Dancer awarded scholarship to join the Royal New Zealand Ballet

 The Royal New Zealand Ballet is pleased to announce that New Zealand’s most prestigious professional ballet scholarship, the Todd Scholarship, has been awarded to 20 year old dancer Luke Cooper, securing him a place with the Royal New Zealand Ballet for 2018.

The scholarship is funded by the Todd Corporation and is awarded annually to a graduate of the New Zealand School of Dance.

Luke is originally from Palmerston North and graduated from the NZSD at the end of 2016.

During his time at the School, Luke had the opportunity to work with the RNZB in Adrian Burnett’s Don Quixote in 2015 and Francesco Ventriglia’s Wizard of Oz in 2016 and has remained in close contact with the RNZB in 2017, performing in Carmen with L’Arlésienne by Roland Petit.

RNZB Artistic Director Patricia Barker says “I’m delighted to hire a dancer who trained at the New Zealand School of Dance. Luke’s elegance, stature and sunny disposition, coupled with his hard working nature and attention to detail make him a most welcome member of the company.”

Luke will begin his contract with the Royal New Zealand Ballet in January 2018.