Cynthia Harvey joins as Associate Guest Repetiteur working closely with the Company across the season, and Alessandra Ferri and Alejandro Parente join as Guest Repetiteurs.
Cynthia Harvey has enjoyed an illustrious dance career with American Ballet Theatre where she was promoted through the ranks to Principal Dancer. In 1986, she was invited to join The Royal Ballet, making her the company’s first American Principal Dancer.
She has taught at companies including The Australian Ballet, Teatro alla Scala in Milano, Royal Swedish Ballet, Finnish National Ballet, Semperöper Ballett, and Zürich Ballett, and at schools including English National Ballet School, The Royal Ballet School, and Basel Ballet School. Harvey has staged work for the Norwegian National Ballet, Finnish National Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, and Singapore Dance Theatre. She was Artistic Director of American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School from 2016 – 2022.
Alessandra Ferri, one of the most prominent ballerinas of our time, began her training at the school of Teatro alla Scala before attending the Royal Ballet School. In 1980, Ferri won the prestigious Prix de Lausanne and joined the Royal Ballet becoming Principal Dancer at 20 years old. Sir Kenneth MacMillan chose her to perform leading roles in Romeo and Juliet, Manon and Mayerling and created a number of roles for her. Ferri was Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theater from 1985 – 2007 and Prima Ballerina Assoluta of Teatro alla Scala, and has performed as guest artist around the world.
Winner of many awards including Prix Benois de la Dance and twice at the Olivier Awards, in recent years Ferri had new roles created for her including Virginia Woolf in McGregor’s Woolf Works, Eleonora Duse in Duse by John Neumeier, Afterite, Cheri and the revival of L’Heure Exquise. Ferri was director of dance at the Spoleto Festival from 2008 – 2014.
Alejandro Parente is a former Principal Dancer with the Teatro Colón where he performed leading roles in many ballets including Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, Onegin, Raymonda, and Don Quixote.
In 2011, he became a teacher at the Ballet Academy at the Vienna Opera. He also joined Jungen Ballet Company as repetiteur, creating works for the company. As a ballet master, he has worked with Colon Ballet Theater Company and La Scala de Milan. As a guest ballet teacher, he has worked with companies including The Royal Ballet, Scala Milan, Teatro Colón, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Ballet Nacional Sodre (Uruguay), Salzburgo Landtheater, Izbir State Theater (Turkey), and Volksoper Wien.
We look forward to welcoming our Guest Repetiteurs to English National Ballet next season.