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.

American Ballet Theatre announces a new Principal Dancer and six new soloists. ByGramilano 17 July 2026 Reading Time: 5 minutes American Ballet Theatre dancer Jarod Curley has been promoted to Principal Dancer, starting on 1 September 2026. The announcement was made today by ABT Artistic Director Susan Jaffe on stage at the Metropolitan Opera House after the evening performance of Swan Lake, where Curley danced Prince Siegfried. "Jarod has been a steady and important artist in this Company for many years, and this promotion recognises the consistency, dedication, and excellence he has brought to his work. He is a stalwart partner, a commanding presence on stage, and an artist who approaches every role with intelligence and integrity. As he continues to expand his repertoire, we are delighted to welcome him as a Principal Dancer," said Susan Jaffe. Curley was born in Bethesda, Maryland and began his dance studies in 2004 at the Frederick School of Classical Ballet. He went on to train at City Dance Conservatory in Rockville, Maryland with Ivy Chow, and at Next Generation Ballet in Tampa, Florida, under the mentorship of Peter Stark. Curley spent his senior year of high school on full scholarship at the John Cranko School in Stuttgart, Germany. He was a finalist at the Prix de Lausanne in 2015 and at the Youth America Grand Prix in both 2015 and 2016. Curley joined ABT Studio Company in September 2016, became an apprentice with the main Company in December 2018, and joined the corps de ballet in June 2019. He was promoted to Soloist in March 2024 and has built a deep and varied repertoire. Six new ABT soloists. Zimmi Coker, Michael de la Nuez, Tyler Maloney, Joseph Markey, Andrew Robare, and Yoon Jung Seo have been promoted to the rank of Soloist with American Ballet Theatre. The promotions, effective from 1 September 2026, were also announced today by Susan Jaffe. "I am honoured to announce the promotion of these six extraordinary dancers to the rank of Soloist," said Jaffe. "Each of them has grown tremendously during their time in the corps de ballet, bringing versatility, artistry, and dedication to every role we have given them. It has been a tremendous pleasure to witness their journeys from ABT Studio Company to the main Company. I could not be prouder of the artists they have become, and I look forward to all that they will bring to our stage in this next chapter." Zimmi Coker was born in Dallas, Texas and grew up in Manitou Springs, Colorado. She began her ballet training with her mother, Michele Coker, at age 10 and continued at Classic Dance Academy in Denver. At age 13, Coker competed in the Youth America Grand Prix semi-finals in Denver, Colorado, and won the YAGP award for the Junior category. Coker attended American Ballet Theatre's Summer Intensive for three years and was invited to join the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. In 2014, Coker travelled to Russia to represent the ABT JKO School at the Premio Roma Jia Ruskaja. Coker joined ABT Studio Company in September 2015, became an apprentice with the main Company in November 2017, and joined the corps de ballet in June 2018. Discover more Dancer fitness program Acting & Theater Michael de la Nuez was born in Lexington, Kentucky and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. He began his dance training at age 14 at de la Dance Center, studying with his parents, former professional ballet dancers Mario de la Nuez and Meridith Benson. In 2016, he attended the Boston Ballet Summer Dance Program. In 2016, de la Nuez joined de la Dance Company, a small professional company in Cincinnati, as a trainee, and he performed as a full company member from 2017-2018. In 2017, de la Nuez was a finalist at the Youth America Grand Prix in New York City, and in 2018 he won the Grand Prix at the YAGP Regional Competition in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He joined ABT Studio Company in February 2018, became an apprentice with the main Company in December 2018, and joined the corps de ballet in June 2019. Tyler Maloney was born in Wyckoff, New Jersey, and began training at a young age at the local YMCA, learning jazz, modern, contemporary, and hip-hop, and later ballet. At the age of 11, Maloney attended American Ballet Theatre's Summer Intensive and was accepted into the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. In 2010, Maloney performed the role of the Nutcracker Boy in the premiere of Alexei Ratmansky's The Nutcracker at Brooklyn Academy of Music. Maloney joined ABT Studio Company in 2013, became an apprentice with the main Company in December 2015, and joined the corps de ballet in April 2016. Joseph Markey, originally from Jacksonville, Florida, began his training at Debbie's Dance Company under the direction of Debra Ford. In 2017, Markey moved to Orlando, Florida, and became a trainee with Orlando Ballet School. He attended summer programs at Ballet West, Orlando Ballet, Next Generation Ballet, Art of Movement, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. He won a silver medal as a YoungArts finalist in 2017, a bronze medal at the USA International Ballet Competition Jackson in 2018, and first place at Youth America Grand Prix Tampa semi-finals in 2018. Markey joined ABT Studio Company in September 2018, became an apprentice with the main Company in December 2019, and became a member of the corps de ballet in September 2021. Andrew Robare was born in Winchester, Virginia. He began tap classes at the age of six, adding other dance styles before starting ballet with his mother at age 12 at the Shenandoah Conservatory Arts Academy of Shenandoah University. In 2017, he received a full scholarship to the University of North Carolina School of the Arts high school ballet program. An American Ballet Theatre National Training Scholar, he attended ABT's New York Summer Intensive for three years. In September 2018, Robare enrolled in the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School and was invited to join ABT Studio Company in October 2018. Robare became an apprentice with the main Company in November 2021 and joined the corps de ballet in May 2022. Yoon Jung Seo is a native of Gwangmyeong, South Korea, and began studying ballet at age six. She attended the renowned Yewon School starting at age 12 and entered Seoul Arts High School at age 15. She graduated from Yewon School with top honours in ballet and earned top scores every semester at Seoul Arts High School as a ballet major. In 2019, she was a finalist at the Prix de Lausanne and later participated in the Houston Ballet Summer Intensive. Seo joined ABT Studio Company in September 2019, became an apprentice with the main Company in November 2021, and joined the corps de ballet in February 2022.

Misty Copeland's final American Ballet Theatre performance is also a New beginning with the company. Inside the David H. Koch Theater in New York City, the lights dimmed and the orchestra began to play. A spotlight hit a staircase, and a beaming Misty Copeland stepped out on the balcony, her pale pink costume skimming her petite but muscular frame. Gliding down the staircase in gold pointe shoes - the first time she's worn them in the past five years - the dancer opened "A Celebration Honoring Misty Copeland" with a romantic rendition of Romeo and Juliet opposite ABT principal dancer Calvin Thomas III. Yes, Copeland, who became the first African American female principal dancer with the American Ballet Theater in 2015, had returned to the stage for her final gala performance with the company. But their connection is far from over. The prima ballerina has been accepted into the dance organization's board of trustees. It's the perfect transition for the woman who broke down barriers in the world of ballet. She changed the way the world sees dancers of color - and how dancers of color see themselves. Remembering her first days of dance training, Copeland shared via a video during the performance, "Being in that studio just opened me to things I didn't know possible. It felt like something that I had to have in my life." And something she has always wanted to share with others. The Misty Copeland Foundation, the organization she founded in 2022 to bring more diversity and equity to the dance world, partnered with ABT and Lincoln Center to present her historic farewell with a live, free simulcast at Alice Tully Hall. A full house of friends, fans and young students of dance watched her illuminate the stage on a larger-than-life screen. Her foundation's "Be Bold" program, designed for young children to discover and embrace dance, celebrates its first graduating class this year with 12 aspiring dancers who are moving on to train with prestigious institutions like the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Dance Theatre of Harlem, and the 92nd Street Y. The foundation has also launched "Be Bolder," a training program for people 15 and older, tapping into Copeland's own roots of starting dance as a teenager. Filtering out into the night after the momentous performance, one young person slipped into a perfect arabesque in front of a step-and-repeat bearing Copeland's dance photos. Just ten years old, she exclaimed that being there had been the chance to see "the beauty, the accomplishments and the entirety of Misty Copeland's work."