2 New Principal Dancers for
The Australian Ballet!

Cuban ballet sensation Yosvani Ramos joins
The Australian Ballet!
Cuban dancer Yosvani Ramos will join the Australian Ballet as Principal Artist beginning Monday February 4th. Artistic Director David McAllister has said, “I am so excited to have Yosvani join The Australian
Ballet. He is an exciting and charismatic dancer who brings a unique and individual wealth of
talent and experience to the company.”

Yosvani was born and trained in Cuba and has carved out an impressive dance career in Europe with Le Jeune Ballet de France, Paris Opera Ballet and The English National Ballet where he has been Principal since 2004. He won the silver medal at Jackson, Mississippi in 1997,
Gold Medal at the Paris International competition in 1998 and Silver medal at Nagoya, Japan in 1999.

Yosvani’s first role with The Australian Ballet will be the Prince in Graeme Murphy’s dazzling version of Swan Lake, opening in Melbourne on March 14th.
Yosvani joins Robert Curran and Damien Welch in the male Principal Artist rank. He is 28 years old.
His classical technique allied to a striking stage
presence, have always singled him out as a
dancer of special quality.

Yosvani Ramos said today, “I first thought about working with The Australian Ballet when I toured
Australia with English National Ballet in 2001 as I fell in love with the country. I knew it was a great ballet company because when I was a kid in Cuba I had the video of La Fille Mal Gardee starring David McAllister and Fiona Tonkin. I feel lucky that David offered me a contract.”

Olivia Bell is promoted to Principal Artist
Australian Ballet's Artistic Director David McAllister has announced that Senior Artist Olivia Bell is the company’s newest female Principal Artist. Appointment to Principal Artist is the highest honour the company can bestow on its artists – it is the level all ballet dancers work towards to reach the height of their career.

David McAllister said, “Olivia joins the rank of our Principal Artists after a year of glorious dancing
and at a time in her career where her beautiful physical gifts are in perfect harmony with her abundant artistic talent. It is a wonderful conclusion to a triumphant year for Olivia and the whole company and I look forward to her performances as our newest Principal ballerina.”

At aged nine, Newcastle-born Olivia shrugged off her tomboy tendencies and turned her passion from
tennis to ballet. Her natural sense of rhythm and dazzling performances whisked her off to compete in
the Prix de Lausanne awards in Paris 1994, where she won a scholarship to the Paris Opera Ballet School, graduating in 1995.

Since joining The Australian Ballet in 1995 she has danced many principal roles, including the lead role of

Zobeide in Schéhérazade; in Les Sylphides; Myrtha Queen of the Willis in Giselle; and Princess Arabella in
the world premiere of Stephen Baynes’ Raymonda. She reprised the coveted role of Baroness von Rothbart for the UK and Japan tours of Graeme Murphy’s Swan Lake. In 1996 she was awarded a Khitercs Foundation scholarship enabling her to study abroad. She has toured with the company to England, New Zealand, Singapore, Shanghai, USA and Japan. Olivia was promoted to Senior Artist in 2003 and was also a nominee in the Telstra Ballet Dancer Award in
2004.

Visit www.australianballet.com.au to see when you can next catch Yosvani and Oilvia perform in your state.

ADT Performs on Broadway!
Australian Dance Theatre were invited to take part in a G-Day USA one-off performance in the Big Apple, called Australia Plays Broadway this Australia Day week.  Performing to a 1000 strong audience ADT was the only Australian dance company asked to take part, debuting a specially created piece by Garry Stewart which showcased his distinctive and exciting choreography.

“For ADT to be carrying the flag for Australian dance during G’Day USA is an honour,” said Artistic Director Garry Stewart.

G’Day USA is held annually to highlight the best of Australia’s food and wine, film, arts, fashion, lifestyle, business and investments to select American audiences in New York and Los Angeles.
The next opportunity for Australian audiences to see ADT will be during the premier season of G at the 2008 Adelaide Bank Festival of Arts from March 1st to 16th. Contact Bass 131 246 or visit www.adelaidefestival.com.au for tickets. www.adt.org.au

The Elephant House Project
Ramli Ibrahim, hailed as the most dynamic force on the Malaysian performing arts scene, arrives in Sydney this February to work with local dancers as part of the Elephant House Project. An initiative of the Lingalayam Dance Company, the Elephant House Project focuses on creative collaboration, choreographic research, and scholarly exchange, as well as a range of public interactions with both the arts industry and the wider audience.

The Elephant House Project will unite Ramli’s creative energies with that of Anandavalli, Lingalayam Dance Company’s Artistic Director. Together they will lead a 13 day creative development, along with 6 core dancers from Sutra Dance Theatre and Lingalayam Dance Company, segueing across styles and between ancient knowledge and modern interpretation.

The theme for the creative development will be the Nine Rasas, or emotive states, fundamental to the Indian Classical arts – sringara (love), veera (heroism or valour), karuna (compassion), adbhuta (wonderment), hasya (mirth and laughter), bhaya (terror), bibhatsa (disgust), raudra (anger) and shanta (serenity).

Elephant House Project is a crafted open-house model of artistic exchange with the potential to generate new connections. The Lingalayam Dance Company invite you to participate in this stirring new project. For more information visit www.lingalayam.com or contact admin@lingalayam.com

Leigh Warren and Dancers launch contemporary dance classes for 2008!
Sick and tired of always breaking your New Year’s resolution to ‘get fit’ in the year? South Australia’s award-winning Leigh Warren & Dancers has a fun exercise alternative to grueling sessions at the gym and expensive, long-term membership fees for Adelaide dancers.

This South Australian dance company is offering contemporary dance classes to the public, at both beginner and intermediate level, every Tuesday and Wednesday evening for only $14 a class.
Classes are led by experienced members of the dance company itself and combine a mix of creativity and cardio designed to create an enjoyable exercise environment, conducted at the company’s city studio in the Lion Arts Centre.

To book contact Leigh Warren & Dancers on 08 8212 5660 www.lwd.com.au