Meet our new dancers

The newest additions to our Ballet

Fri, Sep 30, 2022

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1500 applications from all over the world were received for this spring's ballet auditions! At Tempus Fugit/ FUTUR PROCHE and Mozart / Concert Arias. loyal ballet lovers will discover 8 new faces. We briefly introduce them to you.

David Ledger

The British dancer received his training at the Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance. He danced with Nederlands Danstheater 2, Ultima Vez and in recent years worked as a freelance dancer in the UK and Europe. He was also active in film and the commercial sector, but now he joins our company as a half-soloist. David tells us that he is very much looking forward to getting to know his new colleagues: "It is always inspiring to work with new people and share experiences. I hope to discover as much as possible here and try new things."

Discover David Ledger in Tempus Fugit

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Yaiza Davilla Gomez

The Spanish dancer Yaiza studied classical ballet at the Royal Conservatory Mariemma in Madrid and in recent years has danced at the Ballet de Teatres de la Generalitat Valenciana, Staatstheater Nürnberg and Saarländisches Staatstheater. "One of the most memorable moments of my career was the performance of Hora by Israeli choreographer Ohad Naharin," she says. "I was completely overwhelmed when I first saw the piece and felt honored when I got to dance it myself years later." She enters this season as a half-soloist and is especially eager to see Pite/Spivey/Forsythe, a show featuring choreographers she greatly admires.

Discover Yaiza Davilla Gomez in Pite/Spivey/Forsythe

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Photo: Bettina Stoess

Austin Meiteen

This young Texan studied at the Houston Ballet School and joins Opera Ballet Flanders' corps de ballet after dancing for three years at Nederlands Dans Theater 2. Austin finds it all quite exciting, as he has not yet had the opportunity to work with the major choreographers programmed this season - with the exception of Johan Inger. "I like getting to know other dance languages, it's interesting to be part of a new creative process," he says. And what does the American think of Antwerp? "An eclectic mess where everything and everyone seems to be unique, but above all, a city that feels very welcoming."

Discover Austin Meiteen in Tempus Fugit

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Photo: Filip Van Roe

Louis Thuriot

There is also a Belgian among the new batch: Aalst-born Louis Thuriot. He studied dance at the Kunsthumaniora in Brussel and Codart Performing Arts in the Netherlands. The past four years he danced with TanzMainz, now he joins the corps de ballet of our company. The highlight of his career so far has been his solo Balance, which allowed him to tour Germany and Brazil. "Creating your own world and exploring with it was a wonderful experience," Louis says. Now he especially enjoys FUTUR PROCHE by Jan Martens: "It is a challenging piece that requires a lot of focus, but I love the challenge!"

Discover Louis Thuriot in FUTUR PROCHE

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Christina Guieb

Christina studied at the New Zealand School of Dance. She has already appeared in works by Damien Jalet and others with the New Zealand Dance Company. With this company, she traveled to Belgium in 2018, her first introduction to Europe. Meanwhile, she has fallen in love with the coffee and bicycle culture in Antwerp, and with the work of Jan Martens: “FUTUR PROCHE is so well made, it's exciting to dance it to the accompaniment of live harpsichord music," Christina believes. She is also looking forward to the chamber concerts, in which some dancers will collaborate with musicians from our orchestra: "I am curious to get to know them." Christina, like Louis and Austin, joins our company's corps de ballet.

Discover Christina Guieb in Perspectives on Bach

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Photo: Andi Crown

Rune Verbilt

Rune Verbilt from Beveren studied at the Royal Ballet School Antwerp. Last season, he was a trainee with us in Jan Martens' production FUTUR PROCHE and was given the opportunity to go to the Festival d'Avignon. This season, too, he will be seen in our company's corps de ballet.

Watch Rune's adventure in Avignon

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Asia Gullotto and Matteo Beeckman

Finally, we are pleased to welcome two new interns from the Royal Ballet School Antwerp this year: Italian Asia Gullotto and Swiss-Belgian Matteo Beeckman. We wish them many learning experiences in our company!

Stagiairs ballet

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