Joffrey Ballet Adds Three Company Artists and New Rehearsal Director for 2026-27 Season

The Joffrey Ballet has announced the addition of three Company Artists and a new Rehearsal Director for the 2026-27 season.

Aoi Morohashi, Fabian Raschitor and Sam Stampleman will join the company as artists, while Thomas Edwards has been appointed Rehearsal Director. The appointments come as the Joffrey prepares for a season featuring Liliom, The Nutcracker, Notes on Love and the North American premiere of Christopher Wheeldon's The Sleeping Beauty.

“As the Joffrey continues to pursue its artistic ambitions with productions that are larger and more complex than ever before, it is essential that our Company evolves with them,” said The Mary B. Galvin Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE. “Thomas brings valuable experience and insight into the studio, where he will play an important role in preparing our artists and sustaining the caliber of work audiences expect from the Joffrey.”

Wheater added, “Aoi, Fabian, and Sam arrive at a point of tremendous strength, each bringing distinct perspectives, dynamic artistry, and expansive training. Our newest members become part of a tradition that has defined the Joffrey for 71 years: an all-star philosophy with no ranking system, where every artist has the opportunity to excel and help shape the Company's future.”

Aoi Morohashi

Born in Tokyo and raised in Kanagawa, Japan, Morohashi began studying ballet at age four. She earned first place at the Kawasaki National Ballet Competition in 2018 and the NBA Yokohama Ballet Competition in 2025.

Morohashi joined Houston Ballet Academy in 2023 and graduated in 2025. She was a finalist at the 2026 Helsinki International Ballet Competition and joined the Grainger Academy of The Joffrey Ballet's Joffrey Studio Company in 2025 before being selected to join the professional company for the upcoming season.

Fabian Raschitor

Born in Bucharest, Romania, Raschitor began studying ballet at age three and entered professional training at the Choreography High School in Bucharest in 2013. He received a scholarship to the Princess Grace Academy in Monaco in 2017 and graduated in 2021.

Raschitor subsequently joined Tulsa Ballet II before moving into Tulsa Ballet's main company in 2022, where he was later promoted to Demi-Soloist. His repertory includes works by Young Soon Hue, Edward Liang, Derek Deane, Alice Topp, Kenneth Tindall, Craig Davidson, Penny Saunders, Andy Blankenbuehler and Marius Petipa.

Sam Stampleman

Stampleman began his ballet training in California under Jorge Esquivel. In 2018, he joined the San Francisco Ballet School as a David Palmer Scholar, graduating in 2022.

He went on to join Houston Ballet's second company, performing leading roles in works by Stanton Welch, George Balanchine, August Bournonville and Claudio Muñoz. In 2024, Stampleman joined Boston Ballet as an Artist of the Company, where his repertory included works by Crystal Pite, Balanchine, Jean-Christophe Maillot, Claudia Schreier, Mikko Nissinen and Lia Cirio.

Thomas Edwards

Originally from Worcester, England, Edwards trained at Harlequin Stage School before beginning vocational training at London's Central School of Ballet at age 16. During his training, he received the Central Friends Trust Award and was a finalist for Young British Dancer of the Year in 2012 and the Prix de Lausanne in 2013.

Alongside his performing career, Edwards has worked as a rehearsal director, stager and assistant choreographer. He has staged productions for Paris Opera Ballet, Opera Wrocławska, Scottish Ballet, Ballet Central and Rambert School and has served as an assistant and stager to Scottish Ballet Resident Choreographer Sophie Laplane.

Edwards also holds an MSc in Strength and Conditioning with Distinction and a First-Class BA (Hons) in Professional Dance and Performance.

Joffrey Ballet's 2026-27 Season

The Joffrey's season will open with John Neumeier's Liliom, running September 17-27, 2026. Christopher Wheeldon's The Nutcracker will return December 4-27.

Notes on Love will follow February 4-14, 2027, featuring works by Liam Scarlett and Nicolas Blanc alongside a world premiere by Winning Works alum Houston Thomas.