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ABT Names Five Soloists

Dale

By Dale
in Ballet News & Issues

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Dale

Dale

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From the company:

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE NAMES FIVE SOLOISTS

7/5/2007 - Kristi Boone, Misty Copeland, Yuriko Kajiya, Sarah Lane and Jared Matthews have been promoted to the rank of Soloist with American Ballet Theatre, it was announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie. All promotions become effective August 1, 2007.

Kristi Boone was born in Rochester, New York and trained at the Draper Dance Studio. She danced with the Rochester City Ballet and received full scholarships at San Francisco Ballet School, the Chautauqua Institute Ballet Program and ABT’s Summer Intensive where she was named a Coca-Cola scholar in 1998 and 1999. Boone joined ABT’s Studio Company in August 1999 and became a member of ABT’s corps de ballet the following year. Her roles with the Company include Her Stepsister in Cinderella, an Odalisque in Le Corsaire, Katherine in Christopher Wheeldon’s VIII, Zulma in Giselle, Bianca and a Carnival Dancer in Othello, the Polovtsian Princess in Polovtsian Dances, a Harlot in Romeo and Juliet and the Fairy of Fervor and the White Cat in The Sleeping Beauty, as well as leading roles in Antony Tudor’s Dark Elegies, Mark Morris’ Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes, Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room, Jiří Kylián’s Petite Mort and William Forsythe’s workwithinwork. In addition, Boone created a leading role in Jorma Elo’s Glow – Stop.

Misty Copeland was born in Kansas City, Missouri and raised in San Pedro, California where she began studying ballet at the age of 13. She won first place in the Los Angeles Music Center Spotlight Awards and continued her studies at Lauridsen Ballet Center. Copeland studied at the San Francisco Ballet School and American Ballet Theatre’s Summer Intensive on full-scholarship, and in 2000, was named ABT’s National Coca-Cola scholar. She joined the ABT Studio Company later that year and became a member of ABT’s corps de ballet in April 2001. Her repertory with the Company includes a Shade and the Lead d’Jampé in La Bayadère, Blossom in Cinderella, the Goat in Sylvia, an Odalisque in Le Corsaire, a Flower Girl in Don Quixote, the pas de trois, a cygnet and the Hungarian Princess in Swan Lake, the Fairy of Valor in The Sleeping Beauty and the peasant pas de deux in Giselle. In addition, she has performed leading roles in Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room and Sinatra Suite, as well as Mark Morris’ Gong. Copeland created a leading role in Glow – Stop.

Yuriko Kajiya was born in Nagoya, Japan and began her dance training at Matsumoto Michiko Ballet. At age ten, she moved to China to study at the Shanghai Ballet School where she graduated on scholarship. Kajiya was one of the youngest finalists at the Third International Ballet Competition in Nagoya, Japan in 1999 and, the following year, won the Prix de Lausanne Scholarship and Public Prize, enabling her to study at The National Ballet of Canada’s school. She joined the ABT Studio Company in 2001 and joined ABT as a member of the corps de ballet in 2002. Her repertory with ABT includes a Shade in La Bayadère, Blossom in Cinderella, a Flower Girl in Don Quixote, the pas de trois in Swan Lake, the Waltz in Les Sylphides and the Fairies of Fervor and Joy in The Sleeping Beauty.

Sarah Lane was born in San Francisco, California and began her dance training in Memphis, Tennessee. She later trained with Timothy Draper and Jamey Leverett at the Draper Center for Dance Education in Rochester, New York. She won the Silver Medal, the highest medal in the Junior Division, at the Jackson International Ballet Competition in 2002 and won the Bronze Medal at the Youth American Grand Prix. Lane joined American Ballet Theatre as an apprentice in August 2003 and became a member of the Company’s corps de ballet in April 2004. Her roles with the Company include Princess Florine in The Sleeping Beauty, Amour in Don Quixote, Anne in Christopher Wheeldon’s VIII, the Two of Diamonds in Jeu de Cartes, the pas de trois in Swan Lake, a Goat in Sylvia and leading roles in Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes, Glow – Stop, In the Upper Room, Sinatra Suite and Theme and Variations.

Jared Matthews was born in Houston where he received his early ballet training under the tutelage of Victoria Vittum and Gilbert Rome. He attended summer programs at North Carolina School of the Arts, The Joffrey Ballet, School of American Ballet and American Ballet Theatre’s Summer Intensive. Matthews was invited to join the ABT Studio Company in 2001 and joined ABT’s main company as a member of the corps de ballet in 2003. His repertoire with ABT includes the Head Fakir in La Bayadère, the peasant pas de deux in Giselle, Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet, von Rothbart, Benno and the Neapolitan Dance in Swan Lake and leading roles in Drink To Me Only Thine Eyes, In the Upper Room, Petite Mort, Sechs Tänze, Sinfonietta, Symphonic Variations and workwithinwork. In addition, he created a leading role in Glow – Stop.

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christine174

christine174

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Excellent and very exciting news! I'm so glad about all of them. I thought they might promote two women at most, and assumed it would be Lane and Copeland. I didn't have a lot of hope Boone would make the cut, but I'm thrilled she did, she is an exciting dancer with a marvelous presence. Also very glad about Kajiya; she's not someone I've noticed a lot before but was so lovely in the pas de trois last week. Similarly with Jared Matthews -- really made an impact in that pas de trois, in every respect, dancing, partnering, assured, and good looks never hurt either!

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vipa

vipa

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Kajiya is no surprise at all. BRAVA - at last!!!

It is great news. I'm not very familiar with Kajiya but I look forward to seeing her. All others I am familiar with and each is special in his/her own way. I'm glad ABT went with variety.

Funny, a few years ago I thought ZHONG-JING FANG was soon to be soloist material. Maybe she still is but seems to have lost steam. It's a difficult profession!

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bingham

bingham

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Kajiya is no surprise at all. BRAVA - at last!!!

It is great news. I'm not very familiar with Kajiya but I look forward to seeing her. All others I am familiar with and each is special in his/her own way. I'm glad ABT went with variety.

Funny, a few years ago I thought ZHONG-JING FANG was soon to be soloist material. Maybe she still is but seems to have lost steam. It's a difficult profession!

i have always had the same thought and was slightly disappointed that she was not included in this batch(all deserving thier promotion) but she has what it takes to be a soloist(or eventually, a principal)Let us just hope that it will not take ABT a very long time for the next promotions. :lightbulb::dunno:

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drb

drb

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... I would have liked to see Hee Seo and Isaac Stappas promoted as well.

I agree, Klavier. Ms. Seo has been exceptional dancing Tudor. Perhaps her best hope lies in their City Center seasons, if Mr. McKenzie decides to dig into the company's treasury of old masterpieces... and if that season reverses the shrinkage promised for this Fall. Ms. Fang's situation is a mystery to me.

At any rate, congratulations to the new Soloists for their long overdue promotions. I hope we hear similar news for the four Apprentices and for one or two Soloists...

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aurora

aurora

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Now it is really official: they made the New York Times (Friday Arts, Briefly)!
Footnote

The American Ballet Theater has promoted five dancers to the rank of soloist. They are Kristi Boone, Misty Copeland, Yuriko Kajiya, Sarah Lane and Jared Matthews.

Hooray! I went to see it and found it eventually as a footnote...

a few lines below the nycb news. Poor nilas.

oof. at least the times didn't post his address!

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christine174

christine174

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I would have liked to see Hee Seo and Isaac Stappas promoted as well.

I had the same thought about Stappas and another favorite of mine, Renata Pavam. As to Hee Seo, she's still very young, I think (just joined the corps like a year ago?), so she'll get a chance later on.

Now we can all wonder what's happening with the principal dancer situation and if there will be any promotions there. I'm kind of hoping they'll bring back Erica Cornejo as a principal...

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4mrdncr

4mrdncr

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I would have liked to see Hee Seo and Isaac Stappas promoted as well.

I had the same thought about Stappas and another favorite of mine, Renata Pavam. As to Hee Seo, she's still very young, I think (just joined the corps like a year ago?), so she'll get a chance later on.

Now we can all wonder what's happening with the principal dancer situation and if there will be any promotions there. I'm kind of hoping they'll bring back Erica Cornejo as a principal...

Uh don't know if there was an offer (which would be logical), or how Boston Ballet would take Erica's departure so soon after her arrival AS A PRINCIPAL, but she may have other plans. Or not? I am very happy she is at Boston Ballet with Carlos, but do understand the need to consider future developments.

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elizzy

elizzy

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I'm so thrilled by this news - I was a super with ABT's R&J this spring in Chicago, and all of these dancers were definitely stand-outs!

Extra congratulations to Misty Copeland, who is a HUGE inspiration to young African-American dancers out there (like me) who would like to someday be where she is! She's given us a lot of hope!

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