New York City Ballet Announces Three Promotions

New York City Ballet announced today the promotion of three of the Company's dancers. Soloists Unity Phelan and Indiana Woodward have been promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer, and corps de ballet member Roman Mejia has been promoted to Soloist.

Unity Phelan was born in Princeton, New Jersey, and began her dance training at age 5 at the Princeton Ballet School and came to the School of American Ballet in 2009. Named an NYCB apprentice in 2012, she joined the NYCB corps de ballet in 2013 and was promoted to Soloist in 2017. Her repertory includes leading roles in numerous works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Robert Binet, William Forsythe, Lauren Lovette, Peter Martins, Andrea Miller, Matthew Neenan, Justin Peck, Alexei Ratmansky, and Christopher Wheeldon.

During the 2021 Fall Season Phelan has made debuts in featured roles in Balanchine's Western Symphony and Robbins' Glass Pieces, and on October 14 she is scheduled to debut in Wheeldon's After the Rain (pas de deux). During the Company's Fall Season Phelan has also performed leading roles in Ratmansky's Russian Seasons, and Peck's Pulcinella Variations and Rotunda. In recent seasons Phelan has also debuted in leading roles in Balanchine's Haieff Divertimento, Kammermusik No. 2, and Union Jack; Robbins' Dances at a Gathering, In G Major, and Opus 19/The Dreamer; Lovette's The Shaded Line; Peck's Everywhere We Go; Wheeldon's DGV: Danse à Grande Vitesse; and Miller's Fall 2020 digital work new song.

Indiana Woodward was born in Paris, France, and began her dance training at age 10 at the Yuri she joined the NYCB corps de ballet that year and was promoted to Soloist in 2017. Her repertory includes leading roles in numerous works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Robert Binet, August Bournonville, William Forsythe, Edwaard Liang, Lauren Lovette, Peter Martins, Justin Peck, Alexei Ratmansky, Gianna Reisen, Pam Tanowitz, Peter Walker, and Christopher Wheeldon.

During the Company's Fall 2021 Season, Woodward has originated a featured role in Andrea Miller's sky to hold, and performed featured roles in Balanchine's Symphony in C, Peck's Rotunda and Pulcinella Variations, and Ratmansky's Russian Seasons. In recent seasons Woodward has originated leading roles in Liang's Lineage, Miller's Fall 2020 digital work new song, and Tanowitz's Bartók Ballet. She has also made her debut in leading roles in Balanchine's Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet and Valse-Fantaisie, Peck's Everywhere We Go and Principia, Ratmansky's Voices, Reisen's Judah, and Wheeldon's Polyphonia.

Roman Mejia was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and began studying ballet at age 3 with his mother and father, and continued his training at the Mejia Ballet Academy before coming to the School of American Ballet in 2015. Named an NYCB apprentice in 2017, he joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet later that year. His repertory with NYCB includes featured roles in numerous ballets by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Kyle Abraham, Edwaard Liang, Peter Martins, Justin Peck, Alexei Ratmansky, Gianna Reisen, and Christopher Wheeldon.

During the 2021 Fall Season Mejia has performed a leading role in Balanchine's Western Symphony, and on October 14 he is scheduled to debut in Robbins' Other Dances. In recent seasons Mejia has originated featured roles in Liang's Lineage and Ratmansky's Voices, and debuted in leading roles in Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream (Puck), "Emeralds" from Jewels, and Valse-Fantaisie, Robbins' Dances at a Gathering, Peck's Rodeo: Four Dance Episodes, Ratmansky's Pictures at an Exhibition, and Wheeldon's Polyphonia.