New blood for Queensland Ballet

Queensland Ballet’s Artistic Director Li Cunxin has announced two new appointments for 2013.  Joining the company’s ranks as Principal Dancer will be Matthew Lawrence, former Principal at the Birmingham Royal Ballet.  Huang Jun Shuang, former Principal the Houston Ballet will join the company as Guest International Principal for eight months.

Both appointments are a coup for Queensland Ballet.  New Zealand born Matthew Lawrence has had an enviable career since graduating from the Australian Ballet School in 2003.  He joined the Australian Ballet initially, winning the inaugural Telstra People’s Choice award.  He went on to become a Principal Artist with the company and then joined the Birmingham Royal Ballet as a Principal Dancer.   There he has performed a huge variety of roles, including leads in Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, Cinderella, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Don Quixote and The Sleeping Beauty, to name a handful.  His talent are internationally-recognised – he has danced at the World Ballet Festival in Japan with the Royal New Zealand Ballet, and at the Cranko Festival in Stuttgart.

Cunxin is all smiles about Lawrence’s appointment.  “Matthew has exceptionally strong classical technique, is a fabulous partner and has great experience in diverse classical and contemporary repertoire,” he says happily. “Not only will he bring maturity, experience and strengthen the standard of male dancers in the company, he will be an inspiration and mentor to our younger dancers. Matthew also makes a very handsome prince! 

Jun Shuang’s career is similarly impressive.  After training at the Shanghai Dance School in China, Jun Shuang joined the Guangzhou Ballet Theatre as a Principal Dancer in 2007.  He moved to Houston Baller in 2010 and has danced principal roles in ballets such as Swan Lake, La Bayadere, La Sylphide, Coppelia, Le Corsaire and Don Quixote.  Huang has also toured the United States and Switzerland as a guest artist.  Cunxin is delighted to welcome Jun Shuang to Queensland Ballet.  “Huang is one of the most exciting emerging international stars,” he remarks.  “He is technically brilliant and has won many awards.  We can only benefit from having such a stand-out dancer on the international stage join the company.”