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MIAMI CITY BALLET Charleston Gaillard Center May 26, 2:00pm and 8:00pm; Martha and John M. Rivers May 27, 2:00pm Performance Hall Artistic Director Lourdes Lopez Conductor Gary Sheldon Piano Ciro Fodere and Francisco Rennó Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra 2 hours | Performed with two intermissions

Walpurgisnacht Ballet (1980)

Choreography George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust Music Charles Gounod Staging Ben Huys Costume Design Karinska Lighting Design John Hall Dancers Katia Carranza, Renato Penteado, Nathalia Arja

Emily Bromberg, Ashley Knox

Maya Collins, Samantha Hope Galler, Jordan-Elizabeth Long, Nicole Stalker

Alaina Andersen, Julia Cinquemani, Mayumi Enokibara, Ellen Grocki, Petra Love, Suzette Logue, Grace Mullins, Lexie Overholt, Leanna Rinaldi, Helen Ruiz, Alyssa Schroeder, Christie Sciturro, Raechel Sparreo, Christina Spigner, Ella Titus, Ao Wang

Pause

Carousel Pas de Deux (1994)

Choreography Sir Kenneth MacMillan Music Richard Rodgers, Arranged and Orchestrated by Martin Yates Staging Stacy Caddell Costume Design Bob Crowley Lighting Design John Hall Dancers Jennifer Lauren, Chase Swatosh

Intermission

Program continues on next page

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Concerto DSCH (2008)

Choreography Alexei Ratmansky Music Dmitri Shostakovich Staging Tatiana and Alexei Ratmansky Costume Design Holly Hynes Lighting Design Mark Stanley Dancers Simone Messmer, Nathalia Arja, Renan Cerdeiro, Chase Swatosh, Kleber Rebello Emily Bromberg and Didier Bramaz Lauren Fadeley and Shimon Ito Ashley Knox and Ariel Rose

Samantha Hope Galler and Bradley Dunlap Ellen Grocki and Alex Manning Alyssa Schroeder and Amir Yogev Nicole Stalker and Damian Zamorano

Piano Francisco Rennó

Intermission

Heatscape (2015)

Choreography Justin Peck Music Bohuslav Martinů Art Design Shepard Fairey / ObeyGiant.com Costume Design Reid Bartelme and Harriet Jung Lighting Design Brandon Stirling Baker Dancers Tricia Albertson, Emily Bromberg, Samantha Hope Galler, Ashley Knox, Jennifer Lauren, Suzette Logue, Lexie Overholt, Christina Spigner, Nicole Stalker, Renan Cerdeiro, Bradley Dunlap, Shimon Ito, Alexander Peters, Kleber Rebello, Chase Swatosh, Eric Trope, Damian Zamorano 1st Movement Emily Bromberg, Renan Cerdeiro, and Company 2nd Movement Tricia Albertson, Kleber Rebello, and Company

3rd Movement Shimon Ito, Jennifer Lauren, Alexander Peters, and Company

Piano Ciro Fodere

The 2018 dance series is sponsored by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina.

Sponsored by Eastern Distribution.

These performances are made possible in part through funds from the Spoleto Festival USA Endowment, generously supported by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, Wells Fargo, and Bank of America.

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Program Notes

Walpurgisnacht Ballet

Music from Faust (1859, ballet music added in 1869), by Charles Gounod

Twenty-four girls stampeding across the stage—most of them in purple, their hair flowing—and a single man. Gounod’s passionate Faust music. A bravura ballerina role demanding both complete control and utter abandon (hand-tailored in 1980 for the great Suzanne Farrell). There’s no Faust, no Mephistopheles—just sheer impetuosity and startling virtuosity. This is Balanchine at his most outrageously popular—marrying classicism to kitsch.

The original Palm Beach production of Walpurgisnacht Ballet was made possible by the generous support of Rita Stein*.

The performance of Walpurgisnacht Ballet, a Balanchine® Ballet, is presented by arrangement with The George Balanchine Trust and has been produced in accordance with the Balanchine Style® and Balanchine Technique® Service standards established and provided by the Trust.

Carousel Pas de Deux

Music by Richard Rodgers, arranged and orchestrated by Martin Yates

When London’s Royal National Theatre’s revival of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel moved to Lincoln Center in 1994, it ran for almost a year, winning five Tony Awards, including one for Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s choreography. His deeply touching duet for the central couple is a quintessential expression of ecstatic—and dangerous—young love.

The original Palm Beach premiere of Carousel Pas de Deux was generously supported by Gillian Fuller.

Concerto DSCH

Music: Piano Concerto no. 2, op. 102, by Dmitri Shostakovich*

Having premiered two recent major ballets—Symphonic Dances and The Fairy’s Kiss—by Alexei Ratmansky, the world’s leading classical choreographer, Miami City Ballet now presents one of his most acclaimed earlier works. Concerto DSCH (the initials reflect the German spelling of Dmitri Shostakovich, its composer) is a seething rush of energy, lyricism, and brilliant classical invention overlain with a contemporary sparkle and bounce. At its premiere in 2008, Alastair Macaulay wrote in The New York Times: “Its dances pour forth in a continuous stream of galvanizing excitement and affectionate intimacy...the most captivating classical ballet I have seen in years.”

*By arrangement with G. Schirmer, INC. publisher and copyright owner.

Heatscape

Music: Concerto no. 1 for Piano and Orchestra by Bohuslav Martinů*

Justin Peck, who continues to broaden his artistic scope and choreographic repertoire, has always viewed dance as a nexus for all artistic mediums. It is with this spirit of creative collaboration that he sought out renowned visual artist Shepard Fairey to present a vibrant visual design for Heatscape—Peck’s second commission for Miami City Ballet.

Peck initially began examining Charleston-born artist Shepard Fairey’s (ObeyGiant) street art while exploring Miami’s Wynwood Arts District. Fairey, who had never designed for ballet, worked with Peck to develop a visual setting that is as bold as the movement and music. The design emanates from Fairey’s mandala paintings, which Peck used as a basis for certain architectural movements throughout the ballet. “[Fairey] works to create these mandala images which start from the center and build outward in a meticulously detailed fashion,” Peck told Vogue. “That means of construct inspired me to develop certain choreographic techniques within this ballet.”

Peck chose to choreograph this ballet to Bohuslav Martinů’s Piano Concerto no. 1, a relatively unknown piece of music. “I consider this work to be a hidden gem that is not only rich with texture, innovation, and relevance to the current day, but is also tremendously danceable. It has buoyancy, playfulness, and emotion—and a sturdy blueprint to guide me in the choreographic process. This piece of music has been on my radar for a few years now, and I felt that Miami City Ballet would be the perfect vessel for realizing a ballet in relation to it.”

*Bohuslav Martinů’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra no. 1, H 149, is used by arrangement with European American Music Distributors Company, sole U.S. and Canadian agent for Schott Music GmbH & Co. KG, publisher and copyright owner.

The original production of Heatscape was made possible by a New Works grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the generous support of The Rockefeller Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts: ArtWorks, Armando and Margarita Codina, and Bob Benson.

Additional support provided by: Helen P. Welch, Madeline and Stephen Anbinder, Nina and William Albert, Rosalee and Richard Davison, Adelaida Muñiz-Iscoe and Gary Iscoe, Michael Schultz, Miriam Flamm, and Carole Gigliotti.

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Artistic Team

LOURDES LOPEZ (moderator and artistic director of Miami City Ballet) was recently named one of “The Most Influential People in Dance Today” by Dance Magazine. She became artistic director of Miami City Ballet in 2012, bringing with her a nearly 40-year career in dance, television, teaching, and arts management; under Lopez’s direction,

Miami City Ballet has become one of the country’s premier ballet companies. Born in Havana, Cuba, in 1958 and raised in Miami, Lopez began taking ballet lessons at age 5; at 14, she moved to New York permanently and joined the corps de ballet of New York City Ballet at 16. Under the direction of George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins, her star rose quickly at New York City Ballet; in 1984, she was promoted to soloist and then principal, and performed countless featured roles. Upon retirement, Lopez joined WNBC-TV in New York as a cultural arts reporter, writing and producing feature segments on the arts, artists, and arts education. She was also a full-time senior faculty member at New York’s Ballet Academy East, and served on the dance faculty of Barnard College. In 2002, Lopez became the executive director of The George Balanchine Foundation and oversaw the 2004 Balanchine Centennial Celebration. Lopez co-founded The Cuban Artists Fund, which supports Cuban and Cuban-American artists, and in 2007, she received an award from the American Immigration Law Foundation honoring Cuban Americans for their accomplishments and contributions to American society. In 2014 Lopez was elected to serve on the Ford Foundation’s Board of Trustees, marking the first time an artist was elected to serve on its board, and in 2011, she received the prestigious Jerome Robbins Award for her years in dance.

GARY SHELDON (conductor) returns to Spoleto Festival USA for the first time since conducting the first Festival Orchestral Concert at Middleton Place in 1977.  This followed his debut at the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto, Italy, where he conducted Don Pasquale at the invitation of Gian Carlo Menotti and Christopher Keene. Sheldon is now in

his eighth season as principal conductor for Miami City Ballet. He has previously held positions with San Francisco Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, and Ballet Met. He has also served as principal conductor for the Syracuse Opera and Eugene Opera. In 2010, Sheldon was the first recipient of the American Prize for Conducting for performances conducted with the Lancaster Festival Orchestra in Ohio, where he is artistic director.  He also serves currently as principal conductor at the Festival at Sandpoint in Idaho. Sheldon is a native of Bay Shore, New York, and a graduate of The Juilliard School and L’Institut de hautes études Musicales in Montreux, Switzerland.

Musicians

CIRO FODERE (piano) is a modern and versatile pianist. He performs regularly with orchestras around the world. He is the pianist of the Miami Symphony Orchestra (MISO), and piano professor at the New World School of the Arts. As an enthusiast of the 21st-century a-vant-garde approach to MISO’s performances, and as the first prize winner of the XIV

Bartok-Kabalevsky-Prokofiev International Competition, Fodere’s latest performances have been described as “masterful, electric, by turns fiery and lyrical” by The Post and Courier, and as “technical sheen articulation, alert dynamic shading, and an imaginative approach” by The Miami Herald, which also raves “edge-of-the-seat thrilling.” Fodere completed his four-year fellowship at the New World Symphony (NWS), an organization that featured him regularly in chamber music and orchestral performances in Miami. Along with accompanying musicians including Joshua Bell and Renée Fleming, he has participated with members of the NWS in Santa Cecilia, Rome, Perugia, and Carnegie Hall.

FRANCISCO RENNÓ (piano) is the winner of several major piano competitions and has appeared as a soloist with orchestras in North and South America. He has given solo and chamber music recitals throughout the two continents, including appearances at Carnegie Recital Hall and The Phillips Collection. For ballet performances,

he has performed as a soloist with the symphony orchestras of Kansas City, St. Louis, Berkeley, Naples, and on tour with Miami City Ballet at The Kennedy Center, Torino Danza in Torino, Italy, and at Les Étés de la Danse in Paris. Rennó was company pianist for the Kansas City Ballet from its inception in 1981, joining Miami City Ballet in 1999. He composed the music to Edward Villella’s The Waltz: Our Lady of Oblivion.

THE SPOLETO FESTIVAL USA ORCHESTRA appears at the Festival in many different configurations, performing in opera, symphonic, choral, chamber, and contemporary music performances. Formed anew each year through nationwide auditions, the orchestra is largely comprised of young professionals or players in advanced degree programs. Alumni of the Spoleto Festival USA Orchestra are on the rosters of leading orchestras throughout the world, including the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, and San Francisco Symphony, among others.

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Choreographers

GEORGE BALANCHINE is widely regarded as the most influential choreographer of the 20th century. He co-founded two of ballet’s most important institutions: New York City Ballet and the School of American Ballet (SAB). Balanchine was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1904, studied at the Imperial Ballet School in St. Petersburg, and danced with the Mariinsky Ballet. In 1924, he left the Soviet Union for Europe, where he was invited to join Serge Diaghilev’s  Ballets Russes. After meeting Lincoln Kirstein in London and moving to the United States, the pair founded SAB in 1934. They founded Ballet Society in 1946, which was renamed New York City Ballet in 1948. Balanchine served as the company’s ballet master until his death in 1983. He choreographed 425 works over the course of 60-plus years. Many of his works are considered masterpieces and are performed by ballet companies all over the world.

KENNETH MACMILLAN was the principal choreographer of The Royal Ballet from 1977 – 92 and during his career, choreographed more than 60 varied works that survive in the repertoires of ballet companies around the world. MacMillan was born in Dunfermline, Scotland, in 1929 and spent his boyhood years in Great Yarmouth and Retford. He began ballet training at age 14 and was accepted into the Sadler’s Wells (now The Royal Ballet) School. Ninette de Valois commissioned his first professional work, Danses Concertantes, in 1955. Several works for The Royal Ballet and American Ballet Theatre followed. He served as director of the Deutsche Oper Ballet (1966 – 69) and The Royal Ballet (1970 – 77). MacMillan died in 1992 and won a posthumous Tony award for choreography in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel. He was knighted for his services to British ballet in 1983, in addition to receiving numerous awards.

JUSTIN PECK began choreographing in 2009 at the New York Choreographic Institute. In 2014, after the creation of his acclaimed ballet Everywhere We Go, he was appointed as resident choreographer of New York City Ballet; he is the second person in the institution’s history to hold this title. Peck joined New York City Ballet as a dancer in 2006; in 2013, he was promoted to soloist. As a performer, he has danced a vast repertoire of works, and as a choreographer, he has created more than 30 ballets—16 of those for New York City Ballet. His collaborators include composers Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner (The National), Dan Deacon; visual artists Shepard Fairey, Marcel Dzama, John Baldessari, and Jules de Balincourt; and fashion designers Mary Katrantzou, Humberto Leon (Kenzo, Opening Ceremony), Tumori Chisato, and Dries Van Noten. Peck choreographed the 2018 Broadway revival of Carousel. Peck choreographed and consulted on the 20th-Century Fox feature film Red Sparrow, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Joel Edgerton, and directed by Francis Lawrence.

ALEXEI RATMANSKY was born in St. Petersburg and trained at the Bolshoi Ballet School in Moscow. His performing career included positions as principal dancer with Ukrainian National Ballet, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, and the Royal Danish Ballet. He has choreographed ballets for the Mariinsky Ballet,

the Royal Danish Ballet, the Royal Swedish Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and Miami City Ballet, as well as Nina Ananiashvili, Diana Vishneva, and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Ratmansky was named artistic director of the Bolshoi Ballet in January 2004. For the Bolshoi Ballet, he choreographed full-length productions of The Bright Stream (2003) and The Bolt (2005). Under Ratmansky’s direction, the Bolshoi Ballet was named Best Foreign Company in 2005 and 2007 by The Critics Circle in London. In 2009, Ratmansky choreographed new dances for the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Aida. Ratmansky joined American Ballet Theatre (ABT) as artist in residence in 2009. For ABT, he choreographed On the Dnieper (2009), Seven Sonatas (2009), The Nutcracker (2010), and The Golden Cockerel (2015) among many others. Ratmansky was awarded the MacArthur “Genius” award in 2014 – 15.

Guest Artists

CHASE FINLAY (principal, New York City Ballet) was born in Fairfield, Connecticut, and began his dance training at age 8 at Ballet Academy East. He went on to study at the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet, during the summer of 2007, before enrolling as a full-time student. Finlay became an apprentice with NYCB

in September 2008 and became a member of the corps de ballet in September 2009. He was promoted to soloist in July 2011 and became a principal in February 2013. Since joining NYCB, Finlay has performed featured roles in numerous ballets by George Balanchine, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Pontus Lidberg, Lauren Lovette, Peter Martins, Angelin Preljocaj, Jerome Robbins, Myles Thatcher, and Christopher Wheeldon, among others. He was a recipient of the Clive Barnes Award for dance in 2010.

UNITY PHELAN (soloist, New York City Ballet) was born in Princeton, New Jersey, and began her dance training at age 5 at the Princeton Ballet School. During the summers of 2008 and 2009, Phelan attended the summer sessions at the School of American Ballet, the official school of New York City Ballet, and she enrolled as a full-time student in fall of

2009. Phelan became an apprentice with NYCB in December 2012 and joined the company as a member of the corps de ballet in November 2013. She was promoted to soloist in February 2017. Since joining NYCB, she has performed featured roles in numerous ballets by George Balanchine, Robert Binet, Lauren Lovette, Justin Peck, Peter Martins, Alexei Ratmansky, Jerome Robbins, and Christopher Wheeldon.

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Dancers

ALAINA ANDERSEN (corps de ballet) is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and began her training at Milwaukee Ballet School under the direction of Rolando Yanes. When she was 15, she began training privately with Nadia Thompson for two years. In 2014, she attended the Miami City Ballet Summer Intensive and was invited to join MCB School’s year-round

program that fall. After the summer program, she was also offered an apprentice position with the company and since then, Andersen has performed in the corps de ballet in several ballets. In May 2016, she received the Toby Lerner Ansin Scholarship Award. Andersen joined MCB in 2016 as a corps de ballet member.

TRICIA ALBERTSON (principal) is from Santa Cruz, California, and began her ballet training at The Studio School of Classical Ballet with Vicki Bergland and Rebecca Bartlow. She received additional training attending summer programs at San Francisco Ballet School and the School of American Ballet in New York City. Starting in 1995, she attended SAB as

a full-time student for two years. In 1997, she joined Miami City Ballet as a coryphée and in 2006, she was promoted to principal. In her 21 years with Miami City Ballet, Albertson has had the privilege to dance most of the corps, soloist, and principal roles in the company’s repertoire. She has also had the opportunity to originate roles for Justin Peck and Liam Scarlett.

NATHALIA ARJA (principal soloist) is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and began taking dance classes at age 5 at Escola de Danca Alice Arja. At 14, she began dancing with the Companhia de Ballet do Rio de Janeiro. During her year with the company in Brazil, Arja also won several dance competitions where she was offered a scholarship for El Teatro

Colón, El Ballet de Santiago, Joffrey Ballet School, and Canada’s National Ballet School. At 15, she received a full scholarship to attend Miami City Ballet School where she trained for three years. She joined Miami City Ballet as a school apprentice in 2009 and was promoted to principal soloist in 2016.

DIDIER BRAMAZ (principal soloist) is from Geneva, Switzerland, and began taking ballet at age 11. When he was 16, he accepted a scholarship to train intensively with David Allen at the Geneva Dance Center. Bramaz competed in and won several dance competitions, one of which offered him a two-year scholarship to train at the School of

American Ballet in New York City. While at SAB, he was chosen to work with the great choreographer, Jerome Robbins,

and originated a role in his  2 and 3 Part Inventions. At 21, he accepted an apprenticeship with American Ballet Theatre. A year later, he was offered a position with Miami City Ballet as a corps de ballet member. He was promoted to principal soloist in 2008. Bramaz is married to fellow Miami City Ballet principal soloist, Callie Manning.

EMILY BROMBERG (soloist) is from  Boston, Massachusetts, and began her training at Rolann’s School of the Dance in Longwood, Florida, and Southern Ballet Theater (now known as Orlando Ballet). At age 10, she moved to Boston and trained at the Academy of Ballet Arts. At 14, she attended the summer and year-round programs at

Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C. She then finished her high school years at Boston Ballet School where she performed in the corps de ballet in many productions with Boston Ballet. After graduating, Bromberg spent four years as a company member of Festival Ballet Providence. During that time, she also earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Rhode Island College. After attending the 2006 International Ballet Competition, she moved to Denver where she performed soloist and principal roles with Colorado Ballet. She joined Miami City Ballet as a corps de ballet member in 2010 and was promoted to soloist in 2015.

KATIA CARRANZA (principal) is from Monterrey, Mexico, and graduated from the Escuela Superior de Musica y Danza de Monterrey in Mexico in 1996. She then joined Ballet de Monterrey as a soloist. In 1998, she joined Miami City Ballet as a corps de ballet dancer, and in 2004 she was promoted to principal dancer. She left after the 2006 – 07 season to rejoin

Ballet de Monterrey as a principal, but continued to dance with MCB as a guest artist for an additional six seasons. During her career, Carranza has participated in national and international ballet competitions such as the Concurso Nacional in Guadalajara, Mexico (1994), and the Concurso Internacional in Cuba (1995) where she won silver medals in both. Carranza rejoined MCB full-time in 2017 as a principal dancer.

RENAN CERDEIRO (principal) is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and began training in various dance styles at the Escola de Dança Alice Arja in Rio de Janeiro. In 2008, Cerdeiro was named a finalist at the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland, and that same year was awarded a scholarship to train at Miami City Ballet School. Within two years, he was invited

to join Miami City Ballet as a company apprentice. In 2013, he was promoted to principal. Since joining, Cerdeiro has toured with the company performing at the New York City Center, the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, in Ottawa and Vancouver, Canada, as well at the Bolshoi in Moscow as part of the Benois de la Danse Gala. Cerdeiro was named by Dance Magazine a “25 to Watch” in 2011.

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JULIA CINQUEMANI (corps de ballet) is from Dallas, Texas, and received her ballet training at Dallas Ballet Center. She concurrently studied dance at Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. She spent five summers studying at the School of American Ballet in New York City. In 2008, she was named a Texas Young

Master by The Texas Commission on the Arts. That same year, she left home at the age of 16 to train with Pacific Northwest Ballet’s professional division for two years. Cinquemani joined Los Angeles Ballet under the direction of Colleen Neary and Thordal Christensen in 2010, was promoted to soloist in 2012, and principal in 2014. She joined Miami City Ballet as a corps de ballet member in 2017.

MAYA COLLINS (corps de ballet) is from  San Francisco, California, and began her training at City Ballet School under the direction of Damara Bennett. After spending three summers on full scholarship at the School of American Ballet in New York City, she was asked to continue her training for the year on full scholarship at the age of 17. At the age of

18, Collins was offered an apprenticeship with New York City Ballet and the following year was promoted to the corps de ballet. From 2003 – 11, Collins danced various corps and soloist roles and was chosen to originate many new works with New York City Ballet. In 2011, Collins joined Miami City Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet.

BRADLEY DUNLAP (corps de ballet) is from Cleveland, Ohio, and began training at Cleveland City Dance with Paul Wilson, Linda Adolphi, and Sarah Savelli, and continued at Cleveland School of Dance with Gladisa Guadalupe. He attended summer programs with full scholarships at Blue Lakes Fine Arts Camp with Jefferson Baum, The Rock School,

Pacific Northwest Ballet School, and the School of American Ballet. He was accepted to Miami City Ballet School with a full scholarship in 2004 and became a student apprentice in 2005 and was promoted to corps de ballet member in 2008. During his training, Dunlap toured Germany and France with the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp International Ballet Ensemble at age 14. In 2011, he was a corps dancer in PBS’s Great Performances Dance in America: Miami City Ballet Dances Balanchine and Tharp.

MAYUMI ENOKIBARA (corps de ballet) is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and received her dance training at Escola Estadual de Danças Maria Olenewa, Theatro Municipal. During summers, she received additional training at the Royal Ballet School in 2009. After attending the 2011 Miami City Ballet Summer Intensive, Enokibara was invited to stay for the

school year program with a full scholarship. She moved to Miami at age 14 to train at MCB School. She also attended the 2012 and 2014 summer intensives there. She became an apprentice in 2013 and received the Toby Lerner Ansin Scholarship Award in 2015 upon her graduation. Enokibara joined Miami City Ballet in 2015 as a corps de ballet member.

LAUREN FADELEY (principal soloist) is from Orlando, Florida, and began her dance training at age 4. She trained at the Orlando Ballet School and the School of Performing Arts in Florida, along with summer intensives at The Rock School and the School of American Ballet. In 2000 at age 15, Fadeley moved to New York City to study full time.  A year later,

Fadeley joined New York City Ballet. After two years with NYCB, she decided to further her academic and dance education by attending Indiana University. In May 2007, she graduated cum laude with a B.S. in ballet performance with an outside field in kinesiology. In 2007, she joined the corps de ballet of Pennsylvania Ballet, and was promoted to principal in 2012. She joined Miami City Ballet as a soloist in 2016 and was promoted to principal soloist in 2017.

SAMANTHA HOPE GALLER (soloist) is from  Bedford, Massachusetts, and spent 13 years training with The Ballet Academy, Inc., under the direction of Frances Kotelly in the Cecchetti Method. She performed six seasons with The Northeast Youth Ballet under the direction of Denise Cecere. She continued training, on scholarship, with Boston Ballet School

and received the PAO Merit Trainee Scholarship. She received the NFAA Honorable Mention Award in Ballet. Galler spent summers training at Boston Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, and Boston Conservatory. She danced with Cincinnati Ballet in their 2008 – 09 season under the direction of Victoria Morgan. Galler spent five seasons with Alabama Ballet under the direction of Tracey Alvey and Roger Van Fleteren. During her tenure there, she was promoted to principal dancer. Galler joined Miami City Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in 2014 and was promoted to soloist in 2018.

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ELLEN GROCKI (corps de ballet) is from  Damascus, Maryland, started ballet at age 3, and trained under the direction of Florence Gardner for six years in Damascus. She then spent seven years studying with Patricia Berrend at Berrend Dance Center in Olney, Maryland. She attended summer programs at Exploring Ballet with

Suzanne Farrell, the School of American Ballet, Miami City Ballet School, and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. At the 2012 MCB Summer Intensive, Grocki was offered a scholarship to train in the school’s year-round program. She left home at 16 and moved to Miami for the 2012 – 13 school year. She became a student apprentice with the company for the 2013 – 14 season and received the Toby Lerner Ansin Scholarship Award in 2014. She graduated from Miami Beach Senior High School and joined MCB as a corps de ballet member in 2014 at age 18.

AARON HILTON (corps de ballet) is from Washington, D.C., began dancing at age 3, and soon after received a scholarship to attend The Washington School of Ballet under the direction of Kee Juan Han. He later attended the Royal Swedish Ballet School in Stockholm, Sweden (2007 – 09), and the School of American Ballet (2013 – 15), also under scholarship. Upon

graduating from SAB, Hilton joined Boston Ballet as a member of the second company for the 2015 – 16 season. Hilton began studies at Princeton University in the fall of 2016, and is taking a leave of absence in order to dance professionally. He joined MCB as a corps de ballet dancer in 2017.

SHIMON ITO (soloist) is from New York and began his training at age 4 at his mother’s dance academy, Asako Ballet New York in New York City. At 8, he was accepted to the School of American Ballet, where he trained for 5 years. At 13, he went on to the National Ballet School of Canada where he graduated in 2008. Throughout his training in Canada, he

also attended the John Cranko School in Stuttgart, Germany through an exchange program. After graduating, Ito joined San Francisco Ballet’s Trainee Program, where he performed with the company. He danced for Silicon Valley’s Ballet San Jose as an apprentice and then as a corps member from 2009 – 11. He placed as a finalist in the Jackson International Ballet Competition in 2010. Ito joined MCB in 2011 as a corps de ballet member and was promoted to soloist in 2016.

ASHLEY KNOX (soloist) is from Shelby Township, Michigan, began her dance training with Ann Parsley’s School of Dance at age 3, and studied more seriously with Cornelia Sampson at The Rochester School of Dance until the age of 15. Her summers were spent at the School of American Ballet, where she continued for two years of training in

their year-round program. After one year in Miami City Ballet School, she joined Miami City Ballet as an apprentice in 2002 and was promoted to soloist in 2017. Knox is also proud to hold the record of being an eight-time U.S. National Champion of Scottish Highland Dance, as well as being the third American to win the title of World Champion in Cowal, Scotland in 1999.

RAINER KRENSTETTER (principal) is from Vienna, Austria, and began his ballet training at the Ballet School of the Vienna State Opera. In 1999, he was accepted into the Royal Ballet School in London and continued his training there until 2000, when he became a corps de ballet member with the Vienna State Opera Ballet. In 2002, he joined the Berlin

State Ballet under the direction of Vladimir Malakhov and went through the ranks up to principal in 2013. He joined Miami City Ballet as a principal in November 2014. Throughout his training, Krenstetter participated and won medals in various international ballet competitions including in Vienna, Brasília, and Luxembourg, culminating in his first-place win at the Prix de Lausanne in 1999.

JENNIFER LAUREN (principal) is from  Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and began training in various regional schools and later with Royal Academy of Dance and the Alabama Ballet Pre-Apprentice Program. Lauren’s summers were spent attending American Ballet Theatre intensives. In 1998, at age 16, she joined the Alabama Ballet under the direction of

Wes Chapman and Roger Van Fleteren. In 2007, Lauren joined Miami City Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet and was promoted to principal in 2016. In 2014, she was named one of Dance Magazine’s “ 25 to Watch.”

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SUZETTE LOGUE (corps de ballet) is from Sarasota, Florida, and began her dance training at Sarasota Ballet and privately with Isabel and Javier Dubroq. She continued her training with Suzanne Farrell and the Tallahassee Ballet. Logue attended summer programs on scholarship at Pacific Northwest Ballet, School of American Ballet, and Miami

City Ballet School. She moved to Miami in 2007 to train full-time at Miami City Ballet School for one year and then went on to dance with Pennsylvania Ballet and Boston Ballet. She joined Miami City Ballet in 2010. Logue has danced many Balanchine and contemporary ballets in the company’s repertory, including new works by Justin Peck, Liam Scarlett, and Alexei Ratmansky. 

JORDAN-ELIZABETH LONG (soloist) is from  Blacksburg, Virginia, began her ballet training with Carol Crawford Smith, and continued with Terri Post at the Southwest Virginia Ballet. In high school, she moved to South Florida to train with Magaly Suarez. Upon completion of high school, she was invited to join the Dutch National Ballet as a demi-soloist. In 2010,

she joined the Royal Swedish Ballet, where she was promoted to soloist. Long has been awarded the gold medal at the World Ballet Competition USA, been a finalist at the Shanghai International Ballet Competition, and was recently awarded the Louis Gallodier Prize at the Royal Swedish Ballet. She has appeared in galas and festivals in the US, Dominican Republic, Russia, Romania, and Hong Kong. In 2014, Long joined Miami City Ballet as a soloist.

ALEX MANNING (corps de ballet) is from  State College, Pennsylvania, and began taking ballet classes at the Ballet Theatre of Central Pennsylvania. At age 13, Manning attended the Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, Massachusetts. He was a ballet major there for his freshman and sophomore years of high school. He then attended

Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, from 2010 – 13, where he trained with Director Marcia Dale Weary, and also trained privately with Laszlo Berdo and Leslie Hench. Manning was awarded the Jerome Robbins Scholarship in 2012 while attending CPYB. In 2013, at age 18, he was offered a student apprenticeship with Miami City Ballet School. He was promoted to the corps de ballet for the 2014 – 15 season.

SIMONE MESSMER (principal) is from Minneapolis, Minnesota, and began studying dance at age 9 at Ballet Arts Minnesota. At 14, she continued her training at The HARID Conservatory in Boca Raton, Florida, where she earned the Jeannot B. Cerrone Award for Excellence in Dance. At 16, she resumed her training at Ballet Arts Minnesota under the

direction of Bonnie Mathis. Messmer participated in American Ballet Theatre’s Summer Intensive Program in 2001 and joined ABT Studio Company in that same year. Messmer danced with ABT for more than a decade, rising to the rank of soloist in 2010. Messmer joined San Francisco Ballet in 2013, performing principal roles. Messmer was awarded the Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowship in 2010. She  joined Miami City Ballet as a principal dancer in 2015.

HARRISON MONACO (corps de ballet) is from New Berlin, Wisconsin, started lessons at age 3, and at age 10, started formal training with Lori Romito. Through Romito, he came to study at the Ruth Page School of Dance under the direction of Larry Long and Dolores Lipinski. He later joined the Civic Ballet of Chicago. At age 16, Monaco was accepted

to the School of American Ballet and trained there for two years as the recipient of the Rudolf Nureyev Dance Foundation Scholarship. In 2010, he was a member of the professional division at Pacific Northwest Ballet School on a full scholarship, under the direction of Peter Boal. Prior to joining Miami City Ballet, Monaco danced with Pennsylvania Ballet for six seasons, under the direction of Roy Kaiser and later Angel Corella. He joined MCB as a corps de ballet dancer in 2017.

LEXIE OVERHOLT (corps de ballet) is from  Oakton, Virginia, and received her ballet training at the Reston Conservatory Ballet with Julia Redick until she graduated from high school. Overholt attended numerous summer intensives on scholarship including San Francisco Ballet School, Boston Ballet School, American Ballet Theatre in New York,

and Miami City Ballet School. She was also awarded a spot in the Kennedy Center Master Class Series for two years, where she was taught by ballet masters of nationally and internationally recognized ballet companies, including Suzanne Farrell Ballet, New York City Ballet, the Mariinsky Ballet, The Royal Ballet, and the Bolshoi Ballet. In 2009, following her summer intensive with MCB School, she was offered a full scholarship to continue her training. In 2011, Overholt accepted a company apprenticeship with MCB and was promoted to the corps de ballet in 2012.

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RENATO PENTEADO (principal) is from  São Paulo, Brazil, and began his dance training at age 7 with Ballet Twin’s Academy, Studium Marisa Ballet, and Municipal School of Ballet in São Paulo. In 1997, he joined the “Special Group of Classical Dances of São Paulo.” He received many National Ballet Awards in competitions throughout Brazil and in

1998, he competed in the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi, and Varna, Bulgaria. He was then invited to join Miami City Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet, and was promoted to principal dancer in 2004. Penteado has danced many principal roles nationally and internationally with Miami City Ballet including in Torino, Italy; Paris; Venezuela; and Canada.

ALEXANDER PETERS (principal soloist) is from State College, Pennsylvania, and began his training with teacher Nicole Swope, continuing with the Allegheny Ballet Academy under the guidance of Deborah Anthony, Cristin Burwell, Cherie Noble, and Richard Cook. He was accepted to the School of American Ballet and attended as a

full-time student from 2007 – 10 as a recipient of the Andrei Kramarevsky Scholarship. Following SAB, Peters danced with the Kansas City Ballet under the direction of William Whitener. He then joined the Pennsylvania Ballet in November 2011, was promoted to soloist in 2014 and to principal in 2015. Peters is a recipient of the 2008 Princess Grace Award and the 2010 Mae L. Wien Award for Outstanding Promise. Additionally, Peters has filmed archival segments with the George Balanchine Foundation. He joined Miami City Ballet in 2017 as a principal soloist.

KLEBER REBELLO (principal) is from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and began his ballet studies at the age of 10 at the Escola de Dança Spinelli.  As a young dancer, he won the Premio Jorge Tomin (a medal of legitimate gold) in Córdoba, Argentina, and the Prix de Lausanne, Youth America Grand Prix, Beijing International Competition, and Festival Internacional

de Dança de Joinville, among others. In 2009, he attended the Miami City Ballet Summer Intensive and received a scholarship for MCB School. In 2010, he joined MCB as an apprentice and was promoted to principal dancer in 2013. Through his career with Miami City Ballet, Rebello has performed at the Les Étés de la Danse in Paris; Vancouver and Ottawa, Canada; and at the Guggenheim’s Works in Process series in New York City.  In 2011, Dance Magazine selected him as one of their annual “25 to Watch.”

REYNERIS REYES (principal) is from Pinar Del Rio, Cuba, and received his training at the Vocational School of Art in Pinar Del Rio and The National Ballet School in Havana. Reyes joined the National Ballet of Cuba in 1993 as a member of the corps de ballet and was promoted to principal in 1998. Reyes joined Canada’s Royal Winnipeg Ballet

in 1999 as a soloist and was promoted to principal in 2002. In 2004, Reyes joined Boston Ballet as a principal. In 2010, Reyes joined Miami City Ballet as a principal. Reyes has been awarded the bronze medal at the National Ballet Competition in Havana, and the Cuban National Arts Medal, which is the highest artistic honor in Cuba. He has participated in many international ballet festivals in Cuba, Europe, Asia, and North and South America, as well as ballet galas in Slovakia, Granada, Spain, and Vancouver, Canada.

LEANNA RINALDI (corps de ballet) is from  Frisco, Texas, and began taking dance classes at age 3. She trained at Franklin School of Performing Arts until the age of 11, when her family relocated to Frisco, Texas. She continued her training there at Chamberlain Performing Arts under the direction of Kathy Chamberlain. Throughout high school, she attended

summer intensives at the School of American Ballet and Miami City Ballet School. After graduating high school and completing her second summer at MCB School, she received a scholarship to attend the year-round program in 2011. As a student, Rinaldi was given many opportunities to dance with the company and was hired as a company apprentice in 2013. She was promoted to the corps de ballet for the 2014 – 15 season.

ÉMILIEN RIVOIRE (corps de ballet) is from  Lille, France, and started ballet at age 7. When he was 12, he moved to Paris to study at the Paris Opéra School and at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. At 16, he attended the School of American Ballet summer intensive and was given a scholarship to stay for the year-round

program. In 2013, he was offered an apprenticeship with Miami City Ballet after attending the School’s summer program. He joined Miami City Ballet as a corps de ballet member in 2014.

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ARIEL ROSE (corps de ballet) is from  New York and began his training at Ballet Academy East in New York City. He also studied at the LaGuardia High School for Music and Art and the Performing Arts, and at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre. Upon graduating, Rose went on to Boston, where he performed

extensively with Boston Ballet II as well as with the main company. He then spent three years dancing with the Richmond Ballet where he performed works by many contemporary choreographers. He joined Miami City Ballet’s corps de ballet in 2013. In 2015, Rose was selected to participate in the resident fellows choreographic program with the Center for Ballet and the Arts at New York University, an international institute for scholars and artists of ballet and its related arts and sciences.

HELEN RUIZ (corps de ballet) was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico. After being accepted into Julian E. Blanco Ballet School at the age of 10, world-renowned ballet and pilates instructor Lolita San Miguel offered her a full scholarship to the Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico. After two years with Ballet Concierto, at age 12, Ruiz was accepted into the School of

American Ballet’s summer program, which she attended for three consecutive summers. At age 15, she was offered a full scholarship to attend SAB’s year-round program, where she trained for four years. In 2007, she auditioned for Miami City Ballet and was offered an apprenticeship. Ruiz was promoted to the corps de ballet in 2009.

CHRISTIE SCITURRO (corps de ballet) is from Sterling Heights, Michigan, and received her dance training at Juliana’s Academy of Dance, The Rock School, and Miami City Ballet School. She attended summer intensives at Pacific Northwest Ballet and American Ballet Theatre. Sciturro joined MCB School in 2005, became a student apprentice in 2006, and

was promoted to the corps de ballet in 2008.

ALYSSA SCHROEDER (corps de ballet) is from Portland, Oregon, and began her early training at the School of Oregon Ballet Theatre under the direction of Damara Bennett. At the age of 13, she moved to Carlisle, Pennsylvania, to continue her training at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet with founding Artistic Director Marcia Dale Weary.

Throughout her training, Schroeder also attended summer programs on scholarship at the School of American Ballet and San Francisco Ballet School. She joined MCB as a corps de ballet member in 2017.

RAECHEL SPARREO (corps de ballet) is from Buffalo Grove, Illinois, and began taking ballet classes at age 3. When she was 11, she began training at Faubourg School of Ballet under Watmora Casey, Tatyana Mazur, Ernesto Quenedit, Victor Alexander, and Maray Guiterez. She also trained at Fox Ballet under Terry Fox. After attending the MCB Summer

Intensive for two years, she was offered a full scholarship to attend the school’s year-round program at age 15. As a student, she danced in several ballets with the company. In 2013, she was asked to be a student apprentice, and was promoted to the corps de ballet in 2014.

CHRISTINA SPIGNER (corps de ballet) is from  Paradise Valley, Arizona, and has trained at School of Ballet Arizona, Master Ballet Academy, and graduated from Miami City Ballet School, where she was a full-scholarship student for two years. She has been nominated for the National Princess Grace Award and is the winner of three national contemporary

competitions including New York City Dance Alliance and West Coast Dance Explosion. She has performed original works at Radio City Music Hall as a touring national title holder. She joined Miami City Ballet as a company apprentice in 2012 and was promoted to the corps de ballet shortly thereafter. In 2016, Spigner had the privilege of being featured in the Black Iris Project’s debut performances in New York City. BIP is a unique ballet collaborative which creates new and relevant classical ballet works celebrating diversity and Black history.

NICOLE STALKER (corps de ballet) is from  St. Petersburg, Florida, and began her dance training at age 3 at Cheryl Lee Studio of Dance. She spent summers training at The Chautauqua Institute, American Ballet Theatre, and The Rock School for Dance Education before moving to Philadelphia in 2005 to attend The Rock School’s year-round program.

She spent her final summer at the School of American Ballet in 2007 before moving to Miami to join Miami City Ballet School’s pre-professional division. In 2008, Stalker joined Miami City Ballet as an apprentice and was promoted to the corps de ballet in 2009. Stalker  was nominated twice for the Princess Grace Award in 2009 and 2011.

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CHASE SWATOSH (soloist) is from  Westlake Village, California, and began his training at Retter’s Academy of Dance with Darryl and Linda Retter when he was 8. In 2007, he became a trainee at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City, where he trained for two years before attending the summer and winter terms of the School of American Ballet (2009 –

10). He also attended numerous ballet summer intensives from 2005 – 10, including American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet School, San Francisco Ballet School, School of American Ballet, Miami City Ballet School, and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Swatosh has a diversified dance background, having trained in tap, jazz, contemporary, musical theater, and modern. He also was a Junior Olympic swimmer, an All-American qualifying diver in high school, and an awarded, classically trained pianist. Swatosh joined Miami City Ballet as an apprentice in 2010 and was promoted to soloist in 2016.

ELLA TITUS (corps de ballet)  is from Clearwater, Florida, and began her ballet training at age 3 with Maureen Gibson. As a young girl, she began performing with Florida West Youth Ballet under the direction of Pavel Fomin and began intensive ballet training with Haydee Gutierrez. Titus received scholarships to attend summer programs with

American Ballet Theatre, the School of American Ballet, San Francisco Ballet School, and Miami City Ballet School. At age 14, she moved to Miami to attend MCB School full-time as a scholarship student, and was offered an apprenticeship at age 16. In 2015, Titus graduated from Miami Beach High School and joined Miami City Ballet’s corps de ballet.

ERIC TROPE (corps de ballet) is from  Poolesville, Maryland, and began his dance training with the Maryland Youth Ballet in Bethesda, Maryland. He has attended summer courses under full scholarship at The Rock School for Dance Education, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Miami City Ballet. Following a summer course with the School of American

Ballet, Trope entered the school’s year-round program at Lincoln Center. Following his graduation from SAB, Trope joined Pennsylvania Ballet II under the direction of William DeGregory for the 2009 – 10 season. He was promoted to the main company for the 2011 – 12 season. He joined Miami City Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet for the 2013 – 14 season.

AO WANG (corps de ballet) is from Beijing, China, and began training in 2008 at the Liaoning Ballet Academy of China. In 2014, she received a full scholarship to attend The Washington School of Ballet Professional Training Program and trained with Kee Juan Han. In 2012, Wang won the gold medal at the Osaka International Ballet Competition and

also received a bronze medal at The Taolibei Competition in China. In 2013, she earned a bronze medal at the Korea Seoul International Dance Competition. In 2015, she won first place at the Regional Youth America Grand Prix in Pittsburgh with her solo and pas de deux. In addition, she was the recipient of the Mary Day Award. She spent one season dancing with The Washington Ballet Studio Company. She joined MCB as a corps de ballet member in 2016.

AMIR YOGEV (corps de ballet) is from Kibbutz Tzuba, Israel, and began his ballet training at the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance at the age of 13.  In 2003, he moved to New York City to study at the School of American Ballet. He supplemented his training with summer programs on scholarship at Joffrey Ballet School, Central Pennsylvania Youth

Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet School. In 2006, Yogev joined Miami City Ballet, where he performed in several works by George Balanchine. Yogev joined Pennsylvania Ballet as an apprentice for the 2009 – 10 season and was promoted to the corps de ballet for the 2010 – 11 season. Yogev rejoined Miami City Ballet as a corps de ballet member in 2016.

DAMIAN ZAMORANO (corps de ballet) is from Havana, Cuba, and started taking ballet classes at age 9 at the Provincial School of Ballet Alejo Carpentier. He moved to Mexico City when he was 11 with his parents, where he continued his training at the Escuela Nacional De Danza Clásica y Contemporánea. At 13, he participated in the first national dance

competition, Attitude, in Mexico City, where he won a gold medal in his category. At 17, he joined Compañia Nacional De Danza in Mexico City as an apprentice, was promoted to corps de ballet member at 18, and promoted to coryphée at 19. In 2012, he received a full scholarship to attend Miami City Ballet School and was awarded the Toby Lerner Ansin Scholarship Award in 2012. He joined MCB in 2013 as a corps de ballet member.

Miami City Ballet