Photo: PinaBauschs, Le Sacre du printemps, by English National Ballet; Credit Photo: Laurent Liotardo
Tamara Rojo, Artistic Director of English National Ballet, has announced promotions, new joiners and departures within the Company for the 2022/2023 Season.
English National Ballet celebrates the extraordinary talent of the artists and share the news of their well-deserved promotions. Among them, the promotion of the young and beautiful Romanian ballerina Francesca Velicu who has been promoted to Junior Soloist.
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Who is Francesca Velicu, the young and beautiful Romanian ballerina that has been promoted to Junior Soloist with English National Ballet company
Trained with Choreography High School Floria Capsali, Bucharest and Bolshoi Ballet Academy, she joined with English National Ballet in 2016 and has been promoted to First Artist in 2017. Francesca’s notable roles include Clara/Sugar Plum Fairy, Chinese and Spanish in Wayne Eagling’s Nutcracker, Odalisque in Le Corsaire, Pas de Trois in Derek Deane’s Swan Lake, Princess Florine (Bluebird) in MacMillan’s Sleeping Beauty and third principal couple in Liam Scarlett’s No Man’s Land
Read more about Francesca Velicu, HERE, in a special interview for Ballet Magazine
Previously she danced with Romanian National Ballet company (2015-2016). Francesca Velicu is the winner of 2017 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance for her performance as The Chosen One in Pina Bausch’s Le Sacre du printemps, Dancing Kitri from Don Quixote and the first couple in George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations
In 2013 Francesca won Second Place YAGP (Youth America Grand Prix) Junior category, in 2013 has been Finalist YAGP, New York and 2012 Gold Medal – World Ballet Competition.
Francesca Velicu was named in Pointe Magazine’s ‘Stars of the Corps’ list following her performances as the Chosen One in Pina Bausch’s Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring) in 2017.
Awarded the 2018 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance for her role as the Chosen One in Pina Bauch’s Le Sacre du printemps. Finalist at the 2018 Emerging Dancer Competition. In 2019 she reprised her role as the Chosen One in Le Sacre du printemps.
Promotions, New Joiners and Departures within the English National Ballet company
Promotions
Earlier this year, Shiori Kase was promoted to Lead Principal, and Emma Hawes and Aitor Arrieta were promoted to Principal, on stage at the London Coliseum following their performances in Tamara Rojo’s Raymonda. English National Ballet congratulates the dancers newly promoted within the Company.
Daniel McCormick has been promoted to First Soloist. Precious Adams, Fernando Carratalá Coloma, Julia Conway and Erik Woolhouse have been promoted to Soloist. Also Emily Suzuki and Francesca Velicu have been promoted to Junior Soloist.
Matthew Astley, Rebecca Blenkinsop, Ivana Bueno, Noam Durand, Miguel Angel Maidana, Rentaro Nakaaki, Victor Prigent, Angela Wood and Rhys Antoni Yeomans have been promoted to First Artist.
Eireen Evrard has been promoted to 8th Year Artist. Eric Snyder, our Emerging Dancer 2022 winner, has been promoted to 5th Year Artist.
New joiners
In early 2022, we were delighted to welcome Soloist Haruhi Otani, from National Dance Company of Spain, and Ballet Mistress Anu Sistonen. Lorenzo Trossello joins as Junior Soloist from Northern Ballet.
Thiago Pereira joins as Artist of the Company, alongside Paige Bestington, Hamish Longley, Jose Menchon, Archie Sullivan, Daisy Wales, Oscar Ward and Lulu Welford, who join having danced with us during the 2021/2022 Season.
Departures
Lead Principals Joseph Caley, Jeffrey Cirio and Isaac Hernández leave us at the end of the 2021/2022 Season. Joseph will join The Australian Ballet, while Jeffrey is returning to Boston Ballet (where he has danced in 2009-2015), and Isaac to San Francisco Ballet.
Junior Soloist Anjuli Hudson retired from the stage mid-season, having danced with English National Ballet for nearly 15 years. ENB Artist Pedro Lapetra retires at the end of the 2021/22 season, having danced with English National Ballet for an incredible 19 years.
