Royal New Zealand Ballet appoint new Artistic Director

Royal New Zealand Ballet have recently appointed a new Artistic Director and announced it 2015 programme: Francesco Ventriglia has been announced as the company’s new artistic director, appointed after an extensive international recruitment process. Ventriglia trained at the Ballet School of La Scala, Italy, joining the world-renowned ballet company of La Scala in 1997. During his dancing career he performed solo and principal roles in a wide range of repertoire including the Bronze Idol in Natalia Makarova’s La Bayadère, and Hilarion to Sylvie Guillem’s Giselle at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York and Covent Garden. As a choreographer, he has created works for leading dancers including Roberto Bolle, Ulyana Lopatkina and Svetlana Zakharova. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9QnXkNU4s8 After retiring from the stage, Ventriglia was appointed Director of MaggioDanza (Opera Dance Theatre) in Italy in 2010. He guided the company to new success on the international stage, substantially increasing the number of performances at home and abroad, investing in education programmes, commissioning new works from Italian and international choreographers, and he received acclaim from audiences and critics alike. He will take up his appointment as the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s 11th Artistic Director in November 2014, joining the company during A Christmas Carol. The 2015 season for the company will encompass two major full-length works, together with a mixed programme of contemporary works. The year begins with a national tour of Don Quixote staged by Gary Harris, first seen in 2008. The company's domestic season will conclude with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a world premiere from British choreographer Liam Scarlett in his first major full length commission for a company outside the UK. The year will end with a return to the UK, performing classical and contemporary works, including Ethan Stiefel and Johan Kobborg’s acclaimed Giselle.