2023-2024 COMPANY ARTISTS
Kevin Baker
Kevin Baker was raised in Pocatello, Idaho where he received his initial training from Sergiu Brindusa and Beth Moore (Alliance Academy of Dance) in the Vaganova Method. In his formative years, he spent extensive training under Brindusa and Moore’s incredible mentorship to which he considered his fondest memories, both as a person and as a dancer. He then spent a year at Ballet West Academy in Salt Lake City, Utah after finishing high school learning from Jeff Rogers, Heather Fryxell and Wilson Domingues. He then continued his training as a member of Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School’s Graduate Division under Co-Directors Marjorie Grundvig and Dennis Marshal with tutelage from School Principal Janet Popeleski, Steven Annegarn, Chris Budzynski, Christine Schwaner and Aaron Ingley before arriving at his new home with Cleveland Ballet. Throughout his training, Kevin attended summer programs with his hometown studio in Idaho, Colorado Ballet, Joffrey Chicago, Ballet West and Pittsburgh Ballet Theater. During his life, Kevin has performed many roles but his favorites have been Franz in Coppélia and Hilarion in Giselle under Sergiu and Beth, Cavalier in The Nutcracker, Jim in Constantin Apetrei’s adaptation of Edward Scissorhands, Soloist in Yoshiaki Nakano’s Mozart, and Mr. McKee in Jordan Morris’ The Great Gatsby. He also finds particular delight in playing character roles.
Madison Campbell
Madison Campbell grew up in Des Moines, Iowa where she first started her ballet training with Emery and Melissa Uyehara. After graduating early from high school, she studied with Miami City Ballet School, the School of Pennsylvania Ballet and Nashville Ballet. She also supplemented her training at summer intensives such as: Joffrey Midwest, San Francisco Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet, School of American Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet and Cleveland Ballet. Madison started her career with Cleveland Ballet in 2016 as a part of the Trainee Program. Some of her favorite moments on stage have been touring to the Kennedy Center to perform George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Pennsylvania Ballet and performing in Margo Sappington’s Alice and George Balanchine's Serenade with Cleveland Ballet.
Diego Garcia Castillo
Diego Garcia Castillo is originally from Colombia. He began his training at the age of eight at INCOLBALLET, the national ballet institution in Colombia. He got his first company contract at 17 years old in the National Company of Ballet in Colombia for two years where he was able to perform ballets such as Sinfonia Vivante, El Bolero de Rabel, The Nutcracker, Los Pasos Perdidos and Don Quixote all choreographed by Gonzalo Galguera. After that, he spent two years in the second company at Milwaukee Ballet where he performed ballets such as Diana & Acteon Pas de deux, Paquita Pas de trois, George Balanchine’s Serenade, Michael Pink’s Dracula, Swan Lake and others. In 2019, he was offered a company contract with Cleveland Ballet where he has been given the opportunity to perform Carmen, The Nutcracker, Sinatra, The Magic Flute, Provocativo and others all by Artistic Director Gladisa Guadalupe.
Gabriela Checo
Originally from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic where she started her training at 3 years old with Doris Infante and later on she joined the National School of Ballet. In 2015, she moved to Spain where she joined Ballet de Cámara de Madrid, in which she has performed classical roles in Alicia Alonso’s production of Giselle as ‘Myrtha, Queen of Willis’ and ‘First Willie’, Coppelia as ‘Prayer’, La Fille Mal Gardeé as ‘Lise’s Friends’, Raymonda as ‘Raymonda’, Sugar Plum Fairy, Snow Queen and Mirlitons in ‘The Nutcracker’, Diana and Acteon Pas de Deux, La Sylphide Pas de Deux, among others. Also in her time there, she graduated obtaining a Degree in Pedagogy of Classical Dance and won Academic Excellence Award in 2019 at Instituto Universitario de Danza Alicia Alonso, King Juan Carlos University. In 2019, she joined as company member of Sibiu Ballet Theater in Romania where she has performed roles in classical productions such as The Wicked Stepmother in ‘Snow White’, Dew Drop, Snow Soloist, Spanish, Arabian, Chinese and Mirlitons Dance in ‘The Nutcracker’, Lise’s Friend in ‘La Fille Mal Gardee’, Marcello Algeri’s Romeo and Juliet, Raymonda Grand Pas, Bachantes in ‘Walpugris Night’, Swan in 'Swan Lake', Mehmet Balkan's Lady of the Camellias, Anna Karenina, among others. She has also participate in international tours to Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherland, Belgium and Turkey, also national tour around Romania. Gabriela has been a guest artist at 'XXIII International Dance Day Ballet Gala’ in San Sebastián, Spain performing La Sylphide Pas de Deux on 2019, ‘XII Gala of Stars’ in Dominican Republic performing Coppelia Pas de Deux on 2021, ‘VI Edition Dance Campus and Contest San Francesco di Paola Gala’ in Romania performing Diana and Acteon Pas de Deux on 2022.
Anna Cole
Anna Cole is from Marietta, Georgia and began her ballet training in 2007 at Georgia Metro Dance Theatre under the instruction of Kathryn McBeth and Lisa Toups. There she performed roles such as Aurora, Odile, Sugar Plum, and the Bride of Dracula. In 2018, Anna joined The Washington School of Ballet’s Professional Training Program under the tutelage of Xiomara Reyes, Rinat Imaev, and Artistic Director, Julie Kent. She has also trained at several summer intensives including American Ballet Theatre in New York and Pacific Northwest Ballet. As a trainee with The Washington Ballet, she performed Julie Kent’s Swan Lake, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Septime Webre’s The Nutcracker, George Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, Theme and Variations, and Serenade. In 2021, Anna worked with the Italian Embassy and choreographer Mimmo Miccolis in the screendance film, Magnifica. She began her choreographic career in 2022 and has since created two works on the Professional Training Division at TWSB. Anna joined Cleveland Ballet in 2023.
Katharine Cowan
Katharine Cowan was born in the south of China before moving to the U.S. as a child where she grew up in Olympia, Washington. She began formal dance training at the age of three at Studio West Dance Academy where she studied under Director Stephanie Wood. During her years in training, she attended summer programs at Boston Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Austin Ballet, Joffrey Ballet and Alonzo King LINES. Under the direction of Stephanie Wood, she had the opportunity to dance in roles such as Sugar Plum, Cinderella and Giselle as well as new works choreographed by Laura and Jerome Tisserand, Dawn Fay and Joseph Jeffries. After high school, she continued her training under Raymond Rodriguez at the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago where she completed their trainee program. While at Joffrey, she was chosen to perform in the Winning Works Program performing new works by choreographers such as Claudia Schreier, Edgar Zendejas, Brendan Fernandes and Marissa Osato. Now a resident of the great city of Cleveland, she joined Cleveland Ballet in 2019.
Erinn Crittenden
Erinn Crittenden was born in Fontana, California, a suburb of Los Angeles and part of the Inland Empire. She began ballet at the age of eight to supplement her ice skating and fell in love with dance. Erinn started ballet seriously at the age of 14, where she began training with Maple Conservatory in Irvine, California. Since then, she has trained with Pittsburgh Ballet Theater’s Graduate Program and Charlotte Ballet Academy. Some of her favorite performances have been George Balanchine’s Serenade at PBT, Rite of Spring at Charlotte Ballet and Provocativo at Cleveland Ballet. She joined Cleveland Ballet in 2019 and is beyond thrilled to be a part of this great company and be surrounded by such beautiful artists every day.
Uma Deming
Uma Deming was born in Rochester, New York, and began her ballet training at the Timothy M. Draper Center for Dance Education at the age of three, where she studied with Jamey Leverett, Beth Bartholomew, Fidel Ernesto Orrillo Puga, and her mother, Julianne Deming. She attended summer courses at the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of NYCB, in 2013 and 2014, before entering SAB full-time for the 2014 winter term. She received additional summer training at Miami City Ballet School, Boston Ballet School, the School of Carolina Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. While at SAB, she trained with the Royal Danish Ballet company and school as a recipient of the Danish American National Cultural Exchange scholarship program. Additionally, as a student, Ms. Deming performed with the Draper Center-affiliated Rochester City Ballet in The Nutcracker and Cinderella. Ms. Deming was named an apprentice with NYCB in November 2018, and a Corp De Ballet member in November 2019. She is excited to be joining Cleveland Ballet for their 2023/24 season!
Chelsea Endris
Originally from Indiana, Chelsea Endris began her love of dance at her mother’s studio, Southern Indiana School for the Arts. At SISA she grew in ballet, tap, jazz, theatre and voice yet knew at a young age that ballet was her passion. She continued to pursue her passion at summer programs with Indiana University Jacob School of Music, Interlochen Arts Academy and American Ballet Theatre. Chelsea graduated from Point Park University cum laude where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance with a concentration in Ballet. While on scholarship at the university, she had the privilege of working with prestigious faculty members such as Ruben Graciani, Susan Stowe, Mark Burrell, Judith Leifer-Benz, Jason McDole, Garfield Lamoneus, Shana Simmons, Jay Kirk, Dan Karasik and Matt Pardo. During her time at Point Park University, Chelsea was able to dance a soloist role in Septime Weber’s Fluctuating Hemlines, Kitri in Susan Stowe’s Don Quixote and the lead female soloist in Antony Tudor’s Continuo. Before joining Cleveland Ballet, Chelsea danced as a guest with the Montgomery Ballet and as a company dancer with Manassas Ballet Theatre. At Manassas Ballet Theatre, she performed many soloist roles including Snow Queen in The Nutcracker, Myrta in Giselle, Queen of the Dryads in Don Quixote, Waltz Variation from Les Sylphide, Lucy in Dracula and The Fairy Godmother in Cinderella. She joined Cleveland Ballet in 2022.
Alia Federico
Alia Federico was born in Boynton Beach, Florida. After moving to Swarthmore, Pennsylvania at three years old, she began her dance training at the Swarthmore Ballet Theatre under the direction of Lori Ardis and Amber Flynn. At 16, Alia was accepted into the School of Pennsylvania Ballet, where she furthered her dance education until starting her degree at Indiana University Bloomington. As a member of the IU Ballet Department, Alia had the pleasure and honor of performing a variety of notable works such as George Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15, Valse Fantasie, La Source, Jerome Robbins’ Fanfare, Sarah Wroth’s ‘Tis Better and Martha Graham’s Diversion of Angels. After graduating from IU with a Bachelor of Science in Ballet with an Urban Studies Outside Field, Alia joined Nashville Ballet 2. Upon completing Nashville Ballet 2’s two-year program in 2020, she was invited to join Cleveland Ballet. Alia has had the privilege of dancing in many wonderful roles under Ms. Guadalupe’s direction, such as Aunt Sofia in The Nutcracker and the March Hare and Iris in Margo Sappington’s Alice.
Albina Ghazaryan
Albina Ghazaryan was born in Yerevan, Armenia. She trained at Yerevan State Choreographic College and later joined the Armenian National Ballet as a Soloist in 2004. In 2011, she joined the Israel Ballet Company as a Principal Dancer. In 2013, she joined the Musical Theatre of the Republic of Karelia. Albina is a laureate of the Grigorovich International Ballet competition in 2010. In 2014, Albina joined New Jersey Ballet. She has an extensive classical ballet repertoire including Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, The Nutcracker, Carmen, Don Quixote, Le Corsaire and Spartacus. In 2021, she joined Cleveland Ballet.
Alexander Guzmán
Alexander Guzmán was born and raised in Ponce, Puerto Rico. During his years at Ponce High School, he began to dance at the age of 15 in the Ballet Señorial Company. After graduating high school, he began to study fashion design under the wing of renowned Puerto Rican designer, Rene Cruz. Alexander has trained in ballet with different professors from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Russia and the United States. He has participated in several competitions including the World Ballet Competition and the International Dance Competition. His repertoire includes La Ventana Pas de trois, Friends of Giselle, The Nutcracker, Aggufa, Beethoven, Swan Lake Pas de trois, Laurencia, mi Voz, The Little Mermaid, La Peri Pas de deux, Dracula, Carmen and many others. In 2016, he traveled to Orlando, Florida to perform at Disney Performing Arts, taking workshops at the Epcot Center and Universal Studios. He joined Cleveland Ballet in 2022. In addition to dancing, Alexander is currently a fashion designer under the name Alessander Lee. He has designed and created costumes for Kentucky Ballet Theatre’s productions of The Nutcracker, The Wizard of Oz, Carmen, Dracula and dance repertoire productions. Internationally, Lee created more than 15 costume designs for The Nutcracker in the production of Ballet de Camaguey in Camaguey, Cuba. Currently, he designs exclusive fashion and costumes for a wide range of events and ballet productions and manages his new clothing lines called art•ive•ism & Alessander Lee Dancewear which includes uniquely hand-painted techniques and ballet skirts.
Sydney Henson
Sydney Henson is originally from Saugerties, New York. She began her ballet training at the age of 11 with Victoria Rinaldi in Saugerties. In 2020, Sydney moved to Hungary to train at the Hungarian Dance Academy, the country’s national school. During this time, outside of the academy, she was also coached by Ildiko Pongor. In 2021, she continued her training at the Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia, working closely with Natalya Zeiger and Telmo Moriera. Sydney has competed at Youth America Grand Prix in 2018, 2020 and 2022 and Valentina Kozlova’s International Ballet Competition in 2017, 2018 and 2022. She was awarded first place in classical at the Philadelphia YAGP semi-finals in 2022 and competed in their Finals. At the 2022 VKIBC finals, Sydney was awarded third place in the senior category, in turn being awarded a contract with Cleveland Ballet for their 2022-2023 season.
Eunjun Jung
Eunjun Jung is from South Korea and has a wide variety of accolades prior to joining Cleveland Ballet for their 2023-2024 season. His training includes and Kaywon Arts High School, Korea National University of the Arts. Jung's awards include: first place in the 2018 World Ballet Grand Prix (Korea competiton), second place in the 2018 K'arts Competition, Top15 at Youth American Grand Prix in 2019, and third place in the Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition in 2023.
Breanna Faith Justus
Breanna Faith Justus was born in Lexington, Kentucky, and began dancing at the age of three. She trained at the Kentucky Ballet Theatre Academy under Ms. Rafaela Cento Muñoz, performing with their professional company until 2021. She then trained in Orlando Ballet's and Atlanta Ballet’s Second Companies before joining Cleveland Ballet’s Main Company in 2023. Ms. Justus attended multiple summer intensives, including the Kentucky Governor’s School of the Arts and the NSLI-Y program at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow, Russia. Highlights of her career include working under Ms. Aurora Bosch, one of the four “Cuban Jewels”, covering Jessica Lang’s Lyric Pieces, dancing in Orlando Opera’s La Traviata, and being a Willis in Giselle.
Kaela Ku
Kaela Ku grew up in Tokyo, Japan and Weston, Florida. She started dancing in Florida when she was seven years old and has trained with many ballet studios in Tokyo. She was invited to study at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow after attending their summer intensive held in New York City and spent two years there. During her years in training, she has also attended summer programs at Dortmund Ballet in Germany, Boston Ballet and Joffrey Ballet. She joined Cleveland Ballet in 2018 as an Apprentice and became a company member in 2019.
Johan Mancebo
Born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. On 2006, he started his dance training as he became part of the first generation of male dancers graduated from the National School of Ballet of Dominican Republic on 2015. During his training on 2013-2015 he got an apprentice position at Dominican National Ballet, on November 2014 he was invited by CODA21 in Puerto Rico to perform Septime Weber's Alice in Wonderland and from January 2015 he became part of The Washington Ballet Studio Company under the direction of Septime Weber perfoming classical productions with the company such as Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Septime Weber's Alice in Wonderland and worldwide premiere of Septime Weber's Sleepy Hollow. Later on that year, he moved to Spain where he joined Ballet de Cámara de Madrid and obtained a Degree in Pedagogy of Classical Dance: Cuban Method and won the Interpretation Award of his generation at Instituto Universitario de Danza Alicia Alonso, King Juan Carlos University, Spain. On 2019, he joined Sibiu Ballet Theater in Romania as a company member. In his repertoire includes classical roles of the renowned productions of Alicia Alonso's Giselle as 'Albrecht', Coppelia as 'Franz', La Fille Mal Gardee as 'Colas', Black and White Swan Pas de Deux from Swan Lake, The Nutcracker as 'Sugar Plum Cavalier', Don Quixote Pas de Deux, James in August Bournonville's La Sylphide, Raymonda as 'Jean de Brienne', Tybalt in Marcello Algeri's Romeo and Juliet, Bachus in 'Walpugris Night', Von Rothbart in 'Swan Lake', Rat King, Spanish and Arabian Dance in 'The Nutcracker', Spring Water Pas de Deux, Diana and Acteon Pas de Deux, Bayadere Act III Pas de Deux and Mehmet Blakan's Lady of the Camellias. He danced as a guest artist at galas around Spain performing Don Quixote Pas deux at 'Closing Gala contest Castellon 2016' and 'Beca Hormigon-Torrado Closing Gala 2016' Riojaforum, Spain, Giselle pas de Deux at 'XXI Internacional Dance Day, San Sebastián' in 2017 at Victoria Eugenia Theater, Don Quixote Pas de Deux and Black Swan pas de deux at 'Internacional Dance Day Colmenar III and V edition', 'Segovia en Danza 2016-2019' and 'XII Gala of Stars 2021' perfoming Coppelia Pas de Deux at Eduardo Brito Theater in Dominican Republic, and Diana and Acteon Pas de Deux at 'Gala Internazionale Sulle Ali Della Danza' on 2023 at Teatro Goldoni Livorno, Italy.
Emmanuel Martirosyan
Emmanuel Martirosyan is from Yerevan, Armenia. He trained at the Yerevan State National Choreographic College in Armenia. At the age of 16, he was awarded an apprenticeship at the National Ballet Theatre of Armenia. In 2015, Emmanuel received a full scholarship from Joffrey Ballet School in New York City, which brought him to the United States. From 2016 to 2020, he was a company member with the New Jersey Ballet Company where he danced under famous choreographers such as Margo Sappington, Paul Sutherland and Edward Villella. Emmanuel has succeeded in many international ballet competitions in different countries throughout his dance career. He joined Cleveland Ballet in 2021.
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Narek Martirosyan
Narek Martirosyan was born in Yerevan, Armenia. He trained at the Yerevan State National Choreographic College. Upon graduation, he joined the Armenian National Ballet Theatre. Narek was awarded the Moves Khorenatsi Medal by the President of Armenia for his significant contributions to the development of culture and his outstanding performance in the ballet Spartacus. In 2011, he joined Israel Ballet as a Principal Dancer. In 2013, he joined Musical Theatre of the Republic of Karelia. A year later, he joined the New Jersey Ballet Company. Narek’s repertoire includes Don Quixote, Carmen, Giselle, Romeo & Juliet, Spartacus, Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. In 2021, he joined Cleveland Ballet.
Levian Mondville
Levian Mondville is an Ohio native. They began dancing at the age of nine at their family’s dance studio in Fairport Harbor, Ohio. There, Levian discovered a love for movement and its many styles including ballet, tap, jazz, modern and contemporary. Upon deciding to make a career out of performing ballet, they started high school at Cleveland School of the Arts, training there with Erich Yetter, Imani Jackson and Kay Eichman. During that time, they went to summer intensives at the Student Honor Intensive Program at the University of Buffalo, Cincinnati Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Houston Ballet Academy. Levian also performed with Ashland Regional Ballet as their Nutcracker Prince and with Ballet Excel Ohio as Prince Tamino in the production of Magic Flute. After receiving an invitation to train year-round with Houston Ballet Academy in 2018, Levian moved to Houston and finished their last year of high school. There, they learned from Claudio Muñoz, Kelly Myernik and Melissa Bowman. They then trained virtually with Texas Ballet Theater’s Studio Training Company under Ben Stevenson, Kathy Warakomsky and Leticia Oliveira. In 2021, Levian joined Cleveland Ballet.
Bruno Palheta Oliveira
Bruno Palheta was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He began his dance training at the age of 14 and graduated from Centro de Danca Rio in September of 2016 where he studied and received his Performing Arts Associate’s Degree. His training included ballet, contemporary/modern, jazz and musical theater. During his training, he won many awards including the Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition Finals in 2015. In 2016, he joined CityDance Conservatory in Bethesda, Maryland, and competed in the Youth America Grand Prix in Pittsburgh. In 2017, he won second place in the Men’s Classical and Contemporary Divisions. The same year he joined the Washington School of Ballet from whom he received a full scholarship. He graduated from the Washington Ballet Professional Trainee Program in 2018. His performances with the company include John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet in Tarantella and Septime Webre’s production of The Nutcracker. In 2018, Bruno joined Orlando Ballet’s second company. During his time there, he danced in many productions including Robert Hill’s Carmina Burana, Bolero de Ravel, The Nutcracker, Arcadian Broad’s Wonderland: Mad Tales of the Hatter and Victoria Morgan’s Cinderella. In 2020, Bruno joined Cleveland Ballet and has performed in roles such as the Prince in The Nutcracker and the White Rabbit in Margo Sappington’s Alice.
Nashializ Gomez Orengo
Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Nashializ Gomez Orengo started her training at the Escuela Especializada en Ballet Julián E. Blanco where she studied ballet, pointe, jazz, contemporary and dance history. There, she performed in Coppélia, The Four Seasons by Vivaldi, The Nutcracker and La Bayadere. At the same time, Nashializ was training at Mauro Youth Ballet Company where she danced in Sleeping Beauty, Coppélia and other pieces by Marena Perez. She later joined Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico where she danced in The Nutcracker, Coppélia, La Vivandiere and Napoli pas de six. She came to Cleveland in the summer of 2017 where she danced as a trainee for a year before being promoted to company artist. With Cleveland Ballet, Nashializ has had the privilege of performing The Nutcracker, Alice, Coppélia, Le Corsaire pas de six, Carmen, Magic Flute and other pieces by Gladisa Guadalupe.
Covington Pearson
Covington Pearson, a Colorado native, began dancing when he was 15 at the School of Aspen Santa Fe Ballet. He then went on and studied at Boston Ballet School under the direction of Peter Stark. Covington later joined BalletMet as a trainee for two years where he performed principal roles in George Balanchine’s Serenade and more. He joined Cleveland Ballet in 2019.
Lorenzo Pontiggia
Lorenzo Pontiggia is originally from Milan, Italy and began his dance training at L’Omino Danzante. He continued his training in Aosta at Institut de Danse du Val d’Aoste and at ForDance Institute. Lorenzo also studied at Accademia Teatro alla Scala and Professione Danza Parma. In October 2015, he received a scholarship for Orlando Ballet School where he was a trainee for a year before being promoted to the second company where he danced for two years. During his time in Florida, he performed in many productions including Arcadian Broad’s Wonderland: Mad Tales of the Hatter. In 2018, he was awarded second place in the classical division and third place in the contemporary division at the Youth America Grand Prix in Boston. Lorenzo was selected by international star Roberto Bolle to be part of OnDance in 2018 where he was awarded by the Étoile the Encouragement Prize during the Roberto Bolle and Friends Gala. In June 2021, he was one of 60 dancers from around the world selected to compete at the Helsinki International Ballet Competition, known as one of the most prestigious and historical dance competitions in the world. Lorenzo originally joined Cleveland Ballet in 2019 and is returning for the 2022-2023 season.
Tiera Peters
Tiera Peters began her dance journey recreationally at the age of 10 in her home town of Rockland County, New York. At age 13 she joined the Pre-Professional Training Program at Ballet Rockland in Haverstraw, NY under the tutelage of Rebecca Tew, where she trained until her high school graduation. She also attended the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater’s 2020 Intensive Summer Program. In 2021 she accepted a position in Cleveland Ballet’s Trainee Program where she spent two years. In her time as a student of Ballet Rockland, Tiera has had the incredibly opportunity to perform with both professional and nonprofessional companies including; Hudson Valley Ballet, Hudson Lyric Opera, Capezio Dance Center Showcase in NYC, Garner Arts Center, Fischer Ballet Company, and Rockland Theater Company. Her repertoire features Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Anastasia, Die Fledermaus, Hansel and Gretal, and more. As a trainee she has had the honor of performing with the Cleveland Ballet in productions such as; Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, A Midsummer Nights Dream, Swan Lake, and George Balanchine’s Serenade. She looks forward to continuing to learn and grow as an artist with the Cleveland Ballet.
Vadim Slatvitskii
Vadim Slatvitskii is originally from Novosibirsk, Russia. A 2010 graduate of Russia’s Novosibirsk State Choreographic College’s Vaganova training program, Vadim had the honor of dancing with Novosibirsk’s professional company under the direction of the renowned Igor Zelensky. He has performed a number of complex soloist and corps de ballet roles in many well-known ballets such as Spartacus, Swan Lake, La Bayadere, Giselle, Le Corsaire and Cinderella. He was honored to work with Nacho Duato, Edward Klug, Igor Zelensky, Mikhail Messerer, Genrikh Mayorov, Nikolay Tsiskaridze, Oleg Vinogradov, Zhanna Ayupova, Denis Matvienko, Ivan Vasiliev, Natalia Osipova, Leonid Sarafanov and Sergey Polunin. In 2018, Vadim joined Israel Ballet as a soloist. During this time, he worked with Teatro alla Scala’s Loretta Alexandrescu Stein, performing groundbreaking works such as Nova Carmen created by Batsheva Ballet’s Sharon Eyal. He also performed many classical pieces including George Balanchine’s Serenade and Giselle. In 2020, Vadim was pleased to be invited to the United States as a soloist and Vaganova expert with Manassas Ballet Theatre. He joined Cleveland Ballet in 2022.
Lauren Stenroos
Born in Akron, Ohio, Lauren Stenroos started her training at five years old at Nan Klinger’s Excellence in Dance. She was a member of the Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet where she had the privilege of touring Vevey, Switzerland for the International Youth Festival. She received the Francia Holliday Albrecht Scholarships to further her summer studies at Chautauqua Institution, Richmond Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Cleveland San Jose Ballet. Lauren’s professional career has included work with Dayton Ballet, Nashville Ballet, James Sewell Ballet, Ballet Montana, Texture Contemporary Ballet and Lake Erie Ballet. Lauren joined Cleveland Ballet in 2015 as a founding company member and has originated many principal roles in the repertoire including Sugar Plum Fairy and Dewdrop in The Nutcracker, Queen of Hearts in Alice, Swanilda in Coppélia, Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, “Russian Girl” in George Balanchine’s Serenade, Queen of the Dryads in Don Quixote, as well as Swan Lake pas de trois, Les Sylphides and many original neoclassical works choreographed by Gladisa Guadalupe. She has enjoyed touring to Palm Beach, Naples, and Fort Lauderdale Florida with the company. Lauren earned her B.A. in Dance with a Music Composition minor from Mercyhurst University and is also a certified Pilates instructor.
Svetlana Svinko
Svetlana Svinko is originally from Krasnoyarsk, Russia. In 2009 she graduated from the Krasnoyarsk State Choreographic College, class of the teacher Mikhieva S.P. During her studies she took part in international and all-Russian contests, in 2009 she was awarded a scholarship of People's Artist of Russia N.L. Semizorova. In 2009 she joined the Novosibirsk State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater under the direction of Igor Zelensky, People's Artist of the Russian Federation. Passed the creative way from the corps de ballet to the leading ballerina. Has taken part in all the theater's productions and premieres. Has worked with teachers Ya. Serebryakova, V. Ryazhenova and Olga Kostritskaya. In August 2016 she was invited by Honored Artist of Russia A. G. Fadeev to take part in a performance at the Mariinsky Theatre as Odette-Odile in the ballet Swan Lake. In September 2016 she joined the troupe of the L.V. Yakobson St. Petersburg State Ballet Theater under the direction of A.G. Fadeev. In 2021 she graduated from the Academy of Russian Ballet named after A. Ya. Vaganova - Bachelor of Education in Ballet Pedagogy.
Emanuel Tavares
Emanuel Tavares began studying dance at the age of 14 in his hometown of Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil at the Instituto de Dança Goretti Quintela. While focusing on his ballet training, he also studied contemporary jazz. He has been celebrated in many dance festivals as the best dancer and has received both national and international scholarships. Emanuel became a professional dancer with Especial Academia de Ballet in São Paulo, Brazil, where he performed principal roles in performances of Swan Lake, La Bayadere, Le Corsaire and Raymonda among others at a very young age. At the age of 19, he joined Virginia National Ballet and danced with the company from 2017 to 2020. Emanuel has been a guest artist for The Nutcracker throughout the states of Virginia, Maryland and Florida. He also began modeling as a ballet dancer in Brazil and has worked with a variety of photographers in the United States. He joined Cleveland Ballet in 2021.
Gabrielle Toppetta
Gabrielle Toppetta was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where she started her ballet training in a small hometown studio at the age of 14. After her years of training with the studio, she joined Cleveland Ballet for their 2019-2020 season. She was promoted to apprentice in their 2020-2021 season and has had the wondrous opportunity to tour around Ohio as the company brings small, personal performances to beautiful sites.
