New dancers at Qld Ballet

The Queensland Ballet has welcomed its first new intake of dancers since January 2020. 

Moving up to Jette Parker Young Artists from the company's Pre-Professional Program are Heidi Craig, Sophie Kerr, Edison Manuel, Matthew Maxwell, Frederick Montgomery, Joshua Ostermann and Sophie Smith.

Six Jette Parker Young Artists will join as Company Artists. They are Callum Mackie, Briana McAllen, Heidi Freeman, Ines Hargreaves, Kayla Van Den Bogert and Lewis Formby.

Arriving from outside the company are three Prix de Lausanne finalists: Laura Viola (Portugal) and Samaël Maurice (Canada) as Jette Parker Young Artists, and Francisco Gomes (Portugal) as a Company Artist. Keigo Muto (West Australian Ballet) and Kaho Kato (Théâtre du Capitole de Toulouse) will also join as Company Artists, as are two Australian Ballet School graduates - Jessica Stratton-Smith and Luca Armstrong - and one graduate from the National Theatre Ballet School in Melbourne, Amber Mitchell-Knight. 

Leaving the stage is Camilo Ramos, after six years with Queensland Ballet and 14 years as a principal dancer. He will be moving into a new role at the Queensland Ballet Academy.

“There have been so many highlights," he says of his career. "Some of my favourite roles are James in La Sylphide, Puck and Oberón in Midsummer Night’s Dream, Peter Pan, Solor and Golden Idol in La Bayadere and performing in Jiří Kylián’s Soldier’s Mass. I’m so grateful along the way I had opportunity to work with choreographers such as Ben Stevenson, Liam Scarlett, Greg Horsman and Natalie Weir."

Ramos’ last performance will be The Nutcracker dancing the role of the Prince alongside his fiancé, Yanela Piñera, as the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Also leaving the company are Eriko Nakajima, Lucy Christodoulou, Talia Fidra, Alyssa Kelty, Oscar Delbao and Daniel Kempson. 

For more moves, go here.