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Promotions and Award Winners Announced for 2023/24
June 19, 2023

The National Ballet of Canada’s 2022/23 season is closing on a high, with Artistic Director Hope Muir sharing the dancer promotions at the Patrons’ Council Season Closing Party on June 18 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. An annual tradition for the Patrons’ Council, which marks its 40th anniversary this year, the Season Closing Party is an opportunity for donors to gather in celebration of the talented artists who give so much to their art form, their audiences and The National Ballet of Canada.

Larkin Miller, Josh Hall, Christopher Gerty and Peng-Fei Jiang. Photo by Bruce Zinger.

We are proud to share that Christopher Gerty has been promoted to Principal Dancer and Josh Hall, Peng-Fei Jiang, and Larkin Miler have all been promoted to Second Soloist.

Nicola Tory with Harrison James. Photo by Bruce Zinger.

The Season Closing Party is also the occasion for announcing dancer awards. Nicola Tory was in attendance to present the David Tory Award, established in honour of former Vice Chair of The National Ballet of Canada’s Board of Directors, David Tory. Dancers are nominated by their colleagues for demonstrating qualities that David had in abundance: professionalism, honesty, compassion, humility, integrity, mentorship, optimism and an enthusiasm for life and dance. This year the award went to Principal Dancers Svetlana Lunkina and Harrison James.

Albjon Gjorllaku, LJ Nagel and Emma Ouellet. Photo by Bruce Zinger.

Sunday’s event also saw the presentation of the Patron Award of Merit, which recognizes two dancers from either the Corps de Ballet or RBC Apprentice Programme who have shown incredible progress over the season. LJ Nagel, Chair of the Patrons’ Council Committee, presented this year’s awards to Emma Ouellet and Albjon Gjorllaku.

Congratulations everyone and thank you to our wonderful donors and audiences for an unforgettable 2022/23 season!