Royal Ballet dance and music joiners

Published: 13 July 2021
Reporter: Vera Liber

Beatriz Stix-Brunell as Perdita in The Winter's Tale Credit: Tristram Kenton
Joseph Toonga Credit: Sophie Bradbury

The Royal Ballet has announced new dancers and conductors for the 2021–22 season.

On the Aud Jebsen Young Dancers Programme, four dancers join the company from The Royal Ballet School: Olivia Findley, Ava May Llewellyn, Viola Pantuso and Alix Van Tiggelen. The contracts of the 2020–21 Aud Jebsen Dancers are being extended for a second year for Denilson Almeida, Daichi Ikarashi, James Large, Hannah Park, Maddison Pritchard and Marianna Tsembenhoi. Marco Masciari also continues as a Prix de Lausanne dancer for a second season.

First Soloist Beatriz Stix-Brunell will leave after 11 years to begin her academic career at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.

Joseph Toonga as The Royal Ballet’s Emerging Choreographer will shadow associated and visiting choreographers and be mentored by Resident Choreographer Wayne McGregor on a two-year programme.

In the music department, Jonathan Lo, Music Director of Northern Ballet and is an alumnus of the Royal Opera House Jette Parker Young Artist programme, has been appointed Royal Ballet Staff Conductor.

Charlotte Politi takes up the Constant Lambert Conducting Fellowship, deferred for a year due to the pandemic, a two-year mentoring programme for conducting ballet, working across The Royal Ballet and Birmingham Royal Ballet. Edo Frenkel, currently Artist in Residence at Cité des arts de Paris as composer and pianist, will join The Jette Parker Young Artist Programme as Ballet Conductor. Hannah Quinn joins the Music Staff as Royal Ballet Company Pianist.

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