Eight new dancers from the US and abroad are set to join Miami City Ballet.
The appointments mark a significant expansion for the company, which now has a total of 50 dancers.
Rainer Krenstetter, currently principal dancer with Staatsballett Berlin, will join the company as principal in November. The Austrian-born dancer trained at London’s Royal Ballet School and Ballettschule der Wiener Staatsoper, and won first prize at the prestigious Prix de Lausanne in 1999. He joined Staatsballett Berlin as a soloist in 2004, and was promoted to principal dancer last year.
Royal Swedish Ballet dancer Jordan-Elizabeth Long will join the company as soloist.
The company has also made six additions to its corps de ballet, four of whom graduated from the Miami City Ballet School this year: Ellen Grocki, Alex Manning, Émilien Rivoire and Raechel Sparreo. Former Alabama Ballet principal Samantha Galler and Tulsa Ballet II member Julian Duque also joined the company.
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Darleen Callaghan, director of MCB School said: ‘I am thrilled that four of our most promising young students from our Pre-Professional Division were chosen to join MCB. It was so exciting to watch as their dreams of dancing with a professional company came true. I am really looking forward to following their careers as they develop as artists within our own company.’
Artistic director Lourdes Lopez said: ‘I want Miami City Ballet dancers to continue to be dynamic, able to dance anything, fearless, have a deep sense of musicality, individuality, and most importantly a love for dance that translates beyond the classroom. I believe that these new dancers, some having never performed with a professional company and some, seasoned veterans of the stage, will further enrich this company that I am so tremendously proud of.’
The company’s new season begins on 17 October with John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet.
Image: Rainer Krenstetter in Swan Lake at Staatsballett Berlin © Yan Revazov