Irek Mukhamedov joins the ENB artistic team as Principal Ballet Master and Character Artist for the 2015/2016 season.
Alison McWhinney, James Streeter, and Max Westwell have been promoted to Soloist. Cesar Corrales has been promoted to Junior Soloist after joining as an Artist mid-season. Tiffany Hedman, who joined as an Artist mid-season, and Anjuli Hudson have been promoted to First Artist. Barry Drummond has been promoted to 8th Year Artist.
Joining ENB as Guest Artist for the 2015/2016 season is Osiel Gounod, currently a Principal with The Norwegian National Ballet. Currently a Junior Soloist with Queensland Ballet, Emilio Pavan joins the Company as Soloist.
Joining ENB as Artists are Naomi Bottomer (English National Ballet School), William Beagley, Josie Frick and Erik Woolhouse (The Royal Ballet School), and Rina Kanehara, who won the Apprenticeship Prize at Prix de Lausanne 2015.
After 22 years with the Company, Lead Principal Dmitri Gruzdyev retires from the Company at the end of the 2014/2015 season. Having joined ENB in 1993 Gruzdyev performed Principal roles in all the major classics including Balanchine’s Apollo, both Des Grieux and Lescaut in Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon, Romeo in Nureyev’s Romeo & Juliet, and more recently in the Company’s production of Le Corsaire in the lead roles of Conrad and Lankendem.
After 11 years with the Company, Principal Arionel Vargas also leaves English National Ballet. Vargas performed Principal roles in Mary Skeaping’s Giselle with Albrecht being a particular favourite role and recently appeared in the Company’s production of Le Corsaire. Vargas has also danced both Lescaut and Des Grieux in MacMillan’s Manon and made many guest appearances throughout the world.
Nicola Henshall, Chantal Roulston, Seo Yeon Yu, Nathan Young and Joan Sebastian Zamora, left the Company mid-season.