Congratulations are in order for four Alberta Ballet dancers recently promoted within the ranks of our company.

Seira Iwamoto was promoted to Soloist; Kurtis Grimaldi was promoted to Senior Corps De Ballet; Hotaru Maruyama and Hinata Takahara were promoted to Corps De Ballet positions. Seira, Hinata and Hotaru are Alberta Ballet School alumni.

Artistic Director Francesco Ventriglia announced the promotions following a performance of The Nutcracker in Calgary in front of a very enthusiastic audience.

“The promotion for me happened on stage in front of all the audience members right after dancing the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. I remember being in shock, crying and smiling all at the same time,” Seira said. “My mom, who flew in all the way from Japan, and my husband happened to be in the audience when the promotion was announced. I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect moment for it to happen.”

Hinata, who was also surprised by the announcement that night, said she couldn’t wait to tell her family.

“I was surprised and felt great happiness when I heard it,” she said. “I really wanted to tell my family about it because they always supported me and my dreams.”

For Kurtis, he felt immediate gratitude, once the shock wore off.

“I am extremely grateful to have been given this opportunity to help me grow further as a performing artist,” he said.

Hotaru said the first person she wanted to share the great news with was her mom.

“She has always supported me and cheered me on since I was a little girl. I couldn't have come this far without her support,” she said. “I'm very honored and I want to thank everyone for supporting me. It makes me want to continue to work even harder!”

All the dancers are eager to perform in The Winter Gala this month where they will be dancing alongside students from Alberta Ballet School. Seira is cast to dance in Raymonda, the "Summer" pas de deux from Four Seasons, and Boléro. She’s looking forward to all of the pieces but says the pas de deux is most exciting because, “it is not only beautiful and musical but also very challenging due to its speed and intricate partnering.” Kurtis, who is also cast in BOLÉRO and The Four Seasons, says he feels “incredibly spoiled” to dance these pieces because he’s a Vivaldi fan, and “the choreography also feels amazing and powerful to dance to.”

Hinata and Hotaru are also cast in Raymonda.

“Last year, I was on the stage as a student, so I am very excited to perform in The Winter Gala as a company dancer this year,” Hinata said, while Hotaru is excited to dance a solo variation, exclaiming “I'm already excited to do a solo on stage!”

To learn more about all Alberta Ballet dancers, visit Alberta Ballet | The Dancers.