Here are the latest promotions, appointments, and departures, as well as notable awards and accomplishments, from November 2025.
Comings & Goings
Richard A. Freeman, Jr. has been appointed artistic director of Dallas Black Dance Theatre after serving in an interim capacity since last season. Christen Reyes has been named artistic director of DBDT: Encore!, succeeding Nycole Ray on January 5.
Samantha Dunster has been named artistic director of American Repertory Ballet and its Princeton Ballet School after serving as director of artistic operations for the 2024–25 season.
Christopher D’Ariano in Alejandro Cerrudo’s One Thousand Pieces. Photo by Angela Sterling, courtesy Pacific Northwest Ballet.
Chanon Judson and Mame Diarra Speis-Biaye’s co-artistic directorship of Urban Bush Women has concluded. Founding artistic director Jawole Willa Jo Zollar has returned to lead the company in an interim capacity. Cheri L. Stokes has been named associate artistic director, and Bennalldra Williams has been named rehearsal director and movement coach.
Steven Melendez will step down as artistic director of New York Theatre Ballet.
Jenni Large has been named artist in residence at Sydney Dance Company for 2026.
At Pacific Northwest Ballet, Christopher D’Ariano and Clara Ruf Maldonado have been promoted to principal, Mark Cuddihee, Ashton Edwards, Juliet Prine, and Yuki Takahashi to soloist.
Royal Ballet principal character artist and senior répétiteur Gary Avis has retired.
Awards & Honors
Moses Pendleton received the 2025 Richard Brettell Award in the Arts, which includes a $150,000 prize, from the University of Texas at Dallas.
Dance/USA Fellowships to Artists, which include a $31,000 unrestricted grant, have been awarded to Tonya Marie Amos, Arthur Aviles, Leila Awadallah, Carol Bebelle (AKUA), Rashida Bumbray, Dakota Camacho, Yanira Castro, Murielle Elizéon, Ani/Anito Gavino, Kevin Lee-Y Green, Kayla Hamilton, India Harville, Cal Hunt, The IMANs, Quynn Johnson, Kwikstep (DJ KS 360), Kerry Lee, Gesel R. Mason, Lucy Salazar, Aguibou Bougobali SANOU, Kenneth Shirley, Nadhi Thekkek, Sage Ni’Ja Whitson, Tamara “Success” Williams, and Pioneer Winter.
Niamh O’Loughlin and John Heginbotham are the 2025–26 recipients of Dance for PD’s Bowen Award for Inclusive Choreography, which awards $10,000 to each recipient to support the creation of work made with or for people living with Parkinson’s disease.
The post News of Note: What You Might Have Missed in November 2025 appeared first on Dance Magazine.
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