Sarasota Ballet adds three principal dancers

The Sarasota Ballet, which lost some beloved members at the end of the 2024-25 season, is adding star power and replenishing its ranks.

Among the eight additions and two promotions announced July 22 was the appointment of Misa Kuranaga as principal dancer. Kuranaga is a former principal dancer with Boston Ballet and San Francisco Ballet.

Sarasota Ballet and Kuranaga got to know each other during the 2025-26 season when she served as resident guest principal. Kuranaga demonstrated her artistry in Sarasota with roles in Michel Fokine's "Les Sylphides," George Balanchine's "Stars and Stripes" and Sir Frederick Ashton's "Birthday Offering." 

"I'm looking forward to continuing to build on the rapport that Misa and I have in the studio, and in turn, sharing that with the audience when she lights up the stage with her beauty," said Sarasota Ballet Assistant Director Margaret Barbieri in a statement.  

Along with her husband, Sarasota Ballet Director Iain Webb, Barbieri has championed the works of Ashton, considered the father of English ballet, and achieved international acclaim for the company in the process.

The third member of Sarasota Ballet's management group is Joseph Volpe, former general manager of the Metropolitan Opera, who has been executive director since 2016. 

Born in Osaka Prefecture, Japan, Kuranaga began her ballet training at Jinushi Kaoru Ballet School in her homeland and then received additional training at the School of American Ballet in New York City. Kuranaga was the first Asian to be promoted to principal dancer at Boston Ballet. She became a principal dancer at San Francisco Ballet in 2019.

"I’m excited to keep working with Maggie and Iain on such beautiful repertoire, including rare works I might not otherwise have the chance to dance. Exploring that range as an artist keeps me inspired. I’m grateful to Maggie and Iain for trusting me with these roles and for the artistic partnership we’ve built together," Kuranaga said in a statement.

Along with Kuranaga, the Sarasota Ballet named Andrii Ishchuk, formerly of American Ballet Theatre, and Kaitlyn Casey, formerly of Boston Ballet, as principal dancers.

Originally from Ukraine, Ishchuk  has danced leading roles in Kevin McKenzie’s "Swan Lake" and "Giselle" and in Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s "Romeo and Juliet" and "Don Quixote."

A native of Staten Island, New York, Casey trained at the School of American Ballet and has a strong background in both classical and contemporary works. Her credits include Ashton’s "The Dream," Balanchine’s "The Four Temperaments" and "Symphony in C" and MacMillan’s "Manon," among others.

“We are thrilled to welcome Misa, Andrii and Kaitlyn to The Sarasota Ballet as principal dancers,” Webb said in a statement. “Each of these dancers brings a depth of experience and artistry that will further strengthen the company and allow us to continue bringing outstanding performances to both our local and wider audiences."

The other appointments announced by Sarasota Ballet include the addition of Sumika Fujiwara, formerly with Tulsa Ballet, as first soloist, and Federico Coletti, Robert Mack and Owen Watson to the Corps de Ballet, and Annette Darren as an apprentice. 

Samuel Gest has been promoted to first soloist, while McKibben Needham moves up from The Sarasota Ballet Studio Company to the main company as an apprentice.

Sarasota Ballet kicks off its 2026-27 season on Oct. 23-26 at FSU Center for the Performing Arts with the company premiere of Gemma Bond's "Manner" and several of Ashton's "Divertissements."

 But first the company will travel to New York. From Sept. 29 to Oct. 4, Sarasota Ballet will appear at the Joyce Theatre, where it last performed in August 2022. In its New York performances, Sarasota Ballet will pay tribute to three British choreographers: Ashton, MacMillan and Sir Peter Wright.