This month we say goodbye to the Northern Ballet dancers who moved on at the end of the season and celebrate Hironao Takahashi, who retires from performing after 25 years with the Company and remains a key member of the Artistic team.
![Hironao Takahashi]( "Hironao Takahashi joined Northern Ballet in 1992.")
Hironao Takahashi joined Northern Ballet in 1992.![Hironao Takahashi in A Christmas Carol, 2011. Photo Bill Cooper]( "Hironao Takahashi in A Christmas Carol. Photo Bill Cooper")
Hironao Takahashi in A Christmas Carol. Photo Bill Cooper![Hironao Takahashi as Hamlet and Martha Leebot as Gertrude in Northern Ballet's Hamlet, 2011. Photo Brian Slater]( "Hironao Takahashi and Martha Leebot in Hamlet. Photo Brian Slater")
Hironao Takahashi and Martha Leebot in Hamlet. Photo Brian Slater![Hironao Takahashi as Octavian and Tobias Batley as Mark Antony in Northern Ballet's Cleopatra, 2011. Photo by Bill Cooper]( "Hironao Takahashi and Tobias Batley in Cleopatra. Photo by Bill Cooper")
Hironao Takahashi and Tobias Batley in Cleopatra. Photo by Bill Cooper![Hironao Takahashi as The Wizard in Northern Ballet's Cinderella, 2014. Photo Emma Kauldhar]( "Hironao Takahashi in Cinderella. Photo Emma Kauldhar")
Hironao Takahashi in Cinderella. Photo Emma Kauldhar![Javier Torres and Lucia Solari in Fatal Kiss, 2015. Photo Lauren Godfrey]( "Javier Torres and Lucia Solari in Fatal Kiss. Photo Lauren Godfrey")
Javier Torres and Lucia Solari in Fatal Kiss. Photo Lauren Godfrey![Northern Ballet dancers Giuliano Contadini and Lucia Solari in David Nixon OBE's Cinderella. Photo Emma Kauldhar]( "Giuliano Contadini and Lucia Solari in Cinderella. Photo Emma Kauldhar")
Giuliano Contadini and Lucia Solari in Cinderella. Photo Emma Kauldhar![Lucia Solari as Lady Capulet with Javier Torres as Tybalt in Jean-Christophe Maillot's Romeo and Juliet, 2015. Photo Andy Ross]( "Lucia Solari with Javier Torres in Jean-Christophe Maillot's Romeo and Juliet. Photo Andy Ross")
Lucia Solari with Javier Torres in Jean-Christophe Maillot's Romeo and Juliet. Photo Andy Ross![Lucia Solari as the Sugar Plum Fairy with Javier Torres as the Cavalier in Northern Ballet's The Nutcracker, 2015. Photo Emma Kauldhar]( "Lucia Solari with Javier Torres in The Nutcracker. Photo Emma Kauldhar")
Lucia Solari with Javier Torres in The Nutcracker. Photo Emma Kauldhar![Jeremy Curnier and Rachael Gillespie in Concerto Six Twenty-Two, 2014. Photo Emma Kauldhar]( "Jeremy Curnier and Rachael Gillespie in Concerto Six Twenty-Two. Photo Emma Kauldhar")
Jeremy Curnier and Rachael Gillespie in Concerto Six Twenty-Two. Photo Emma Kauldhar![Jeremy Curnier and Rachael Gillespie in Concerto Six Twenty-Two, 2014. Photo Emma Kauldhar]( "Jeremy Curnier and Rachael Gillespie in Wuthering Heights. Photo Emma Kauldhar")
Jeremy Curnier and Rachael Gillespie in Wuthering Heights. Photo Emma Kauldhar![Jeremy Curnier with Antoinette Brooks-Daw in Peter Pan. Photo Lauren Godfrey]( "Jeremy Curnier with Antoinette Brooks-Daw in Peter Pan. Photo Lauren Godfrey")
Jeremy Curnier with Antoinette Brooks-Daw in Peter Pan. Photo Lauren Godfrey![Jeremy Curnier in rehearsals for Northern Ballet's Cinderella, 2013. Photo Justin Slee]( "Jeremy Curnier in rehearsals for Cinderella. Photo Justin Slee")
Jeremy Curnier in rehearsals for Cinderella. Photo Justin Slee![Luke Francis as a Musician in Northern Ballet's Casanova, 2017. Photo Emma Kauldhar]( "Luke Francis in Casanova. Photo Emma Kauldhar")
Luke Francis in Casanova. Photo Emma Kauldhar![Luke Francis with Archie Sullivan in Northern Ballet's Tortoise & the Hare, 2015. Photo Brian Slater]( "Luke Francis with Archie Sullivan in Tortoise & the Hare. Photo Brian Slater")
Luke Francis with Archie Sullivan in Tortoise & the Hare. Photo Brian Slater![Antoinette Brooks-Daw, Jenny Hackwell, Rachael Gillespie and Isabelle Clough in Northern Ballet's Swan Lake, 2016. Photo Emma Kauldhar]( "Antoinette Brooks-Daw, Jenny Hackwell, Rachael Gillespie and Isabelle Clough in Swan Lake. Photo Emma Kauldhar")
Antoinette Brooks-Daw, Jenny Hackwell, Rachael Gillespie and Isabelle Clough in Swan Lake. Photo Emma Kauldhar![Jenny Hackwell in Northern Ballet's Goldilocks, 2016. Photo Brian Slater]( "Jenny Hackwell in Goldilocks. Photo Brian Slater")
Jenny Hackwell in Goldilocks. Photo Brian Slater
Senior Artist and former Premier Dancer Hironao Takahashi has officially retired from dancing after 25 years with Northern Ballet. Hironao has graced the stage in numerous roles though the years, performing in ballets ranging from Christopher Gable's Romeo and Juliet and A Christmas Carol, to David Nixon's Hamlet, Cleopatra and Cinderella. We're delighted that he will continue his roles as Assistant Rehearsal Director and Assistant Artistic Director of our children's ballets.
First Soloist Lucia Solari leaves the Company after four years to join Ballett Kiel in Germany, where she will be joined by Jeremy Curnier, who has danced with Northern Ballet since 2009.
Dancers Naomi Bottomer, Isabelle Clough, Jenny Hackwell and Luke Francis also leave the Company with our best wishes this summer.
A number of Northern Ballet’s existing company dancers have been promoted: Victoria Sibson to First Soloist; Mlindi Kulashe, Ayami Miyata, Kevin Poeung and Abigail Prudames to Soloists; Sean Bates, Matthew Koon and Matthew Topliss to Junior Soloists; and Sarah Chun, Riku Ito and Jonathan Hanks are promoted to Coryphée.
As we look ahead we are delighted to welcome nine new dancers for the 2017/18 season.
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