A Million Congratulations!

Michaela DePrince in "A Million Kisses to my Skin"

Author Angela Sterling
(c) 2015 Dutch National Ballet, all rights reserved
Licensed with the kind permission of the company

I am very grateful to David Dawson for sharing this announcement from Dance Europe:

Promotions at Dutch National Ballet

"Dutch National Ballet has announced the following promotions for the 2016-17 season: Jared Wright - 2nd soloist; Michaela DePrince - grand sujet; Matthew Pawlicki - grand sujet; Floor Eimers - coryphée; Krista Ettlinger - coryphée; Sem Sjouke - coryphée; Jessica Xuan - coryphée; Martin ten Kortenaar - coryphée; Oscar Valdes - coryphée; Riho Sakamoto, Yuanyuan Zhang and Cristiano Principato to corps de ballet. From the Junior Company to the main Company: Emilie G. Tassinari, Clara Superfine, Thomas Van Damme, Daniel Robert Silva, Joseph Massarelli and Giovanni Princic become élèves."

I have been following Michaela DePrince ever since 4 April 2013. It was she who led me to the Junior Company where I saw her dance for the first time (see The Junior Company of the Dutch National Ballet - Stadsshouwburg Amsterdam 24 Nov 2013 25 Nov 2013). Here's what I wrote about her:

"I had come to Amsterdam to see Michaela DePrince about whom I have written a lot. She appeared as Diana in Diana & Actaeon a ballet originally choreographed by Agrippina Vaganova for the Kirov in 1935. Soviet ballet was athletic and spectacular requiring enormous virtuosity. I had seen something of DePrince's virtuosity in her YouTube videos but she is even more impressive in real life. She is quite simply the most exciting dancer I have seen for quite a while."

Last year she gave a masterclass at Danceworks and Lesley  Osman sent me some lovely photos and a first hand account from Ciara Sturrock who took part (see Michaela's Masterclass 8 July 2015). She is coming back to Danceworks on 18 July 2016 (see Another Masterclass 2 May 2016). Last year at the opening gala I bumped into DePrince as I was leaving the Stopera.  As I said in The best evening I have ever spent at the ballet 12 Sept 2015, "I left the Stopera thinking how that exceptionally talented young dancer was as gracious off stage as she is magnificent upon it." The photo above shows DePrince in Dawson's A Million Kisses to my Skin.  Instead of a million kisses I send Michaela DePrince a million congratulations.

Last June I returned to Amsterdam to see Cool Britannia which included yet another of Dawson's works, Empire Noire (see Going Dutch 29 June 2015). DePrince was dancing in that work but so too was another outstanding young dancer, Floor Elmers. I was most impressed by her performance and have been following her career ever since.  A million congratulations to Floor as well.

In December 2014 I wrote a series of articles on members of the Junior Company (see Meet Ernst Meisner and his talented young dancers 6 Dec 2014). They included Martin ten Kortenaar, Riho Sakamoto, Yuanyuan Zhang, Cristiano Principato and Emilie G. Tassinari. I congratulation each and every one of them too and wish them well.

This year on my birthday I  saw Clara Superfine, Thomas Van Damme, Daniel Robert Silva, Joseph Massarelli and Giovanni Princic in Ballet Bubbles 16 Feb 2016. It was the best birthday treat ever. I thank them profusely and wish each and every one of them every success in their careers.

Finally, I congratulate all those artists listed above whom I have not mentioned.   Each and every one of them deserves an enormous bouquet of flowers.