The Royal New Zealand Ballet is delighted to announce a major new investment in the future of ballet in New Zealand and opportunities for young dancers, thanks to the extraordinary generosity of The Friedlander Foundation.

From 2020, the Auckland-based charitable trust will fund two Friedlander Scholarships for dancers in their first year with the national ballet company, thereby supporting young dancers as they work to realise their potential in this most demanding of professions. The Friedlander Scholarships will sit alongside the long-standing and prestigious Todd Scholarship, expanding the pathways available for talented young New Zealanders to pursue professional careers in dance in Aotearoa.

This follows the success of the apprentice programme launched by RNZB Artistic Director Patricia Barker at the beginning of 2019, which has so far seen eight young dancers from New Zealand and Australia take their first steps on the professional stage.

‘I am very grateful to The Friedlander Foundation’ says Patricia Barker. ‘Supporting young people as they make the transition from training to full time career is so important. I’m thrilled that The Friedlander Foundation has chosen to invest in the future of talented young dancers in New Zealand in this way.’

The first Friedlander Scholars will be announced in December 2019 and will join the Royal New Zealand Ballet in January 2020.