News of Note: What You Might Have Missed in May 2025
Here are the latest promotions, appointments, and departures, as well as notable awards and accomplishments, from May 2025.
Comings & Goings
At Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Grace Rookstool has been promoted to principal. Soloist Corey Bourbonniere departed the company at the end of the season.
San Francisco Ballet principal Aaron Robison will rejoin Houston Ballet as a principal for the 2025–26 season.
Houston Ballet principals Chase O’Connell and Beckanne Sisk and Stuttgart Ballet principal Agnes Su will join National of Ballet of Canada as principal dancers beginning with the 2025–26 season.
Oregon Ballet Theatre principal Jessica Lind will retire at the conclusion of the current season. Her final performance is slated for June 8.
Paul James has been named CEO at Birmingham Royal Ballet, after serving as acting chief executive since December.
Baryshnikov Arts president and executive director Sonja Kostich will step down to join Houston Ballet as executive director in August, succeeding James Nelson, who will assume the role of executive advisor.
Dance/USA executive director Kellee Edusei will step down from her post on August 1.
Melissa Toogood will be the next dean and director of dance at The Juilliard School, succeeding Alicia Graf Mack on July 1.
Awards & Honors
Winners at the 2025 Chita Rivera Awards included Patricia Delgado and Justin Peck (Outstanding Choreography in a Broadway Show, Buena Vista Social Club), Kevin Csolak (Outstanding Dancer in a Broadway Show, Gypsy), Robyn Hurder (Outstanding Dancer in a Broadway Show, Smash), the cast of Buena Vista Social Club (Outstanding Ensemble in a Broadway Show), Arturo Lyons and Omari Wiles (Off-Broadway Special Recognition, Cats: The Jellicle Ball), Suki John (Outstanding Choreography in a Feature Film, Sh’ma: A Story of Survival), and Stephanie Carrel (Outstanding Direction of a Dance Documentary, A Resilient Man). David Neumann received the Douglas and Ethel Watt Critics Choice Award.
Jerry Mitchell won the 2025 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Choreography (Broadway or Off-Broadway) for Boop! the Musical. Cats: The Jellicle Ball won Outstanding Revival of a Musical.
Jerry Mitchell won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Choreography for his work on BOOP! The Musical.
Joanna Kotze has been named the 2025–26 Randjelović/Stryker Resident Commissioned Artist at New York Live Arts.
2025 recipients of Ruth Foundation for the Arts’ Artist Choice grants, which award $40,000 unrestricted grants to arts organizations nominated by artists, include BAAD! Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance, Base, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance, Washington, DC’s Dance Place, Danspace Project, FACT/SF, Henry Street Settlement, ISSUE Project Room, Kelly Strayhorn Theater, Brooklyn’s Recess, Thiossane Institute, and Urban Bush Women.
Djibril Sall is the recipient of Sweat Variant’s 2025 Threading Residency. Recipients of its 2025 Artists Supporting Artists Program are Nosarieme Garrick, yuniya edi kwon and Holland Andrews, Cynthia Oliver, and Marjani Forté-Saunders.
