Retirement: Erina Takahashi, Kanako Fujimoto, Andrew Veyette
- Ikuko
- May 29
- 1 min read
English National Ballet's Lead Principal took one final bow on 24th May 2025 after 29 years dancing with the company. She performed the title role of Akram Khan's Giselle at the end of the company's Taiwan tour. The Japanese ballerina already bid farewell to the UK audiences in January this year. As announced by the company before, she will continue to work with the London-based company as Repetiteur.
Semperoper Ballet said on Instagram that the Japanese Principal dancer would retire from the stage on 30th May after 17 years with the company. Her final performance is George Balanchine's Serenade in the Classics triple bill at the company's homebase Semperoper Dresden, Germany.
New York City Ballet's Principal dancer bid farewell on 25th May after 25 years with the company in a special one time only performance titled Andrew Veyette Farewell. The mixed bill featured Glass Pieces, Chiaroscuro, West Side Story Suite, and Stars and Stripes. According to this The New York Times article, which almost looked like a biopic, the 43-year old Denver, Colorado, native "designed his final program to be full of technical challenges." He plans to stay in the ballet industry as a stager and teacher after retiring from the stage.