New Promotions Announced at American Ballet Theatre

Isabella Boylston has been promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre and Joseph Gorak, Christine Shevchenko, Devon Teuscher and Roman Zhurbin have been promoted to Soloists. The promotions, which become effective August 1, were announced today by Artistic Director Kevin McKenzie.

Isabella Boylston was born in Sun Valley, Idaho and began dancing at the age of three. While training at the Academy of Colorado Ballet, she won the gold medal in the 2001 Youth America Grand Prix. In 2002, she began training at the Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, Florida and joined the ABT Studio Company in 2005. She became an apprentice with ABT in 2006 and a member of the corps de ballet in 2007. She was promoted to Soloist in 2011. Her repertory with the Company includes Gamzatti in La Bayadère, the Ballerina in The Bright Stream, the Summer Fairy in Frederick Ashton's Cinderella, Aurora in Coppélia, Gulnare and an Odalisque in Le Corsaire, Kitri in Don Quixote, the second girl in Fancy Free, the title role in Alexei Ratmansky's Firebird, the title role in Giselle, Olga in Onegin and Odette/Odile in Swan Lake. She has danced leading roles in Bach Partita, Ballo della Regina, Brief Fling, Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes, In the Upper Room, From Here On Out, Gong, The Leaves Are Fading, Les Sylphides, Symphony in C, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux and Theme and Variations. She created leading roles in Citizen, Chamber Symphony, Dumbarton, Private Light and Thirteen Diversions. Boylston won the 2009 Princess Grace Award and was nominated for the 2010 Prix Benois de la Danse. She received the Clive Barnes Award in 2011 and the Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowship in 2013.

Joseph Gorak is a native of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and began his training with North Central School of Ballet in Texas. He studied under full scholarships at the International Ballet Competition Summer School, as well as summer intensives with American Ballet Theatre, Orlando Ballet and School of American Ballet. In 2004, Gorak trained at the Orlando Ballet School and, in 2005, joined Orlando Ballet, under the direction of Fernando Bujones. He won the silver medal in the senior men's division at the 2005 Helsinki International Ballet Competition, the gold medal at the 2005 YAGP Finals, the silver medal from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts and Grand Prix Award at the 2006 YAGP Finals. Gorak joined the ABT Studio Company in 2006, the main Company as an apprentice in 2009 and the corps de ballet in 2010. Among his roles with the Company are the Bronze Idol in La Bayadère, the Prince in Frederick Ashton's Cinderella, the Dancing Master in Gaîté Parisienne, the peasant pas de deux in Giselle, the Nutcracker Prince in Alexei Ratmansky's The Nutcracker, Lensky in Onegin, Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet, Bluebird in The Sleeping Beauty, The Poet in Les Sylphides, Benno in Swan Lake and roles in Bach Partita, In the Upper Room and Symphony in C. He created the role of Ferdinand in The Tempest and leading roles in Dumbarton and Private Light. In 2011, Gorak won the Erik Bruhn Prize. He is the recipient of a 2011-2012 Princess Grace Performance Dance Fellowship.

Christine Shevchenko was born in Odessa, Ukraine where she trained in rhythmic gymnastics and ballet at an Olympic school. At the age of eight, she moved to the United States and trained for nine years at Pennsylvania Ballet's Rock School. In 2003, Shevchenko became the youngest recipient of the Princess Grace Award. Other awards include the Bronze Medal at the USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi, the 2005 Gold Medal and Title of Laureate at the Moscow International Ballet Competition and the 2010 Margaret Moore Dance Award. Shevchenko joined the ABT Studio Company in 2006, the main Company as an apprentice in 2007 and the corps de ballet in 2008. Her repertoire with the Company includes Polyhymnia in Apollo, a Shade in La Bayadère, Milkmaid in The Bright Stream, the Summer Fairy in Frederick Ashton's Cinderella, a flower girl in Don Quixote, the Lead Can-Can Dancer in Gaîté Parisienne, Moyna in Giselle, the pas de trois in Swan Lake, Ceres in Sylvia and roles in Birthday Offering, Company B, Duets, Piano Concerto #1, Seven Sonatas and Thirteen Diversions. She created roles in Everything Doesn't Happen at Once and Private Light.

Devon Teuscher was born in Pennsylvania and began her dance training at the age of nine under Deanna Doty of the Champaign Urbana Ballet Academy in Champaign, Illinois. She continued her training at the Vermont Ballet Theatre School under the direction of Alex and Kirsten Nagiba. She attended summer intensives at The Kirov Ballet Academy, Pacific Northwest Ballet and American Ballet Theatre on scholarship. In 2005, Teuscher began training at ABT's Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School on full scholarship. She joined the ABT Studio Company in 2006, the main Company as an apprentice in 2007 and the corps de ballet in 2008. Her repertoire with the Company includes Polyhymnia in Apollo, a Shade in La Bayadère, the Fairy Godmother in Frederick Ashton's Cinderella, Aurora in Coppélia, a flower girl in Don Quixote, La Lionne in Gaîté Parisienne, Myrta in Giselle, the pas de trois in Swan Lake, Diana in Sylvia and roles in Airs, Bach Partita, Baker's Dozen, Citizen, Company B, Duets, Dumbarton, Everything Doesn't Happen at Once, Gong, In the Upper Room and Thirteen Diversions.

Roman Zhurbin was born in Moscow and came to the United States at age 13. He began his ballet training at age 15 at LaGuardia High School under the direction of Michelle Mathesius, Joey Smith, Michele Benash and Eddie Shelman. Zhurbin also trained at Studio Maestro with Francois Perron, Debra Wingert and Marina Stavitskaya. In 2003, he attended ABT's Summer Intensive and joined the ABT Studio Company the same year. He joined the main Company as an apprentice in 2004 and became a member of the corps de ballet in 2005. His roles with the Company include the High Brahmin in La Bayadère, Gavrilyich in The Bright Stream, a Step-Sister in Frederick Ashton's Cinderella, Dr. Coppélius in Coppélia, Don Quixote in Don Quixote, Lysander in The Dream, the Father in Fall River Legend, The Man She Must Marry in Jardin aux Lilas, Monsieur GM and the Jailer in Manon, Yslaev in A Month in the Country, the Moor in The Moor's Pavane, Drosselmeyer in Alexei Ratmansky's The Nutcracker, Prince Gremin in Onegin, the Moor in Petrouchka, the Head Wrangler in Rodeo, Tybalt, Lord Capulet and Lord Montague in Romeo and Juliet and roles in Aftereffect, Baker's Dozen, The Brahms-Haydn Variations, Brief Fling, Black Tuesday, Company B, Dark Elegies, The Garden of Villandry and The Leaves Are Fading. Zhurbin created the role of the Fiancé's Father in On the Dnieper, Alonso in The Tempest and a role in Everything Doesn't Happen at Once.

American Ballet Theatre's 2014 Spring season at the Metropolitan Opera House continues through July 5. For more information, visit www.abt.org.