Denverites looking to enjoy a night of ballet this fall or winter can expect some fresh faces and a few changes among Colorado Ballet’s roster. The dance company has released the 2022-2023 season’s promotion roster, along with news that they’ve hired two new dancers.
Colorado Ballet was founded in 1961 and contains 35 professional dancers and 25 studio company dancers from varying backgrounds. The company’s goal is to inspire and create a diverse audience in Denver.
Cato Berry joined the corps de ballet from Philadelphia Ballet in Philadelphia, and Colorado Ballet also hired Kenny Allen, from Sarasota Ballet’s Studio Company in Sarasota, Florida.
In addition to the newly hired additions this season, the promoted dancers include Jessica Payne as a soloist, with Bryce Lee, Ariel McCarty, Jeremy Studinsky, and Alexandra Wilson as demi-soloists. In the corps de ballet, Catherine Aoki, Sheridan Guerin, and Catherine McGregor received promotions. The newly promoted apprentices are Stefanee Montesantos and Sonata Ross.
These promotions mark a monumental time in the dancers’ careers. Their hard work and time have truly paid off.
Gil Boggs, the Colorado Ballet artistic director, says, “I am so proud of all our dancers, who have worked incredibly hard in their careers to reach this point. It is a joy to see Colorado Ballet’s professional company continue to flourish, in spite of the challenges of the past two years. This season, our main Company has grown from 32 to 35 artists, and we’ve expanded our Studio Company to include 25 dancers. We look forward to seeing our talented full company perform in the upcoming season, which opens this October at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House with Colorado’s cult favorite ballet, Dracula.”
The first ballet, Dracula, will fittingly run from October 7-16, followed by the classic Christmas ballet, The Nutcracker, which will be performed from November 26 to December 24. To usher in 2023, The Lady of the Camellias plays from February 3-12. Then comes Cinderella, playing from March 10-19. The season closes with MasterWorks, a compilation of artistic ballets such as George Balanchine’s Prodigal Son and Jiří Kylián’s Sinfonietta, running from April 12-23.
The season’s sponsors include The Scientific and Cultural Facilities District (SCFD), PNC Bank, Lynnette Morrison, MidFirst Bank and Denver Ballet Guild. Likewise, the supporting sponsors are Colorado Ballet Auxiliary, The Shubert Foundation, Bonfils Stanton Foundation, Genesee Mountain Foundation, as well as Colorado Creative Industries.
Photos courtesy of Colorado Ballet.
