chezdancer

The official list of promotions, departures, etc. from the Birmingham Royal Ballet is out. It has Molly Smolen doing "freelance" in the USA. The press release follows: At the end of the 2004/2005 Season, Birmingham Royal Ballet is able to announce the following: Promotions: Carol-Anne Millar promoted to Senior Soloist Rory Mackay, Jamie Bond, Momoko Hirata and Tyrone Singleton are promoted from Artists to First Artists Dancers leaving or left during this season: Asta Bazeviciúte (to Dutch National Ballet) Tiit Helimets (to San Fransisco ballet) Rachel Peppin (Retired) Sergiu Pobereznic (Retired) Michael Revie Molly Smolen (Freelance in USA) Dorcas Walters (Retired) Lee Fisher (Now acting Education Manager for BRB) Michael Kopinski (Freelance in London) Andy Rietschel (to Royal Swedish Ballet) Juliana Moraes (to Zurich Ballet) Julie Comte (Freelance in France) Nadia Frölich (South Africa) Pierpaolo Ghirotto (Left to study Medicine) Veronique Tamaccio (to Dutch National Ballet) And the following dancers will join the Company: Letizia Giuliani as a Principal, from Maggiodanza, Florence Mateo Klemmayer as a First Artist, from Zürich Ballet Joseph Caley as an Artist from the Royal Ballet School Alexander Campbell as an Artist from the Royal Ballet School Feargus Campbell as an Artist from the Royal Ballet School Kristen MacGarrity as an Artist from the Royal Ballet School Aonghus Hoole as an Artist from Zürich Junior Ballet

Wonderful news that there will be a dvd of Etudes. I look forward to buying it.

I wondered if any of our readers have been able to attend this week's performances of the Royal Ballet School and what their impressions were. Also are they doing Valentino Zucchetti's ballet that won the Ursula Moreton student choreographic competition?

Wonderful news that Tit Helimets (formerly Birmingham Royal Ballet) will be joining SFB. Does anyone know what his wife Molly Smolen will be doing?

Christine is a ballet student and will be 17 in September. She mainly takes private lessons with a number of teachers (mostly of Russian background) and also takes class at the Rock School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as well as at a number of other schools in the Philadelphia area.