Jake Gisby

Jake Gisby joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet full-time as one of two 2022 Friedlander Foundation Scholars and became an Artist in 2023.  He was a guest artist in the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s The Sleeping Beauty in October 2020. Jake later re-joined the company as a guest artist for Johan Kobborg and Ethan Stiefel’s Giselle (2021), and in July-August 2021 performed in Paquita and Loughlan Prior’s The Firebird.  

Jake’s roles in 2023 included Benvolio in Romeo & Juliet. In 2022, Jake performed as The Fab Five’s Christobel in Loughlan Prior’s Cinderella and danced in Olivier Wevers’ The Sofa, Sarah Foster-Sproull’s The Autumn Ball and Twyla Tharp’s Waterbaby Bagatelles™. In the digital season Ballet Bites he performed in Joshua Guillemot-Rodgerson’s King of the Castle and Shaun James Kelly’s Alba.  

Jake spent early 2020 with Oklahoma City Ballet performing as a Swordsman and a Capulet in Robert Mill’s Romeo and Juliet, before returning home in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Jake’s recent training was through New Zealand School of Dance as a classical major, and he also attended summer programmes including The Royal Ballet School in London, and San Francisco Ballet School on scholarship. His graduation season credits include performing a duet in Betsy Erikson’s Sfumato, performing in Waltz of the Flowers, Willy Shives’ Round of Angels, Saltarello, and the Neopolitan Duet. 

Jake’s early training was through the Dance Education Centre in Tauranga. In 2016, Jake was the silver medallist (top male) at the New Zealand National Performer Awards and in 2017 he was selected as a finalist for the Youth America Grand Prix in New York. 

Jake is sponsored by Ryman Healthcare.