a 1995 graduate of Juilliard College, where she received the RDA Dance Magazine Award and The Most Outstanding Dance Major Award from the National Dance Association. She lives in Frenchtown, NJ.

Riolama Lorenzo joined Pennsylvania Ballet as a Corps de Ballet member in September 2002. In her one season with the Company, she danced such principal roles as Polyhymnia in Apollo, Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, and the title role in The Firebird. Ms. Lorenzo was also featured in Matthew Neenan’s Le Travail, and Paul Taylor’s Company B. Prior to joining the Company, she danced with New York City Ballet for five years. Originally from Havana, Cuba and the daughter of a former dancer with Nacional Ballet de Cuba, Ms. Lorenzo trained at the Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, Florida and the School of American Ballet. In 1993, she received the renowned Princess Grace Award. She resides in Philadelphia.

A native of Raleigh, North Carolina, Laura Bowman became an Apprentice with Pennsylvania Ballet in August 2001. During the past two years, she has danced featured roles in The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, Margo Sappington’s Rodin, Mis En Vie, Matthew Neenan’s Le Travail, and Jerome Robbins’ Interplay. Ms. Bowman studied for ten years at the Raleigh School of Ballet and attended summer sessions at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Houston Ballet. She trained for one year at the Rock School before being invited to join the Company as an Apprentice. She lives in Philadelphia.

Ashley Flood joined the Company as an Apprentice in September 2001, and has been featured in The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella. Originally from California, Ms. Flood began her training at the San Diego School of Ballet. She then attended San Francisco Ballet School under full scholarship, and completed summer programs at the School American Ballet and American Ballet Theatre school. Ms. Flood received the ARTS Award in 2001 from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. She lives in Philadelphia.

“The new dancers that I have hired for our 40th season all demonstrate individual artistry and skill that make them a welcome addition to our Company,” says Mr. Kaiser.

James Ady returns to the Company as a Soloist after one year with American Ballet Theatre, where his repertoire included roles in Le Corsaire, Giselle, Offenbach in the Underworld and Within You Without You: A Tribute to George Harrison. Prior to that, he was in Pennsylvania Ballet for five years, dancing several principal roles including Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet, Cavalier in The Nutcracker, Franz in Coppélia, and Frederick in Dracula, as well as featured roles in George Balanchine’s Valse Fantasie and The Four Temperaments, and Paul Taylor’s Arden Court. Mr. Ady began ballet training at the age of 15 in Clinton, Iowa, and attended the North Carolina School of the Arts, as well as Pennsylvania Ballet and San Francisco Ballet summer programs.

Jamar Goodman joins Pennsylvania Ballet’s Corps de Ballet after dancing for two seasons with American Ballet Theatre. A member of the Corps de Ballet, he danced in most of the company’s repertoire and had leading roles in Amazed in Burning Dreams, Black Tuesday, Concerto No. 1 for Piano and Orchestra, Marimba and Within You Without You: A Tribute to George Harrison. Prior to joining American Ballet Theatre, Mr. Goodman was a member of ABT’s Studio Company for two and half years. A native of Waterbury, Connecticut, he studied dance at the Hartford Ballet School and was a trainee with Hartford Ballet for one season.

Elysia Lichtine joins the Company as an Apprentice after training for six years with the School of American Ballet. Prior to that, she studied at the Westchester Ballet Center for five years. She also completed summer training programs with Pacific Northwest Ballet, New York State Summer School of the Arts, and the Chautauqua School of Dance, all under scholarship. In 2002, Ms. Lichtine was chosen to perform in Principal Dancer Damian Woetzel’s Copland Portrait for New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Workshop, and in 2001 she was selected to dance in Eliot Feld’s world premiere for New York City Ballet, Organon.

Michael Patterson becomes an Apprentice after one year in Pennsylvania Ballet II, the Joyce and Herbert Kean Trainee Program. As a member of this training company, he performed lecture demonstrations in schools and community centers throughout the region, as well as in Pennsylvania Ballet’s productions of The Nutcracker, Cinderella, and The Firebird. Originally from Erie, Pennsylvania, Mr. Patterson received his dance training from Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet (CPYB) and Lake Erie Ballet. He also attended summer programs under scholarship at The Joffrey Workshop, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and CPYB.

A native of Laguna Hills, California, Barette Vance joins the Company as an Apprentice. A student at the School of American Ballet since 1998, her training has been supplemented with summer intensive programs with Miami City, San Francisco, Pacific Northwest, and Houston Ballet companies. Ms. Vance has also been featured as a model and product representative for Natalie Dancewear for the past five years, and won the Dance Masters of America Junior Miss Dance of California title in 1997.

Gabriella Yudenich becomes an Apprentice after being in Pennsylvania Ballet II for two seasons, performing lecture demonstrations throughout the region, as well as in several of Pennsylvania Ballet’s full-length productions including The Nutcracker, Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, and Coppélia. She studied with the Rock School before attending the School of American Ballet under full scholarship for two years. She also completed summer sessions at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, School of American Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. Ms. Yudenich is a true product of Pennsylvania Ballet history. Her parents, Barbara Sandonato and the late Alexei Yudenich, were stars of Pennsylvania Ballet in the 1960s and 1970s.

Other changes to the 2003-2004 roster include the departure of Corps de Ballet members Jennifer Chipman, Sarah Edery and Francis Veyette, who are each pursuing other opportunities, and the retirement of Kelly Moriarty, a member of the Company since 1989.

Founded in 1963, Pennsylvania Ballet is widely recognized as one of the leading ballet companies in the nation. The Company is celebrating its 40th anniversary this season with popular works from the Company’s history, two company premieres and two world premieres commissioned for the 40th Anniversary – including a new, million dollar, full-length production of Swan Lake by world-renowned choreographer Christopher Wheeldon. For more information, call (215) 551-7000 or visit the website at www.paballet.org.

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Yippee! :wink: It is now official! Thanks for this posting.....I am excited about the coming season at PABallet and all the new additions to the company. Where was this article found? Must show the BD asap. Alexandra and all at BA....you are remarkable for all your speedy postings and wonderful informations. :P:wub:

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Hooray for some of these long-overdue promotions! Especially Tara Keating, I've enjoyed her work tremendously for years. :blushing: I think it's been about 3-4 years since the company promoted anyone to Soloist at all, so I'm sure the dancers are very excited about the changes!

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I agree -- Tara Keating has been more than deserving of this new title for the past few seasons. And both James Ady and James Ihde are wonderful dancers as well. You're right, Tessa... seems PA ballet hit a wall with promotions for a while there. No one was going anywhere!!

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Guest dancerboy

I am so glad that Tara Keating is finally geting some recognition. She is quietly one of the most outstanding dancers in the company. She brings some very special qualities to her dance - when she's on stage I can't watch anyone else!

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Although I've never seen this ballet company perform, I have heard about them for years and look forward to getting down there this season.

I find reading about the dancers' backgrounds quite interesting - there's a real mixture there with backgrounds from Julliard, SAB, Harid, NYCB, ABT, etc., ...not to mention PA Ballet's own second company and, at least two, offspring of ballet dancing parents. :)

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