West Australian Ballet Company (WAB) has announced the departure of its Artistic Director of 10 years, Aurélien Scannella.

Since joining the Company in 2013, Scannella has grown the Company repertoire, increased the number and diversity of dancers, attracted world-class choreographers, and gained WAB international recognition for popular new works like Dracula and Swan Lake.

Scannella will remain with West Australian Ballet to oversee its 2023 season of six productions and a four-stop regional tour. Scannella’s wife Sandy Delasalle-Scannella is currently Artistic Associate and principal rehearsal director at the WA Ballet.

Aurélien Scannella. Photo © Frances Anrijich.

“I am proud of what my team and I have accomplished with the company over the past 10 years,” said the Belgium-born Scannella. “I am especially proud of my dancers, who have all performed unsparingly and generously with their hearts and souls. They shared my goal to bring the highest technical standard to the forefront that enabled the Company to claim success. The time has come for me to leverage my wonderful experience here at WAB and to go forward looking for a bigger challenge in the ballet world.”

In the same press release, WAB announced that...