Jump to content
This Site Uses Cookies. If You Want to Disable Cookies, Please See Your Browser Documentation. ×

Five Promotions to Be Announced Friday, Opening Night Sleeping Beauty


Recommended Posts

Tonight Peter Boal tweeted:

I'll be announcing five well-deserved promotions this Friday night @McCawHall

I can't remember the last time there were five promotions -- does anyone remember such a time?
Edited to add: Digging up info from older threads.
  • January 2013: James Moore to Principal.
  • November 2011: Kylee Kitchens, Kiyon Gaines, and Jerome Tisserand to Soloist.
  • September 2011: Rachel Foster and Leslie Rausch to Principal.
  • July 2010: Seth Orza to Principal; Laura Gilbreath (Tisserand) and Sarah Ricard Orza to Soloist.
  • September 2009: Maria Chapman and Karel Cruz to Principal; Lindsi Dec to Soloist.
  • September 2008: Benjamin Griffiths, Rachel Foster, James Moore, and Seth Orza to Soloist; Lucien Postlewaite to Principal.
  • January 2007: Karel Cruz, Lesley Rausch, and Chalnessa Eames to Soloist.
  • September 2006: Carla Korbes and Casey Herd to Principal.
  • March 2005: Maria Chapman to Soloist; Jonathan Porretta to Principal.
  • May 2004: Batkhurel Bold and Noelani Pantastico to Principal; Mara Vinson to Soloist.

(This doesn't include apprentices hired as corps, which are all but the six corps members who came from other companies and Brittany Reid, who went from the school to corps, according to her bio.)

Link to comment

I think there is one dancer who is the most overdue, but I think I'll wait it out another couple of days to find out if Peter Boal agrees. In general, I know who I'd pick, but that doesn't shed much light on the question. There's such a backlog of dancers who deserve promotions that few go to dancers at the time they show great promise, which I used to see at NYCB all the time.

Link to comment

My guess: Leta Biasucci, William Lin-Yee and Andrew Bartee or Eric Hipolito to soloist, Jerome Tisserand to principal, and... I'm not sure.

Raphaël Bouchard was a soloist at BMC--perhaps they'll promote him to soloist here, as well?

[Edit: I forgot Lin-Yee, but he's tall enough for many of the soloist women and hasn't exactly been slacking. I'd be a bit surprised to see him passed over.]

Link to comment

My guess: Leta Biasucci, William Lin-Yee and Andrew Bartee or Eric Hipolito to soloist, Jerome Tisserand to principal, and... I'm not sure.

Raphaël Bouchard was a soloist at BMC--perhaps they'll promote him to soloist here, as well?

[Edit: I forgot Lin-Yee, but he's tall enough for many of the soloist women and hasn't exactly been slacking. I'd be a bit surprised to see him passed over.]

I'm not sure Bouchard has been here long enough, though I did love him when he did that emergency substitution in Romeo a couple years ago.

Link to comment

Here is the press release; the actual order of presentation was Margaret Mullin, Elizabeth Murphy (in costume as Fairy of Purity), William Lin-Yee (in costume as Lilac Fairy Cavalier), Laura Tisserand (in costume as Lilac Fairy), and Lindi Dec. :

Pacific Northwest Ballet Artistic Director Peter Boal Announces Five Promotions at “The Sleeping Beauty” Opening Night

Seattle, WA – Before the start of this evening’s opening night performance of The Sleeping Beauty, Pacific Northwest Ballet Artistic Director Peter Boal stepped out in front of the curtains to make a special announcement. “It gives me great pleasure to announce five well-deserved promotions.” To hearty rounds of applause, Mr. Boal informed the audience that soloists Lindsi Dec and Laura Tisserand have been promoted to principal dancers, and William Lin-Yee, Margaret Mullin, and Elizabeth Murphy are moving from the corps de ballet to the rank of soloists.

Lindsi Dec has been an audience favorite since she entered her first dance competition as a kid,” continued Mr. Boal. “Lindsi’s stage presence is as enveloping as her spirit. Her growth as a dancer and as an artist has been a lesson in how talent, dedication and passion can triumph. Red Angels, Lady Capulet, everything Kiyon Gaines ever choreographed, and tonight, Silver in Act III of The Sleeping Beauty: Lindsi is a creature of the stage and we are all fortunate to be part of her audience. Brava, Lindsi and our warmest congratulations on your promotion to principal dancer.”

Lindsi Dec is from Fairfax, Virginia and trained at Washington School of Ballet, and on scholarship at Pacific Northwest Ballet School. She joined the Company as an apprentice in 2001, was promoted to the corps de ballet in 2002, and soloist in 2009. Ms. Dec has performed as a guest artist with Ballet Hawaii, California Ballet, Corpus Christi Ballet, Dance Arts Theatre, Grand Rapids Ballet, Lafayette Ballet, and Mid-Columbia Ballet.

“I had the pleasure of teaching Laura Tisserand as a student. By the time I arrived in Seattle, Francia Russell had already pegged Laura as a future ballerina. Watching her command the stage with keen focus, pristine technique, and record-breaking legs, has been a true joy. She is elegance personified in Diamonds, fire and steel as the Siren in The Prodigal Son, geometric precision in The Four Temperaments, and wickedly funny as the demanding diva in Christopher Wheeldon’s Variations Sérieuses. Tonight, Laura will bring her signature warmth and generosity to the stage as the Lilac Fairy. Laura, congratulations on your promotion to principal dancer.”

Laura Tisserand is a native of Hammond, Louisiana, and trained with Phoebe Brantley in Baton Rouge, Joseph Giacobbe and Richard Rholdon in New Orleans, and on scholarship at the School of American Ballet (SAB) and PNB School. She joined the Company as an apprentice in 2003, was promoted to corps de ballet in 2004, and soloist in 2010. Ms. Tisserand has performed as a guest artist with Lafayette Ballet Theatre.

William Lin-Yee was also a student of mine 13 years ago on the other side of the country. Even in his student days, he offered clean technique, reliable partnering skills, and a dangerous sense of humor. Of late, perhaps starting with a star turn as Friar Laurence in Jean-Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette, he’s taking his artistry to new heights. Please join me in congratulating Will on his well-deserved promotion to soloist.”

William Lin-Yee is from San Francisco, California, and trained at the Contra Costa Ballet Centre, San Francisco Ballet School, and SAB. In 2004 he became an apprentice with New York City Ballet and was also a Mae L. Wien Award recipient. Mr. Lin-Yee joined PNB as a member of the corps de ballet in 2008.

Margaret Mullin attended five summer courses at our School before becoming a Professional Division student. Since joining the Company, she has captured our eye with her signature ability to devour space. She also possesses a refined musicality and a refreshingly genuine stage presence. Unfortunately, due to a short-term injury, Maggie’s not able to perform tonight, but please join me in congratulating her on her promotion to soloist.”

Margaret Mullin is from Tucson, Arizona, and studied on scholarship at Ballet Arts Tucson and at PNB School. Ms. Mullin joined PNB as an apprentice in 2008, and was promoted to corps de ballet in 2009. She has choreographed works for PNB’s mainstage and Next Step choreographers’ showcase. Ms. Mullin is a recipient of the 2011 Princess Grace Award.

“From her first moments on stage with the Company in 2011, people started asking me who the new girl was. They were talking about Elizabeth Murphy. It’s not just her gravity-defying jumps, held balances and elegant pirouettes, it’s a winsome stage presence and a rare vulnerability. It’s no longer ‘Who’s that girl?’ It’s ‘When’s she going to get promoted to soloist?’ Well the answer is, right now.”

Elizabeth Murphy is from Chelmsford, Massachusetts. She studied at Academy of Ballet Arts and the Rock School for Dance Education, and on scholarship at PNB School and Chautauqua Summer Program. She was an apprentice with North Carolina Dance Theater and also danced with Pennsylvania Ballet before joining Ballet West II in 2006 and Ballet West in 2007. Ms. Murphy joined PNB as a member of the corps de ballet in 2011.

PNB congratulates all five of our newly promoted dancers!

Link to comment

I am so happy to see all these promotions....well deserved in every case.

The promotion that personally gives me the greatest pleasure is William Lin-Yee's promotion to soloist.

I've mentioned before on this board how impressed I've been with how William has added grace and character to the movements of his large frame. We need large, strong men in ballet, but so many of his body type seem to remain ponderous. I can't agree more with Peter Boal's remark that William as the Friar in Malliot's R&J showed William to be the artist that he most certainly is. I never thought I would see an equal (or almost the equal smile.png) to Olivier Wever's Friar (and I've seen this R&J probably 15 times now), until that night I first saw William in the role. For me, he became soloist that very night.

Link to comment

I thought a lot about the promotions during the intermission of Sleeping Beauty on Sunday. I think we can believe the sincereity of Peter Boal by his written words (as posted above) He has promoted people based on Balanchine neo-classical criteria. He is perfectly within his rights to do so, and if PNB is still a member of the Balanchine extended family of dancers, this is 100% logical.

That said, I didn't see anything this season that made me feel that Jerome Tisserand was anything other than a principal dancer. He can and does dance all the principal roles, in both story ballets and mixed rep pieces, and he brings excellence to all of them. When I compare him to the other male principals at PNB: Batkhurel Bold, Karel Cruz, James Moore, Jonathan Porretta and Seth Orza; I feel he is their equal in all respects: as a Prince, in his star wattage, in the quality and elevation of his dancing and in his innovation in contemporary pieces. Furthermore, I feel he has proved himself over the past two years to be a better partner in principal roles than the other male soloists and even some of the principals.

I am very happy for his spouse, Laura Tisserand, that she has been promoted, based on her excellence in Mixed Rep performances. But I feel the lack of promotion of Mr. Tisserand is an oversight that must be corrected soon.

Leta Biasucci has taken on three principal roles as Clara (Nutcracker), Swanhilda (Coppelia) and now Aurora (Sleeping Beauty). She has done well in mixed rep pieces (especially Twyla Tharp and other character- driven roles). Using the same logic, when I compare her to the other corps members who were promoted to soloist, I feel she is their equal in all regards. Further, I feel she has qualities that are equal to the established soloists in the company.

I sincerely hope that a promotion will be given to each of them at the end of this season, or at the start of the Fall 2014/2015 season. I do understand that money is an issue and that a company cannot become too top heavy. But these are exceptional dancers and I was very surprised that the Friday announcement did not include their names.

Link to comment

But I feel the lack of promotion of Mr. Tisserand is an oversight that must be corrected soon.

Perhaps you choose the word "oversight" casually, which is just fine, but if you mean the word as the dictionary defines it ("a mistake resulting from inattention"), then I have to take issue with you. I have little doubt (but no facts) that Jerome's position in the company, his contributions to the company, his skills and artistry, PNB's commitment to him, and so on have all been very carefully considered. Although, I can only speculate, I suspect that Peter Boal and Jerome Tisserand have had at least one heart to heart on these subjects and have reached an understanding. No, I can't accept "oversight".

P.S. Having said this, I certainly agree that Jerome is, and should be, on the short list for promotion to principal. Like fine wine his time will come (probably sooner rather than later).

Link to comment
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...