Boston Ballet Gives Two Performers Mid-Season Promotions
Mary Hierholzer | January 18, 2017
Lauren Herfindahl, Eris Nezha, and Addie Tapp in John Cranko’s Onegin; photo by Gene Schiavone, courtesy of Boston Ballet
Last week Boston Ballet announced two well-deserved mid-season promotions: Lauren Herfindahl and Addie Tapp have been promoted to second soloists with the company.
In the official press release announcing the promotions, Artistic Director Mikko Nissinen said, “One of the best parts of being an artistic director is to reward talent. I am very proud of Lauren and Addie’s progress.”
“It’s a really nice a way of taking the next step and continuing my artistic evolution in this wonderful career,” Ms. Herfindahl said in an interview with New Boston Post.
The ballerina from Kingston, MA joined Boston Ballet II in 2011 and the main company in 2013. As a student at Boston Ballet School, she was the Mikko Nissinen Artistic Scholar, and she also earned a silver medal at Boston International Ballet competition in 2012.
Ms. Tapp of Glenwood Springs, CO joined Boston Ballet in 2014 after studying year-round with the School of American Ballet. Last year Pointe Magazine named Ms. Tapp a “Star of the Corps,” and in 2014 she received the Mae L. Wein Award.
“The goal is to keep growing,” Ms. Tapp said, “not just through technique but to grow as a whole as an artist, and with each role, learning new things.”
For anyone who has been watching Ms. Herfindahl’s and Ms. Tapp’s progress lately, these promotions are no surprise. Since first appearing onstage with Boston Ballet, both dancers have steadily improved and become more prominent, dancing more and more featured roles like the Pas de Cinq in Nissinen’s Swan Lake and the Odalisques in Le Corsaire. Most recently, both performed as the Dew Drop and Ms. Herfindahl danced Arabian in Nissinen’s The Nutcracker.
Glancing across the stage, they catch your eye with their grace and precision. These disciplined dancers are standouts onstage, persistent and reliable in their performances, even well into long runs of ballets like Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. Staying motivated is not difficult for either dancer—they say they were born performers who enjoy exploring different approaches to their roles and aim to cherish each moment onstage.
“I like taking on challenges,” Ms. Herfindahl said. “Any time a difficult role comes my way, it’s like, ‘okay, a new thing to add to the repertoire!’”
I consistently enjoy these two dancers’ performances, especially when they dance alongside one another—they make a strong duo, technically synchronized and emitting a confident, effortless air to their steps.
Ms. Herfindahl and Ms. Tapp are on promising trajectories at Boston Ballet, and I anticipate that we will continue to see excellent ballet from them in the future.
