102 Christopher Powney is the new artistic director of the Junior Company When the Junior Company was founded in 2013, Christopher Powney was artistic leader of the Dutch National Ballet Acade- my. “I believe it was Ted Brandsen who first proposed the idea of a junior company, and I was immediately enthusiastic,” Powney recalls. “We decided the group should form a bridge between ballet training and a professional company, while also strengthening the bond between Dutch National Ballet and the Dutch National Ballet Academy. We appointed Ernst Meisner as the artistic coordinator, which proved to be a great decision. At the time, we had no way of knowing whether the Junior Company would be a success, but it couldn’t have turned out better.” A shared vision Shortly after the Junior Company was established, Powney moved from Amsterdam to London, where he spent ten years as the artistic director of The Royal Ballet School. His departure from the school was perfectly timed, as not long afterwards it was announced that Ernst Meisner would become the director of Dutch National Ballet, meaning a new artistic director for the Junior Company was needed. Powney: “I’m very pleased Christopher Powney during a ballet class with the Junior Company (2026) In 2013, Christopher Powney stood alongside Ted Brandsen at the inception of the Junior Company. Now he embarks on his first season as its artistic director. “For me,” says Powney, “it feels like things have come full circle.” Ballet Interview
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