Company

Company

Andrea Allmon

Andrea Allmon

Andrea Allmon was born in Miami, Florida and began her ballet training with Marielena Mencia and Yanis Pikieris at Miami Youth Ballet. She performed with Miami Youth Ballet in several …

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Felecia Baker

Felecia Baker

Felecia Baker grew up in Chesapeake, Va and began her dance training at Academie de Ballet. She trained for 11 years studying the Vaganova Method for ballet technique, as well …

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Rafael Bejarano

Rafael Bejarano

Sponsored by Betsy and Mike Keeley

Rafael Bejarano Vidal, from Guadalajara, Mexico, began his dance training at age 11 at the Royal Dance Academy of Mexico with Ana Torquemada. He has studied intensively around the world …

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Nardia Boodoo

Nardia Boodoo

Nardia Boodoo, born in Baltimore, Maryland, of Indo-Trinidadian heritage, is in her fourth season with The Washington Ballet, after dancing for two years in The Washington Ballet’s Studio Company and …

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Kimberly Cilento

Kimberly Cilento

Kimberly Cilento, of Middletown, DE is in her eleventh season with The Washington Ballet after being a member of both their Studio Company and Trainee Program. Cilento began her dance …

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Nicholas Cowden

Nicholas Cowden

Nicholas Cowden began his ballet studies at the age of 9 at the Virginia Ballet Company in Fairfax, and later Southold Dance Theatre in South Bend, Indiana. In 2014, a …

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Gilles Delellio

Gilles Delellio

Gilles is from Belgium, began dance training at the age of 10 in many amateur school. At 13 he joined the Royal Ballet School Of Antwerp. He then continued his …

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Kateryna Derechyna

Kateryna Derechyna

Kateryna Derechyna of Ukraine is in her 14th season with The Washington Ballet. She trained and graduated from the Odessa Ballet Academy under Elvira Karavaeva where she performed at the …

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Jessy Dick

Jessy Dick

Sponsored by Celina and Mark Emery

Jessy Dick, a native of Michigan, is in her eighth season with The Washington Ballet. She joined TWB Studio Company in 2017 and was promoted to the company in 2019. …

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Catherine Doherty

Catherine Doherty

Catherine Doherty, from Olathe Kansas, is in her first season with the Company at The Washington Ballet. Catherine began her professional training at The Kansas School of Classical Ballet when …

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Nicole Graniero

Nicole Graniero

Nicole Graniero of New York City is in her tenth season with The Washington Ballet. Her repertoire with the company includes principal roles in Ashton’s The Dream, Symphonic Variations, Balanchine’s …

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Akira Iida

Akira Iida

Akira Iida was born in Osaka, Japan, where he began training at the age of seven. Mr. Iida studied at the Washington School of Ballet beginning with a summer scholarship …

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Ayano Kimura

Ayano Kimura

Ayano Kimura of Japan, is in 14th season with The Washington Ballet and seventh year teaching at The Washington School of Ballet. Kimura, born in Germany, went on a short-term …

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Eun Won Lee

Eun Won Lee

Eun Won Lee from Korea is in her ninth season with The Washington Ballet. She was formerly a Principal dancer with Korean National Ballet for six years and received her …

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Lope Lim

Lope Lim

Sponsored by James Smailes and Susan Gehring

Lope Lim, from Manila Philippines, is in his sixth season with The Washington Ballet. He was a member of the Studio Company before being promoted to apprentice in 2019. Lope …

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Ariel Martinez

Ariel Martinez

Ariel Martínez began his ballet studies at School of Ballet Alejo Carpentier and continued his education at Fernando Alonso National Ballet School, associated with Ballet Nacional de Cuba. His instructors …

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Tamako Miyazaki

Tamako Miyazaki

Sponsored by Julie and David Brown

Tamako Miyazaki of Tokyo, Japan, is in her 12th season with The Washington Ballet after dancing with Columbia Classical Ballet. Prior to that, Miyazaki was a member of The Washington …

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Javier Morera

Javier Morera

Javier Morera of Havana, Cuba is in his fifth season with The Washington Ballet after dancing with the Florida Classical Ballet, where he was a Principal Guest in 2015, and …

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Ashley Murphy-Wilson

Ashley Murphy-Wilson

Sponsored by The Jeté Society

Ashley Murphy-Wilson Ashley Murphy-Wilson, hailing from Shreveport, Louisiana, joined The Washington Ballet in 2015 after a remarkable 13-year tenure at the Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH). She began her dance …

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Stephen Nakagawa

Stephen Nakagawa

Stephen Kristopher Inainakame’ekuakeali’inuiokekai Nakagawa of Fontana, California began his training at the Academy of Russian Classical Ballet. He then continued to train at various schools such as the University of …

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Andile Ndlovu

Andile Ndlovu

Andile Ndlovu of Johannesburg, South Africa, is in his tenth season with The Washington Ballet, after dancing one season with TWB’s Studio Company. Ndlovu began his training in Latin American …

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Maki Onuki

Maki Onuki

Sponsored by Luanne Adams and Murrell Smith

Born in Kanagawa, Japan, Maki enters her 20th season with The Washington Ballet after one season with The Studio Company. Before joining TWB, she danced and studied with Goh Ballet …

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Samara Rittinger

Samara Rittinger

Samara Leila Rittinger, from North Vancouver, Canada, started her training at Anna Wyman School of Dance Arts when she was eight years old and then continued her studies at Goh …

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Oscar Sanchez

Oscar Sanchez

Oscar Sanchez is in his tenth season with The Washington Ballet. Sanchez was born in Havana, Cuba in 1991 and started training at the age of 15 at The National …

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Noura Sander

Noura Sander

Noura Sander, originally from Northern California, is in her fourth season with The Washington Ballet. Noura started training seriously at the age of eight at Franklin School for the Performing …

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Stephanie Sorota

Stephanie Sorota

Stephanie Sorota of Glen Rock, New Jersey is in her tenth season with The Washington Ballet. She has performed in works by various choreographers including George Balanchine, Gemma Bond, Sir …

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Vladimir Tapkharov

Vladimir Tapkharov

This is Mr. Tapkharov’s first season with The Washington Ballet. Mr. Tapkharov is originally from Irkutsk, Russia. He received his education at the Buryat Republican Choreographic School and the East …

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Studio Company

Studio Company

Roman Aldrete

Roman Aldrete

Roman began his ballet training at age 12 at City Ballet School in his hometown of San Francisco. Following his years there, he began training at the San Francisco Ballet …

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Ida Cacanindin

Ida Cacanindin

Ida Cacanindin grew up in Asheville, North Carolina training at Southside Dance Studio and The Ballet Conservatory of Asheville. She then spent her sophomore and junior years of high school …

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Olivia DeAngelo

Olivia DeAngelo

Olivia DeAngelo, a native of Minnesota, is starting her first season as a Studio Company member of The Washington Ballet. In 2020, Olivia began her professional training at the Harid …

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Elena deGuzman

Elena deGuzman

Elena deGuzman began her ballet training at age three in California. She has trained at the Philadelphia Dance Theatre, The Washington School of Ballet, The Rock School for Dance Education, …

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Mario Elefante

Mario Elefante

Mario Elefante from Naples, Italy, began dance training at age 9 with modern dance in his hometown. At age 12 he joined The Ballet School of Teatro Alla Scala in …

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Francesco Messina

Francesco Messina

Francesco is joining The Washington Ballet’s Studio Company following his graduation from The Washington School of Ballet’s Trainee Program (Formerly known as The Professional Training Division) as a member of …

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Jackson Rankin

Jackson Rankin

Originally from Fayetteville, Arkansas, Jackson spent his early years moving around the U.S. playing numerous sports and adventuring outdoors. He started dancing at a small studio in Northern California where …

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Charlize Villacorta

Charlize Villacorta

Charlize is from Novi, Michigan. Her classical training began at age 9 at the Academy of Russian Classical Ballet. Charlize was 14 when she received a full scholarship to attend …

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Katelyn Yang

Katelyn Yang

Katelyn Yang was born and raised in Seattle, Washington and began dancing at the age of four. At age 16, she moved to the Netherlands to pursue professional training at …

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Artistic Team

Artistic Team

Edwaard Liang

Edwaard Liang

Artistic Director

American arts leader and acclaimed choreographer Edwaard Liang is the Artistic Director of The Washington Ballet. Edwaard is one of only four people to have led the organization, and the first person of color. He is also the first Asian American to lead a major American ballet company.

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Andres Estevez

Andres Estevez

Rehearsal Director

Andres Estevez began his training in Havana, Cuba, and joined Ballet Nacional de Cuba under the direction of Alicia Alonso. After several seasons, Mr. Estevez joined Ballet Clasico de la
Havana under the direction of Laura Alonso; where his career flourished…

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Tamás Krizsa

Tamás Krizsa

Rehearsal Director

Tamás Krizsa, of Hungary, is in his 13th season with The Washington Ballet. Krizsa graduated from the Hungarian Dance Academy with honors in 2002. During his school years, he was …

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Glenn Sales

Glenn Sales

Music Supervisor

Glenn Sales, Pianist, has been well-known to Washington, DC audiences since his National Symphony Orchestra debut at age 14 and his subsequent invitations as soloist with NSO. Sales attended the …

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