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The Royal Ballet recently announced the hiring of a new dancer, Eric Underwood, and the promotion of Sarah Lamb for the 2006-07 season. Both dancers hail from prestigious American ballet companies.
Sarah Lamb, who joined the company in 2003, was promoted to principal. Born in Boston, Ms. Lamb trained at Boston Ballet School with Madame Tatiana Nicolaevna Legat. She was a Presidential Scholar in the Arts, 1998, awarded a gold medal by President Clinton. With Legat's coaching she won three silver medals at the International Ballet Competition in Nagoya, Japan, 1999, the Sixth New York City IBC, 2000, and the US IBC, 2002.
After joining Boston Ballet in 1998, Ms. Lamb was promoted to Soloist in 2001, and Principal in 2003. Her repertory included Odette/Odile, Juliet, Lise, Myrtha, Gamzatti, Olga (Onegin), Princess Florine, Balanchine's Ballo Della Regina and Stars and Stripes, In the middle, somewhat elevated and David Dawson's The Grey Area.
For the Royal Ballet, she has danced Odette/Odile, The Sugar Plum Fairy, Lise, Aurora and Princess Florine (Sleeping Beauty), Thaïs pas de deux, Afternoon of a Faun, Symphony in C (Fourth Movement), Giselle (Zulme and lead girl in pas de six), Cinderella, Enigma Variations and Symphonic Variations, La Sylphide, Manon, Ballet Imperial, Gloria and Polyphonia.
Eric Underwood joins the Royal Ballet from American Ballet Theater as First Artist. Born in Washington, D. C., Mr. Underwood trained at the Suitland High School for the Arts under Barbara Marks. At 14, he continued his studies with Barbara Marks and Dance Theatre of Harlem instructors, including Frederic Franklin and Arthur Mitchell. He also studied as a scholarship student at the School of American Ballet under Stanley Williams, Peter Boal and Suki Schorer. He performed in the 1998 and 1999 School of American Ballet workshops as well as Suzanne Farrell's 'Summer Intensive' at the Kennedy Center.
Mr. Underwood joined Dance Theatre of Harlem in 1999 and was promoted to soloist in 2002. At DTH, his repertory included Le Corsaire and The Four Temperaments. Prior to joining Dance Theatre of Harlem, he danced with Pacific Northwest Ballet, where he danced Balanchine's Chaconne and Kevin Oday's Sound Around Dance. He joined American Ballet Theatre as a member of the corps de ballet in August 2003. His repertory with ABT includes the Arabian dance in The Nutcracker, the Spanish Dance in Swan Lake, a leading role in workwithinwork and a featured role in Within You Without You: A Tribute to George Harrison.
The Royal Ballet promoted additional dancers for this season. They include:
Principal: Thiago Soares
First Soloists: Lauren Cuthbertson, Valeri Hristov and Rupert Pennefather
Soloists: Hikaru Kobayashi, Samantha Raine and Steven McRae
First Artists: Zachary Faruque and Yuhui Choe
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