Colorado Ballet Promotes Dancer to Soloist, Adds New Members

DENVER - Colorado Ballet promoted one of its Corps de Ballet dancers to Soloist dancer, added a new Principal and four new Corps de Ballet members for a total of 30 professional Company dancers.

At the end of the 2014-2015 season, Artistic Director Gil Boggs promoted Francisco Estevez from Corps de Ballet to Soloist. Born in Quito, Ecuador, Estevez moved to the U.S. in 1995. He began his ballet training in Louisville, Kentucky and finished his professional training at the School of American Ballet in New York where he also performed featured roles with the New York City Ballet. He graduated in 2008 and danced with Boston Ballet and Barcelona Ballet before joining Colorado Ballet during the 2012-2013 season.

With the retirement of two Principals at the end of the 2014-2015 season, Boggs brought on Yosvani Ramos as a new Principal this season.

Ramos was born in Camagüey, Cuba and trained at the National Ballet School, dancing with Jeune Ballet de France and Ballet de l'Opéra National de Paris after winning the Gold Medal at the Paris International Ballet Competition in 1998. He joined English National Ballet as a Soloist in 1999 and was promoted to Senior Soloist in 2000, then Principal Dancer in 2003. He danced with ENB until 2008 when he joined The Australian Ballet as a Principal Artist, where he remained until April 2013. He danced at the XVIII International Ballet Festival in Miami in September 2013, spent several months guesting with companies in Europe and the USA and joined the Cincinnati Ballet as principal dancer in July 2014. He joins Colorado Ballet for the 2015-2016 season as a Principal Dancer.

Colorado Ballet's new Corps de Ballet dancers include: Mackenzie Dessens, formerly with Cincinnati Ballet's second company; Megan Dillon, who previously danced Charlotte Ballet 2 and Ballet Met 2; Sarah Tryon, formerly with Sarasota Ballet; and Bryce Lee, who danced in Colorado Ballet's Studio Company before his promotion into the Company.

More than half of Colorado Ballet's Company dancers will perform at the Vail International Dance Festival on August 2, 9 and 10. Colorado Ballet's dancers will also perform at An Evening under the Stars on August 22at the Arvada Center Outdoor Amphitheater. The Company will officially open the 2015-2016 season with La Sylphide on October 2 at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House.

In addition to the new dancers, 20 Studio Company dancers will join the professional Company dancers this season for the productions at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Colorado Ballet's Studio Company is a pre-professional training opportunity for dancers with the potential and desire to become professional dancers.

About Colorado Ballet

Established in 1961 by Lillian Covillo and Freidann Parker, Colorado Ballet is a non-profit organization celebrating 55 years of presenting world-class classical ballet and superior dance in Denver. Under the direction of Artistic Director Gil Boggs, Colorado Ballet enhances the cultural life of Colorado through performances of the professional company, training at the Academy, and Education & Outreach programs. Visit www.coloradoballet.org.

To post a comment, you must register and login.