Timothy van Poucke & Salome Leverashvili promoted to soloist
The Dutch Timothy van Poucke and the Georgian Salome Leverashvili have both been promoted to soloist with the Dutch National Ballet. Director Ted Brandsen promoted them after their recent performances in the ballets Sarcasmen, part of the Hans van Manen Variations program, and Echoes of Tomorrow by Wubkje Kuindersma in the last Christmas gala.
Ted Brandsen: “Both dancers are extremely charismatic, have a strong technique and a very good focus. They are great talents who are top dancers together, but also separately. ”
Van Poucke and Leverashvili both started their careers with Dutch National Ballet in 2016 with the Junior Company. In 2017, they transitioned to the great company, and have been promoted to a higher rank every year since then. Together they danced the leading roles in the classics Romeo and Juliet (Van Dantzig) in 2019 and Don Quichot (Ratmansky) in 2018.
Timothy van Poucke – a short biography
Timothy van Poucke (Woerden, The Netherlands) started his training at the age of ten at Dutch National Ballet Academy. In 2016 he was hired by the Junior Company of Dutch National Ballet, where he switched to Dutch National Ballet after just one year, at the age of nineteen. As a student at Dutch National Ballet Academy, he already participated in the great classical productions of Dutch National Ballet; Nutcracker & Mouse King, Swan Lake, Giselle, La Dame aux Camélias and he went on international tours of the production Cinderella (Hong Kong, London). In 2017, Van Poucke received the incentive prize from Stichting Dansersfonds ’79. In 2018 he made his debut in the role of Basilio in Don Quixote and, partly because of this - excellent - performance, he received the Alexandra Radius Prize later that year, as the first dancer who has not yet reached the rank of soloist.
Salome Leverashvili – a short biography
Like her father, Salome Leverashvili (Tbilisi, Georgia) did gymnastics as a young girl, and from her mother - who was a dancer - she learned folkloric dances. However, she turned out to be so flexible that continuing to do gymnastics was not responsible, so she turned her attention to dance. She was accepted at the Tbilisi State Ballet School, where she developed into one of the most talented students.
On the intercession of her compatriot Maia Makhateli, principal soloist of Dutch National Ballet, she was hired at the Junior Company of Dutch National Ballet in her final year of study, 2016. In 2017 she switched to Dutch National Ballet. In 2019 she played, alongside Makhateli, the lead role in Frida by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. Salome won the international Solo Tanz competition in Berlin in 2013 and in 2016 she won a gold medal at the Rigas Pavasaris competition in Riga.
Fotocredit header: Timothy van Poucke and Salome Leverashvili in Sarcasmen van Hans van Manen
