Latest news with #HamburgBallet
Boston Globe
3 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Boston Ballet announces roster for 2025-26
Neal was most recently artistic director of Next Generation Ballet in Tampa, Fla., but before that he spent 24 years with New York City Ballet, 17 of them as a principal, and he's a repetiteur for both the George Balanchine Trust and the Jerome Robbins Rights Trust. He's no stranger to the company, having been a guest stager on numerous occasions. Neal will be succeeding fellow NYCB alum Russell Kaiser, who joined Boston Ballet as assistant artistic director in 2009. Kaiser will leave after this year's 'Nutcracker' run, though he'll be back as a guest rehearsal director for Robbins's 'Dances at a Gathering,' which will be part of the company's 'Spring Experience 2026' program. Sugai, from Atsugi, Japan, joins from Hamburg Ballet. She had won the Prix de Lausanne in 2012 and had been with Hamburg Ballet for 11 years, dancing roles that included Kitri/Dulcinea in 'Don Quixote' and the Woman in Apricot in 'Dances at a Gathering.' Zhao, from Anshan, China, joined San Francisco Ballet in 2011 and was promoted to principal in 2019; she's danced the Lilac Fairy in 'The Sleeping Beauty' and been featured in Balanchine's 'The Four Temperaments' and 'Rubies.' Advertisement Boston Ballet had previously announced the promotion of company artists SeokJoo Kim and Gearóid Solan to the rank of second soloist. Last season, Kim was featured in Lia Cirio's 'After' and Solan in Jorma Elo's 'Plan to B' and Balanchine's 'Mozartiana.' Boston Ballet II dancers Layla Porter, Kylie Dyson, and Sebastian Bondar have been promoted to the main company. Advertisement Also joining Boston Ballet are Francisco Schilereff (Coronel Suárez, Argentina) as a second soloist and Katie Cerny (Cary, N.C.) and Spencer Wetherington (Bridgeton, N.J.) as artists of the company. Schilereff arrives from Miami City Ballet, where he was a soloist. Cerny comes from Philadelphia Ballet II and last year competed in the Prix de Lausanne; Wetherington comes from Atlanta Ballet and was featured in a 2023 Pointe magazine article. Seven of the 12 dancers on this year's BB2 roster will be new. Joining from Boston Ballet's Donna Egan Graduate Program is Zoe Cartier (Phoenix). Rounding out the list of arrivals are Ethan Collins (Auckland, New Zealand), Aubrey Daniels (Houston), Alberto Gil Vicente (Madrid), Bogyeong Kim (Gimhae City, South Korea), Louis Millard (Petoskey, Mich.), and Alexander Mockrish (Danderyd, Sweden). Boston Ballet's season will begin with 'Jewels' (Nov. 6-16), continue with the company's annual production of 'The Nutcracker' (Nov. 28-Dec. 28), and conclude next year with 'Winter Experience 2026' (March 5-15), 'The Dream' (March 19-29), 'Spring Experience 2026' (May 7-17), and 'The Sleeping Beauty' (May 28-June 7). Jeffrey Gantz can be reached at
New York Times
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Hamburg Ballet's Artistic Director Leaves After Just 10 Months
The Hamburg Ballet's last director, John Neumeier, led the company for 51 years, transforming it from a provincial troupe into an internationally respected house. His successor, Demis Volpi, lasted just 10 months. On Tuesday, Hamburg State Opera said in a news release that its board and Volpi had agreed to terminate his contract at the ballet four years early. The announcement followed weeks of crisis at the company after it emerged that five principal dancers had resigned, and that more than half of the company's dancers had sent a letter to a local lawmaker to complain of a 'toxic working environment' under Volpi. In Tuesday's release, Volpi said that 'despite intensive efforts,' he could no longer realize his artistic vision and had agreed to depart 'in the interests of all involved.' Volpi, an Argentine choreographer who previously led the Ballet am Rhein in Düsseldorf, did not respond to a request for an interview, and a spokeswoman for Hamburg Ballet said it would not comment further. It was not immediately clear what Volpi's departure would mean for the company's coming season, which Volpi had announced in March and is to include the premiere of Alexei Ratmansky's 'Wonderland,' based on Lewis Carroll's novels. Nor is it clear how the company will handle productions of Volpi's work. A new version of Volpi's 'Surrogate Cities' is scheduled to premiere in July. And Volpi's 'Demian,' based on the novel by Hermann Hesse, is scheduled to be performed in December. The crisis at Hamburg Ballet began in early May when German newspapers widely reported dancers' complaints about its artistic direction under Volpi, as well as accusations that he was insufficiently present during rehearsals. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
The Guardian
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Hamburg Ballet dancers accuse artistic director of creating ‘toxic environment'
Ballet dancers at a top German company have reportedly written an excoriating critique of their new artistic director, accusing him of creating a 'toxic work environment.' More than half of the 63 dancers making up the troupe have complained of untenable working conditions under Hamburg Ballet's artistic director, Demis Volpi, who joined the company last September, taking over from the US choreographer John Neumeier. Neumeier, who retired last year at the age of 86 after 51 years in the role, is credited with having taken the German company from relative obscurity to a position of world renown in the dance world. But the mood at the company is now restive, according to a letter written last month to Hamburg's minister of culture, Carsten Brosda, and seen by reputable German media. Five of its 11 first soloists, considered the stars of the ensemble, have announced their resignation, and are due to leave the company at the end of the current season. Both collectively and individually, they have complained of Volpi's lack of leadership and artistic expertise, and the 'deep mistrust that [he] has towards his employees'. 'The current leadership is creating increasing internal problems and a toxic working environment through poor communication, a lack of transparency and an often dismissive attitude,' the letter reads. The criticisms have been echoed by dancers from the company Ballett am Rhein in Düsseldorf, where Volpi was at the helm for four years. They say they were moved by their counterparts in Hamburg to open up about their own similar experiences with him. In a letter also addressed to Brosda, 17 Rhein dancers wrote: 'During his time with us, we found that Mr Volpi created a work environment characterised by inconsistent communication, a lack of transparency, and an atmosphere of fear and uncertainty. 'Constructive feedback was often met with negative consequences, which made open exchange difficult and undermined trust.' The dancers warn in the letter: 'It is only a matter of time until not only John Neumeier's legacy will be lost, but also the high standard and the international reputation that the company enjoys.' Hamburg's first soloist, Alexandr Trusch, who came to the company aged 12, after moving to Hamburg from Ukraine, said he was 'abandoning everything' by leaving after 23 years because he could not tolerate the existing situation. 'I'm giving up everything, my career, my work, because I can't support such behaviour and such a low level of artistry which is in danger of destroying everything,' he told broadcaster NDR, saying he did not have a new post in place. He accused Volpi of being someone who 'is very good at selling his visions, but the quality he delivers is abysmal'. The other soloists to have announced their departure are Madoka Sugai, Jacopo Bellussi, Christopher Evans and Alessandro Frola. Sugai, 30, from Atsugi City, Japan, confirmed in an interview with Die Zeit that her departure was related to Volpi's style of leadership. Evans, 30, from Loveland, Colorado, who was the first soloist to announce his resignation, told the newspaper: 'I don't feel like Volpi understands us or has any idea how much work we put in and how much passion we put into our work.' Volpi, 39, who is German-Argentinian, denied the accusations in an interview last week with the Hamburger Abendblatt. More recently, he told the Rheinische Post: 'Intensive discussions are possible and are taking place right now.' He told Die Zeit he would like to respond to the dancers' letter, but said they had yet to send it to him. 'I don't have the letter,' he said, adding that he was 'willing to work on things', but for that to happen 'the criticism must be brought to my attention'. A coach 'who specialises in processes of change' in the field of the performing arts has been appointed at the ballet, Volpi said, whose job would be to mediate between the parties. Volpi was approached by the Guardian for comment through the Hamburg Ballet. Requests for information to the company have been directed to Brosda. In a written statement, Brosda said: 'We take the accusations very seriously and are carrying out lots of discussions behind the scenes. The management and the company must now quickly find solutions together to prevent further damage to everyone.' Meanwhile, the company is continuing to rehearse for the first ballet production choreographed by Volpi for Hamburg in July, an adaptation of the Hermann Hesse novel Demian, a coming of age tale which investigates the themes of identity and morality. Dance critics are expected to be paying far more attention than usual.
