News of note: what you might have missed in July 2026. August 4, 2026 Here are the latest promotions, appointments, and departures, as well as notable awards and accomplishments, from July 2026. Comings & goings. At American Ballet Theatre, effective in September, Jarod Curley, SunMi Park, and Jake Roxander have been promoted to principal, Zimmi Coker, Michael de la Nuez, Tyler Maloney, Joseph Markey, Andrew Robare, and Yoon Jung Seo to soloist. At The Royal Ballet, Taisuke Nakao has been promoted to first soloist, Nadia Mullova-Barley, Ella Newton Severgnini, Charlotte Tonkinson, Marianna Tsembenhoi, Harrison Lee, and Marco Masciari to soloist. First soloist Valentino Zucchetti will depart the company to focus on choreography and producing in October. His final performance is scheduled for October 24. At South Carolina Ballet, Claire Rapp has been promoted to ballerina, Dylan Van Dyke and Sydney Murrell to demi-soloist. At Vienna State Ballet, Natalya Butchko, Alessandro Cavallo, Duccio Tariello, and Rinaldo Venuti have been promoted to soloist, Chiara Uderzo to demi-soloist. Rafael Quenedit has joined Boston Ballet as a soloist. Sasha Mukhamedov will join National Ballet of Canada as a first soloist at the start of the new season. Benjamin Freemantle will join Staatsballett Berlin as a soloist at the start of the new season. English National Ballet lead principal Shiori Kase has departed the company. Julian MacKay was dismissed from his position as principal dancer at Bayerisches Staatsballett. He is currently pursuing legal action. New York City Ballet soloist Brittany Pollack has retired. Ballet West principal Tyler Gum will retire at the end of October. Melissa M. Young has been named artistic director of Bruce Wood Dance, succeeding Joy Bollinger, who is stepping into the newly created role of resident choreographer and répétiteur. Tulsa Ballet artistic director Marcello Angelini and assistant artistic director Daniela Buson will retire at the end of the 2026-27 season. Chloë Flores has stepped down as executive director and curator of homeLA; Bernard Brown and Samantha Mohr have been named interim co-directors. Leah Voigt has been appointed CEO of Grand Rapids Ballet after serving in the role in an interim capacity since October. Doug Singleton has been named executive director of The Washington Ballet. Moisés Martín Cintas has joined National Ballet of Canada as a rehearsal director. David LaMarche has been appointed music director at American Ballet Theatre. Awards & honors. At the 2026 Tap City Awards, Alexandria "Brinae Ali" Bradley and Mark Yonally will receive Hoofer Awards, and Thelma Goldberg the Preservation Award. Buddy Bradley, LaVaughn Robinson, and NYC Tapworks will be inducted into the Tap Dance Hall of Fame. Eric Gauthier received the City of Stuttgart's Citizens' Medal. Claude "CJ" Johnson, Elyse Morris, and André M. Zachery are the recipients of New Dance Alliance's 2026-27 Black Artists Space to Create residency, which provies one week of dedicated studio and living space and a $2,000 stipend. Kinetic Light is among the organizations to receive a major grant from the Doris Duke and Ford Foundations supporting technological innovation in the performing arts.

Alumnus Jarod Curley promoted to ABT Principal Dancer. July 21, 2026 Congratulations to CityDance Alumnus, Jarod Curley, promoted to Principal Dancer at American Ballet Theatre! CityDance, Inc. is thrilled to celebrate CityDance Conservatory alumnus Jarod Curley, who has been promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer at American Ballet Theatre, effective September 1, 2026. Curley trained at CityDance Conservatory before going on to Next Generation Ballet and the John Cranko School in Stuttgart, Germany. He joined ABT Studio Company in 2016, the main Company in 2018, and was promoted to Soloist in 2024 - building a repertoire that spans Swan Lake, Onegin, Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, and more. CityDance, Inc. is so proud to see a CityDance Conservatory Alum reach the rank of Principal at one of the world's leading ballet companies. Congratulations, Jarod! CityDance Division: Conservatory

American Ballet Theatre dancer SunMi Park is promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer. ByGramilano 18 July 2026 Reading Time: 2 minutes American Ballet Theatre dancer SunMi Park has been promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer, from 1 September 2026. ABT Artistic Director Susan Jaffe announced the promotion onstage at the Metropolitan Opera House following the evening performance of Swan Lake, in which Park performed the role of Odette/Odile. SunMi is an artist of real depth - said Jaffe. She commands the stage in a way that is completely her own, and brings a quiet power to everything she dances. She has consistently risen to meet every challenge we have put before her. The speed of her growth has been remarkable, and we are so proud to recognise that with this promotion. SunMi Park was born in Seongnam, South Korea and began studying ballet at age ten. She trained at Sun-hwa Middle and High School of the Arts from 2012 to 2016 and at Korea National Institute of Gifted Arts from 2014 to 2016, building the rigorous classical foundation that would carry her to the world stage. In 2017, she was awarded First Prize at Moscow International Ballet Tournament, followed by a gold medal at the Youth America Grand Prix in 2018. She graduated from Korea National University of Arts in August 2019 and joined ABT Studio Company that same month. Park became an apprentice with the main Company in November 2021 and joined the corps de ballet in February 2022. She was promoted to Soloist in September 2022, just seven months later. Park's repertoire reveals a dancer of great versatility. She has danced Myrta, the peasant pas de deux, and Moyna in Giselle, Tita in Like Water for Chocolate, Grand Pas Classique, the pas de deux from Great Galloping Gottschalk, and leading roles in Bach Partita, Serenade after Plato's Symposium, Night Falls, and Sextet. She has danced Clara, the Princess in Alexei Ratmansky's The Nutcracker, Natalia in On the Dnipro, and Rezia and "Becomings" in Woolf Works, among many others. Park created the role of Sonya in Crime and Punishment, leading roles in La Boutique and Children's Songs Dance, and a featured role in Wrecka Stow.