Dancer Promotions at West Australian Ballet

Christmas has come early at West Australian Ballet, with four dancers earning promotions after the Company’s dual end of year seasons of The Nutcracker and GALA, including one dancer to the esteemed rank of Soloist. Nikki Blain, Jesse Homes and Mayume Noguromi have each been promoted to the rank of Demi-Soloist while Julio Blanes has been promoted to Soloist.  

“I congratulate Nikki, Jesse, Mayume and Julio, their continued hard work and commitment is inspiring to us all. Earning a promotion is a special gift for a dancer and each are very deserving of their new rank,” said Aurélien Scannella, West Australian Ballet Artistic Director. 

Promoted to the esteemed rank of Soloist, Julio Blanes quickly established himself as one to watch at West Australian Ballet with his explosive jumps and turns. Blanes, originally from Cuba, joined the company in mid-2018 and has impressed in roles such as the White Rabbit in ALICE (in wonderland), in Giselle’s Peasant pas de deux, Johanna Nuutinen’s X-It.  

Throughout the GALA season Blanes has shone in Le Corsaire pas de deux, Don Quixote pas de deux, The Great Gatsby pas de deux, Architecture of Hope and Tarantella as well as The Nutcracker Prince, Clara’s brother Fritz and the Russian Candy Cane in The Nutcracker. 

Both Homes and Blain joined West Australian Ballet as Young Artists in 2015 and 2016 respectively, before being promoted to Corps de Ballet after their Young Artist year. Each have taken important roles for the Company including partnering one another as Young Dracula and Mina in Dracula (2020). Homes has also earnt roles such as Hilarion in Giselle, originating the role of Renfield in Dracula and partnering Matthew Lehmann in Claude Brumachon’s Les Indomptés, while Blain who also performed as Mina in 2018 has also took leading roles as Juliet in Radio and Juliet and in The Great Gatsby pas de deux, as well as featuring in Takuto, Architecture of Hope. 

Noguromi will join Homes and Blain as a Demi-Soloist after joining the Company’s Corps de Ballet in 2019. Discovered from a Youth America Grand Prix Japan coaching visit to West Australian Ballet in 2018 by Scannella, she impressed throughout the end of year dual season at Clara in The Nutcracker and in the technically challenging Le Corsaire pas de deux and Don Quixote pas de deux as a part of GALA. 

West Australian Ballet return in 2021 with As One: Ballet at the Quarry from Friday 5 February, tickets via https://waballet.com.au/as-one-ballet-at-the-quarry  

For further information visit: http://waballet.com.au/

Image: Julio Blanes in Jack Whiter’s work Prelude