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Moderator's Note:

When the 2006-07 roster is announced (watch the Links forum -- dirac and Mme. Hermine are sure to catch any newspaper coverage!) we can discuss it. If you can find it elsewhere, please post with a link. If no link is available, cite the publication and date. Brochures and e-mails from the company are valid sources. As of this moment, no personnel news appears on NBoC's website.

Thanks!

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Promotions were announced a couple night ago. The Press Release is out. It will be an interesting year next year and I look forward to seeing the new additions from Houston. Did they only take 2 apprentices or were there only 2 from NBS? A huge congratulations to all those promoted.

Media > | Media Release

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2006/07 ROSTER

NEW PRINCIPAL DANCER ZDENEK KONVALINA

KEIICHI HIRANO AND JILLIAN VANSTONE PROMOTED TO FIRST SOLOIST

ALEJANDRA PEREZ-GOMEZ, KEVIN BOWLES,

DONG HYUN SEO PROMOTED TO SECOND SOLOIST

BRIDGETT ZEHR JOINS AS SECOND SOLOIST

May 24, 2006...Toronto, Ontario... Karen Kain, Artistic Director of The National Ballet of Canada, today announced the company’s 2006/07 roster. Zdenek Konvalina, Principal Dancer with Houston Ballet for five seasons, joins the company as Principal Dancer in July 2006.

Mr. Konvalina has been critically acclaimed for his performances in lead roles in Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, La Fille mal gardée, Manon, La Bayadère as well as works by George Balanchine including Apollo, Theme and Variations and Symphony in C. Mr. Konvalina has also danced lead roles in the contemporary repertoire, including works by William Forsythe, Maurice Bejart and Mark Morris. Born in Brno, Czech Republic, Mr. Konvalina was trained at Brno Conservatory and was a Principal Dancer with National Ballet of Moravia-Silesia before joining Houston Ballet in 2001. He has performed throughout Europe, the U.S. and Asia.

“Mr. Konvalina is a gifted dancer, with dramatic flair and strong classical technique. His artistry will be a wonderful addition to our company,” said Ms. Kain.

Promotions within the company include Keiichi Hirano and Jillian Vanstone to First Soloist. Mr. Hirano danced major roles with the company including the Bluebird in The Sleeping Beauty, Colas in La Fille mal gardée, and this season, Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet. Ms. Vanstone danced The Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Calliope in Apollo, the Ballerina in Petrouchka, Spring in The Four Seasons and the lead in Diamonds.

Alejandra Perez-Gomez , Kevin Bowles and Dong Hyun Seo have been promoted to Second Soloist. Ms. Perez-Gomez made her debut this season as Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet. She also danced the lead in A Delicate Battle and The Four Temperaments. Mr. Bowles danced the role of Rothbart in Swan Lake and Uncle Nikolai in The Nutcracker, as well as Beaujolais, a role that he created in An Italian Straw Hat, during the company’s tour to Ottawa. Mr. Seo made his debut as Paris in Romeo and Juliet this past spring, and danced the lead in Diamonds and a featured role in The Four Temperaments during the winter.

Bridgett Zehr , also from Houston Ballet, will be joining the company as Second Soloist. Ms. Zehr has danced Odette in Swan Lake, Calliope in Apollo plus featured roles in Forsythe’s In the Middle, somewhat elevated and Balanchine’s Theme and Variations. Ms. Zehr was born in Florida and studied at Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy, where she received the Rudolf Nureyev Scholarship in 2002.

Three dancers from the National Ballet of Canada’s RBC Apprenticeship Programme will join the corps de ballet; Courtney Gibbs, Marissa Parzei and Noah Long.

Corps de ballet member Sophie Letendre, who joined the company in 1991, retired at the end of the spring season. Leaving to pursue other interests are corps de ballet members Joshua Grant, Nathaniel Kozlow, Daisuke Ohno, Erin Richardson and Kanako Sakamoto.

Two of Canada’s National Ballet School graduates, Naoya Ebe and Julia Jensen, will join the RBC Apprenticeship Programme.

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I'm especially thrilled for Jillian Vanstone. I've been watching her closely since she joined the corps in 2000. She is certainly a rising star!

I'm also glad that we'll have a new male principal. The number of male guest artists that the company has used in the last while (Nikolaj Hubbe, Marcelo Gomes, Jason Reily etc.) reflects a lack of strong male leads. When Antonijevic was injured last spring, Guillaume Cote had to dance almost everything!

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Bridgett Zehr , also from Houston Ballet, will be joining the company as Second Soloist. Ms. Zehr has danced Odette in Swan Lake, Calliope in Apollo plus featured roles in Forsythe’s In the Middle, somewhat elevated and Balanchine’s Theme and Variations. Ms. Zehr was born in Florida and studied at Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy, where she received the Rudolf Nureyev Scholarship in 2002.

I am not sure as to what Ms. Zehr did in the Houston School, but she began her studies in Sarasota, Florida and then studied three years at The Harid Conservatory. In 2001 Ms Zehr was the recipient of the Rudolph Nureyev Scholarship at the Harid Conservatory. She spent one year in the Houston School (where according to the press release, she was also a Nureyev Scholar) prior to receiving a corps contract in the Houston Ballet. Brava Ms. Zehr!

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Promotions were announced a couple night ago. The Press Release is out. It will be an interesting year next year and I look forward to seeing the new additions from Houston. Did they only take 2 apprentices or were there only 2 from NBS? A huge congratulations to all those promoted.

Thanks! I never thought to include this when I posted my question....

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I'm especially thrilled for Jillian Vanstone. I've been watching her closely since she joined the corps in 2000. She is certainly a rising star!

I'm also glad that we'll have a new male principal. The number of male guest artists that the company has used in the last while (Nikolaj Hubbe, Marcelo Gomes, Jason Reily etc.) reflects a lack of strong male leads. When Antonijevic was injured last spring, Guillaume Cote had to dance almost everything!

Ha ha! Not that I minded, as I am a big fan of Cote.

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It was just unfortunate because Kudelka had actually created the role of Ferdinand in "Italian Straw Hat" specially for Antonijevic and because of the injury, he didn't get to dance at the world premiere. But I'm definitely thankful that Guillaume Cote could step in at the last moment! He's certainly one of the NBoC's MVP's!

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Ha ha! Not that I minded, as I am a big fan of Cote.

I liked him too when I saw him last year at the Stars of the 21st Century gala in NYC. And now it seems he will come down to NY again to dance in Kudelka's Cinderella at ABT. Good luck for us, although at this point I may be veering

:)

Richard

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There seem to be two apprentices returning from last year, and only two new ones hired. Only one male.

Is this it for the year, or will there be more added? I thought that with the new opera house opening, and thus more performances, there might be more, not fewer apprentice positions available.

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I'm also surprised. When Lamy was not renewed, there was commentary about how little sense that made when the Company had to expand the number of dancers for the additional performances needed in the new house, the 2000-seat Four Seasons Centre. (The Hummingbird Centre had ~3,150 seats.)

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