The Royal Ballet have issued their end of term report which includes promotions, exits and entrances. <P><u>Dancers</u><P>Promotions:<P>-Inaki Urlezaga is promoted to Principal<P>-Luke Heydon is promoted to Principal Character Artist<P>-Jane Burn, Alina Cojocaru, Mara Galeazzi, Marianela Nunez and Jaimie Tapper<BR>are promoted to First Soloists<P>-Edward Watson is promoted to Soloist<P>-Tomoko Furuya, Victoria Hewitt, Emily Low, Sian Murphy, Bennet Gartside,<BR>Martin Harvey and Nicole Ransley are promoted to First Artists.<P>Urlezaga is a fast learner who stepped into the breach a couple of seasons ago when a number of the leading men were injured. With the best will in the world, I think he could have done with another couple of years to build on his earlier rapid passage through the ranks. I can't remember a single outstanding review of his dancing. <P>Heydon is always impressive in a wide range of roles.<P>Cojocaru has made a huge impact in a short space of time and will look good as a First Soloist, as will Galeazzi (her recent Firebird seemed to tip the balance) and Tapper. Nunez I haven't seen and Burn is not one of my favourites.<P>Watson is excellent and brings great style and increasingly power to his dancing.<P>There has been much speculation about some of the dancer promotions. The reason is that Dowell tells them in his end of term chat and then of course they tell their friends or just come out with a big cheesey grin. And then ballet groupies get to know and then rumours are flying round all over the place. You can't help thinking that there ought to be a better way of doing it. <P><BR>Newcomers:<P>- Tamara Rojo from English National Ballet and Johan Persson from the <BR>National Ballet of Canada both join as a Principal in September 2000. Both already known about.<P>- Emma Sandall joins as First Artist from the Béjart Ballet Lausanne. All the women there seem to be wonderful. Mr Bejart seems to have his pick - having Guilleme on the staff must be a great draw, apart from his high reputation in Continental Europe.<P>- Gemma Bond and Natasha Oughtred have joined as Artists from the<BR>Royal Ballet School.<P>- Marie Doutrepoint from Ballet du Capitole de Toulouse, Jose Maria Tirado<BR>from Bavarian National Ballet, Brian Maloney from Jeune Ballet de France,<BR>Johannes Stepanek from Vienna State Opera Ballet and Ernst Meisner from the<BR>Royal Ballet School all join the Company as Artists in September 2000.<P><BR>Exits:<P>- Bruce Sansom leaves to take an Arts Administration course with the San Francisco Ballet, as we already knew.<P>- Principal Carlos Acosta will become a Guest Artist - much gnashing of teeth.<P>- Character Principal Sandra Conley will leave the Company as a full member at<BR>the end of this season, but will return as a Guest Principal Character Artist in the<BR>2000/2001 Season.<P>- Nicola Roberts, Christina McDermott, Shi-Ning Liu, Natalie McCann, Michelle Davis, Josephine Russell and Jerry Douglas have or will leave the Company. Everyone is very sorry about Douglas going, as he and Watson were the brightest hopes in the younger male dancers.<P><BR><u>Other changes</u><P>- Andrea Quinn leaves to go for NY. From what an orchestra member told me it her stay has not gone terribly well from their point of view.<P>- Rosalind Eyre retires as Ballet Mistress. She will be succeeded by Gail<BR>Taphouse, currently Assistant Ballet Mistress.<P>- Lesley Collier joins the Artistic Staff as Répétiteur. This has got to be great news.<P><BR>So, it's out with the buckets and spades, until the start of term at the beginning of September.<P> <p>[This message has been edited by Stuart Sweeney (edited August 04, 2000).]
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