Classical
YU HUI
Yu Hui began his dance training at the Zhejiang Art School in Hangzhou, China, and won the gold medal in the Young Dancers’ Competition in China in 2001. He was awarded a full scholarship to study at the New Zealand School of Dance for two years, after which he was offered a contract with the Royal New Zealand Ballet. During his two years with that company, he toured to the USA and UK and performed in a wide variety of works. He took up a contract with Singapore Dance Theatre during 2006 and, in January 2007, joined Queensland Ballet.
Yu toured to Singapore with the Company’s production of Alice in Wonderland in March 2007, and also in that year performed in François Klaus’s Carmen and The Nutcracker. He was promoted to Soloist in September 2008.
AMBER HUNT
Amber Hunt was born in Auckland and began dancing at the age of four. By the age of eleven years old she joined the Phillipa Campbell's School of Ballet where she completed the Royal Academy of Dance exams and was awarded Solo Seal at the age of sixteen. In 1994, whilst still at the school, she was chosen to dance before Prince Charles on his visit to New Zealand.
In 1998, Amber competed in a variety of national and international competitions. She was awarded the bronze medal in the prestigious Adeline Genee Awards in London, and also competed in the International Pan Pacific Ballet Competition in Tokyo where she was selected as one of 11 finalists. The same year, she was the winner of the Sir John Logan Campbell Award in Auckland and Dancer of the Year in Wellington. Amber was given a scholarship to the New Zealand School of Dance, where she graduated in Dance Performance in 2000.
Subsequently, Amber returned to London where she danced in English National Ballet's production of Swan Lake and Romeo & Juliet at the Royal Albert Hall. She also performed in smaller companies such as Ballet Ireland, but in 2005 was given a permanent contract with English National Ballet where she is now in her fourth season with the company.
Since joining the company full time, Amber has enjoyed performing many of the major classical ballets including Derek Deane's Swan Lake, Nureyev's Romeo & Juliet, Mary Skeaping's Giselle, Christopher Hampton's Nutcracker, Micheal Corder's Snow Queen and Kenneth MacMillan's Sleeping Beauty and Manon. Her favourite ballet has been Harald Lander’s Etudes, and a particular performance highlight has been dancing Swan Lake in the round to 4,000 people a night at the Royal Albert Hall.
Amber also has a passion for photography and has seized every opportunity she can to take photographs of rehearsals and performances. Many of her images have been used in international magazine Dance Europe as well as English National Ballet's advertising and ‘In the Wings’ magazine.
Working with a frequently touring company such as English National Ballet has meant that Amber has been able to perform in many countries and theatres; at the Herodes Atticus theatre in Athens, the Liceu in Barcelona, the Teatre Real in Madrid. She has also danced in Taipei, Beijing, Versailles, and will shortly perform in Hong Kong and Italy. Although Amber has enjoyed travelling internationally during her career and has now been living in the United Kingdom for seven years, her ties are still firmly in New Zealand and hopes to use and share her experience and knowledge gained from working overseas with leading dancers and choreographers.
ALANA BAIRD
Born in Perth, Alana Baird trained with Adrienne Eastoe in Western Australia then Marie Walton-Mahon in Newcastle before moving to Wellington to join the New Zealand School of Dance. Alana joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet in 2004 and has featured in many ballets, including Javier de Frutos’ Milagros and The Celebrated Soubrette, Shona McCullagh’s Verge, Coppelia by Marius Petipa, Stanton Welch’s Madame Butterfly, Christopher Hampson’s Salterello and Romeo and Juliet, David Dawson’s A Million Kisses to my Skin and Turid Revfeim’s Si Supieras. Featured roles include the pas de deux from Christopher Hampson’s Esquisses, 3rd act pas de deux from Sleeping Beauty, 3rd movement lead in Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Concerto, lead flower in Gary Harris’ Nutcracker, the Bride in Micheal Pamenter’s Les Noces and Mythe, Queen of the Wilis in Giselle.
Alana Baird Photo: Maarten Holl
JANE CASSON
Jane Casson was born in Auckland and began her training at the age of 6. At 16, Jane won The National John Logan Campbell Award and the following year moved to Wellington to train at The New Zealand School of Dance. During her time there she was awarded several scholarships enabling her to compete and train in Sydney, Hong Kong and Japan. In 1998 Jane was a Shell Scholar recipient, allowing her to join The Royal New Zealand Ballet, where she performed many featured roles including those in Seven Deadly Sins, Protecting Veil, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Dracula.
In 2001 Jane joined The Australian Ballet and the following year was awarded the Lissa Black Scholarship enabling her to travel and study with The Paris Opera Ballet, Ballet de Nice, Ballet de Monte Carlo and the Hamburg Ballet.
Since joining the company Jane has performed many of its classical and contemporary ballets. Her favourite roles include Myrtha, Queen of the Willis in Mania Gielgud's Giselle, the pas de deux from Walter Bourke's Grande Tarantella and featured roles in Balanchine's Agon, Jiri Kylian's Bella Figura, Stepping Stones, Forgotten Land, and Australian Ballet's resident choreographer Stephen Bayne's Molto Vivace, Requiem, El Tango and Raymonda . In 2004 Jane was promoted to Coryphée and to Soloist in 2006.
