MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Eight dancers are joining Miami City Ballet.

Rainer Krenstetter of Staatsballett Berlin joins the company as a principal dancer. Jordan-Elizabeth Long of Royal Swedish Ballet joins as a soloist. Former Alabama Ballet principal Samantha Galler and Julian Duque from Tulsa Ballet II will join the corps de ballet.

Artistic director Lourdes Lopez says she wants Miami City Ballet dancers to be able to dance to anything, and she believes the new dancers’ experience and fresh perspective will enrich the company.

Four dancers joining the corps de ballet are graduates from the ballet’s school in Miami Beach. They are Ellen Grocki of Damascus, Maryland; Alex Manning from State College, Pennsylvania; Emilien Rivoire from Lille, France; and Raechel Sparreo of Buffalo Grove, Illinois.

The company is made up of about 50 dancers.

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