Your January 2026 Roster Roundup: Dancers and Directors on the Move

Happy New Year, readers! As ever, the past few weeks have brought another exciting round of ballet career news. Check out the latest farewells, appointments, promotions, and more in your first roster roundup of 2026.

Promotions and Appointments

Houston Ballet’s Tyler Donatelli has moved up to principal dancer.

On December 28, Philadelphia Ballet’s Thays Golz was promoted onstage to principal.

Onstage in front of a lavish royal court scene, Tyler Donatelli soars in a jeté with her back leg in a long attitude. Her arms are in high third. She wears a long pink gown with a full skirt and a tiara. — Tyler Donatelli as Princess Heather in Stanton Welch’s *Raymonda*. Photo by Amitava Sarkar, courtesy Houston Ballet.

The National Ballet of Japan has promoted Maho Higashi, Yuma Kikuoka, Honoka Kinjo, Akiho Seki, and Yuna Seki to first artist. Additionally, two apprentices, Ayano Yokoi and Sara Shirokoma, were promoted to artist.

At Scottish Ballet, Yuri Marques has moved up to principal.

The Australian Ballet has announced several promotions: Isobelle Dashwood, Cameron Holmes, and Maxim Zenin to senior artist; Grace Carroll and Samara Merrick to soloist; and Amy Ronnfeldt to coryphée.

Golden State Ballet’s Chantelle Pianetta has risen to the rank of principal.

At the Royal New Zealand Ballet, Dane Head and Gretchen Steimle have moved up to soloist. Joshua Douglas, Angus O’Connell, and Olivia Platt have been promoted to artist.

Alberta Ballet’s Hotaru Maruyama has been promoted to soloist.

Luiz Anselmo has risen to the corps at the National Ballet of Canada.

Alonzo King LINES Ballet’s Adji Cissoko took on the newly created role of associate artistic director on January 1, 2026. She will continue to dance with the company.

Adji Cissoko and Alonzo King pose in a brightly lit ballet studio, with windows behind them. Cissoko, in a pink leotard, stands on pointe while battementing her other leg up, extending one arm up with the other resting on the wall gently. King, in a white button-down, gray slacks, and a rimmed hat, leans against the barre and watches. — Adji Cissoko and Alonzo King. Photo by Jamie Lyons, courtesy Alonzo King LINES Ballet.

Antonia Franceschi has been appointed interim artistic director of New York Theatre Ballet, effective January 5.

Renato Zanella has succeeded Clotilde Vayer as director of the Ballet of the San Carlo Theatre in Naples, Italy.

On January 7, Elisa Carrillo Cabrera began her position as the new director of the John Cranko School. Former director Tadeusz Matacz, who led the school for 27 years, stepped down on December 1.

Zoica Tovar is The Washington School of Ballet’s new school director.

Louisville Ballet has appointed Jill Krutzkamp as artistic director of its studio company.

Isabelle Brouwers has been named the new artistic director of Yorkshire Ballet Seminars.

Farewells, New Arrivals, and Guestings

On June 30, 2027, Ballet BC artistic director Medhi Walerski will step down from his role with the company.

Nashville Ballet has announced that Second Company director Maria Konrad will depart the company at the end of the 2025–26 season. School of Nashville Ballet co-director and faculty member Dmitri Kulev will then direct NB2 while continuing to lead the Young Men’s Scholarship Program.

After 22 years at Oregon Ballet Theatre, principal Brian Simcoe has announced his retirement for the end of the 2025–26 season.

On a dark stage, lit by spotlights, Brian Simcoe and Jessica Lind stand at a lone ballet barre in simple costumes. Lind stands in front of the barre in tendu derriere; Simcoe stands behind in the same position, with one hand in high fifth. — Jessica Lind and Brian Simcoe in Ben Stevenson’s *Three Preludes*. Photo by Blaine Truitt Covert, courtesy Oregon Ballet Theatre.

Colorado Ballet soloist Kevin Gaël Thomas will retire later this season after nearly 20 years with the company.

After 11 years with the National Ballet of Canada, Clare Peterson has given her final performance.

Azara Ballet artistic director and former Cincinnati Ballet soloist Joshua Andrew Stayton has taken his final bow from performing.

Nicolas Blanc will conclude the 2025–26 season by stepping down from his position as a Joffrey Ballet rehearsal director to concentrate on his career as an independent choreographer.

At Royal New Zealand Ballet: Artist Luke Cooper is retiring from full-time dance. Artist Calum Gray has departed to join Scottish Ballet, and principal Kate Kadow and 2025 RNZB Foundation Scholar Hilary An-Roddie have left to pursue new opportunities overseas.

In addition, RNZB welcomes Lyn Lin as its 2026 Todd Scholar, and Breyah Takitimu and Charlotte Willis as its 2026 Friedlander Foundation Scholars.

Patricio Revé, who has been performing as a guest artist with The Royal Ballet since May 2025, will join the company as a principal at the beginning of the 2026–27 season.

Onstage in a ballroom scene, Patricio Revé jumps with both legs split on the low diagonals. He extends his arms to either side, palms gently flexed, as he tilts his chin up with a cheerful expression. He wears white tights and a white tunic with ruffles at the elbows and shoulders, and blue and red accents around the collar and down the front. — Patricio Revé as Romeo in Kenneth MacMillan’s *Romeo and Juliet*. Photo by Andrej Uspenski, courtesy The Royal Ballet.

The National Ballet of Japan has added the following dancers to its company roster: Rikuya Arai, Shiyu Enomoto, Takumi Mitsuhashi, Shoko Sotome, Jinnosuke Tanaka, and Rei Yamamoto.

Smuin Contemporary Ballet has welcomed Claire Buehler and Wen Na Robertson for the remainder of the 2025–26 season.

Royal New Zealand Ballet and The Australian Ballet engaged in a dancer exchange last month: The Australian Ballet coryphée Belle Urwin joined RNZB for its Auckland performances of The Nutcracker, and RNZB artist Catarina Estévez Collins danced with TAB in its Sydney season of David McAllister’s The Sleeping Beauty.

Awards and Recognitions

The Bessie Awards have announced the nominees for 2024 and 2025 following a pause last year. The dancers who have been nominated for the 2025 Bessie in the Outstanding Performer category are: Boston Ballet’s Jeffrey Cirio and Yue Shi, for their work in Sabrina Matthews’ Ein von Viel, and American Ballet Theatre’s Jake Roxander, in John Cranko’s Onegin. For the 2024 performance season, ABT’s Catherine Hurlin has been nominated as an Outstanding Performer (Christopher Wheeldon’s Like Water for Chocolate), and Tiler Peck was named a Breakout Choreographer.

Jake Roxander, wearing white and blue striped tights, red headband, and a white and blue tunic with billowing sleeves, jumps up into the air and pikes his body to his left with his right leg tucked slightly behind him. He reaches left with his upper body and looking towards his right foot. He smiles energetically. He performs onstage in front of an elaborate ballroom set. — Jake Roxander in the Neapolitan Dance from *Swan Lake*. Photo by Rosalie O’Connor, courtesy American Ballet Theatre.

Staatsballett Berlin’s Leroy Mokgatle has received the 2026 Daphne Award from TheaterGemeinde Berlin.

The Caribbean Media Exchange (CMEx) has announced that Carole Alexis, artistic director of Carole Alexis Ballet Theatre/Ballet des Amériques, was honored at the 2025 CMEx Leadership Awards ceremony in Coral Gables, Florida, on December 7, 2025.

Ballet Tucson artistic director Margaret Mullin has won an ON Media Arts Hero Award, which recognizes individuals who have made an impact in the Arizona arts community.

The post Your January 2026 Roster Roundup: Dancers and Directors on the Move appeared first on Pointe Magazine.