Dance World Updates: Appointments, Promotions, and Awards – January 2026
January 2026 brought a wave of changes and recognition within the dance community, from new leadership roles at prominent companies to significant awards honoring artistic achievement. Here’s a comprehensive overview of the latest comings and goings, as well as notable accolades.
Comings & Goings
Troy Schumacher has transitioned to the full-time role of artistic and executive director of BalletCollective, the company he founded. Schumacher is also a soloist with the New York City Ballet and has been choreographing for the company since 2014. BalletCollective reimagines ballet through collaborations between choreographers, composers, and contemporary artists.
Michael Vernon has been appointed interim artistic director of Indianapolis Ballet for the remainder of the 2025–26 season, following the departure of founder Victoria Lyras in late 2025.
Naomi Goldberg Haas will transition to the role of artistic director emerita of Dances for a Variable Population in June. A search for the company’s next artistic director is currently underway.
Ashleyanne Hensley has been appointed interim executive director of Georgia Ballet, succeeding Alexa DeStefano, effective January 1.
Rachel Du Toit joined Dance/NYC as its new executive director on January 26.
Kiera Anderson has been appointed executive director of Sacramento Ballet.
Deborah Warner has been appointed artistic director of Park Avenue Armory.
Lucinda Childs has been named resident choreographer of Gibney Company for the period 2026–30.
Within companies, several dancers have received promotions: Tyler Donatelli at Houston Ballet has been promoted to principal; Thays Golz at Philadelphia Ballet has been promoted to principal; and Yuri Marques at Scottish Ballet has been promoted to principal.
At The Australian Ballet, Isobelle Dashwood, Cameron Holmes, and Maxim Zenin have been promoted to senior artist, while Grace Carroll and Samara Merrick have been promoted to soloist. At Royal New Zealand Ballet, Dane Head and Gretchen Steimle have been promoted to soloist.
Patricio Revé will join The Royal Ballet as a principal at the start of the 2026–27 season.
Awards & Honors
Jason Samuels Smith, Mame Diarra Speis-Biaye, Shah hair, Shamel Pitts, Thaddeus Davis and Wideman-Davis (Wideman Davis Dance) are among the recipients of the 2026 United States Artist Fellowships, each receiving a $50,000 unrestricted grant.
The 2024 NY Dance and Performance Awards (the “Bessies”) recognized: Shamel Pitts (Touch of RED), Nia Love (UNDERcurrents), Hyejin Jeong, Sung Hoon Kim, and Jaeduk Kim (One Dance), and Wanjiru Kamuyu (A Disguised Welcome…aka An Immigrant’s Story) as Outstanding Choreographer/Creator; Baye & Asa as Outstanding Breakout Choreographer; and the ensemble of Pina Bausch’s The Rite of Spring at Park Avenue Armory (which also won Outstanding Revival), Edisa Weeks, Paul Hamilton, and Abdiel as Outstanding Performers. The 2025 awards included: Fredrick Earl Mosley (Unleashed), Lar Lubovitch (Many Angels), Omari Wiles and Arturo Lyons (Cats: The Jellicle Ball), and Yoko Murakami (Blink) as Outstanding Choreographer/Creator; Amy Hall Garner as Outstanding Breakout Choreographer; Jacquelin Harris, the cast of Cats: The Jellicle Ball, Jake Roxander, and House of Juicy + House of Telfar as Outstanding Performers; and Ronald K. Brown (for Grace at Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater) for Outstanding Revival.
At the 2026 Martha Hill Awards in February, Joan Finkelstein and Phyllis Lamhut will receive Lifetime Achievement Awards, and Dante Puleio and David Hamilton Thomson will receive Mid-Career Awards.
Katja Khaniukova, English National Ballet first soloist, was awarded Ukraine’s Order of Princess Olha.
Malorie Lundgren received New York City Ballet’s 2026 Janice Levin Award.