Boston Ballet reveals mid-season promotions

Swan Lake, featuring Lauren Herfindahl and Addie TappBoston Ballet Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen recently announced two promotions from within the company: Lauren Herfindahl (Kingston, MA) and Addie Tapp (Glenwood Springs, CO) have been promoted from company artists to second soloists.

 

The company is comprised of 68 dancers—including 12 dancers in Boston Ballet II (BBII)—representing 18 nationalities. Nissinen continues Boston Ballet’s dedication to developing technically proficient, versatile dancers within the company and Boston Ballet School, as well as recruiting top talent from across the United States and abroad.

 

“One of the best parts of being an artistic director is to reward talent,” said Nissinen. “I am very proud of Lauren and Addie’s progress.”

 

Second Soloist Lauren Herfindahl studied at Boston Ballet School for seven years prior to joining BBII in 2011 and Boston Ballet as a company artist in 2013. She was the recipient of the Tatiana Gardner Scholarship and was named the Mikko Nissinen Artistic Scholar while at Boston Ballet School, and she was awarded the silver medal at the Boston International Ballet Competition Junior Division in 2012. Herfindahl attended summer programs at The School of American Ballet, Canada’s National Ballet School, Boston Ballet School, the Chautauqua Dance Program, and Suzanne Farrell’s Cedar Island Program. Additionally, she has attended and performed at the Professional Dance Program at the Banff Centre for the Arts, and the 2015 Ballet Program at The School at Jacob’s Pillow. Herfindahl has performed featured roles in Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker and Swan Lake, George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations and Diamonds, Viktor Plotnikov’s Contour Equipoise, and Hans van Manen’s Black Cake. Her most recent featured roles were Dew Drop and Arabian in The Nutcracker.  

 

Second Soloist Addie Tapp began dancing at the Glenwood Springs Center for the Arts and later at the Glenwood Dance Academy in Colorado. At age 14, Tapp attended The School of American Ballet’s Summer Course and was accepted into its year-round program, where she trained from 2010-2014. Tapp joined Boston Ballet as a company artist in 2014. She most recently performed the featured role of Dew Drop in Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker. Her additional Boston Ballet repertoire includes Nissinen’s Swan Lake, Val Caniparoli’s Lady of the Camellias, Helen Pickett’s Eventide, John Neumeier’s Third Symphony of Gustav Mahler, John Cranko’s Onegin, and Balanchine’s Episodes, Theme and Variations, and Kammermusik No. 2. Tapp was the recipient of the Mae L. Wien Award for Outstanding Promise and a 2015 Princess Grace Award nominee.

 

For full biographies and a roster of all company dancers, visit bostonballet.org.

 

Photo: Lauren Herfindahl and Addie Tapp in Mikko Nissinen’s Swan Lake. Photo by Gene Schiavone, courtesy of Boston Ballet.