BalletMet

Erica Alavarado was born in Tucson, AZ, and arrived at BalletMet for the 2022–23 season via Atlanta Ballet, City Ballet of San Diego, Milwaukee Ballet, and Ballet Tucson. Alvarado was signed as a principal at City Ballet of San Diego in 2011, where she performed leading roles in several ballets. She also performed soloist roles in The Four Temperaments and Agon, and danced the role of the Principal Woman in Peter Martin’s Hallelujah Junction. In 2017, Alvarado joined Atlanta Ballet where she performed leading roles in works such as Helgi Tómasson’s 7 for Eight, Stanton Welch’s Tu Tu & More, Craig Davidson’s Remembrance / Hereafter, and in Liam Scarlett’s Vespertine and world premiere of Catch. When Alvarado is not dancing, she teaches her passion to students and professionals of all ages.

Miguel Anaya, originally from Havana, Cuba, trained at the Alfonso Perez Isaac School and the Cuban National Ballet School. Anaya has trained with Ramona de Saa, Marta Iris, Nor Maria, Ana Julia Bermudez, Magaly Suarez, Alicia Alonso, Fernando Alonso, and Alberto Mendez. He danced with the Washington Ballet Company during the 2014–15 season, performing various Septime Webre ballets. He also danced the role of Siegfried in Kirk Peterson’s Swan Lake while with the Washington Ballet. In 2012, Anaya won the Grand Prix National Competition in Cuba and performed as a soloist dancer with Ballet Nacional de Cuba with Alicia Alonso. While dancing with the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, he performed as Basilio in Don Quixote. Anaya has been with BalletMet since its 2015–16 season.

Narciso Alejandro Medina Arias joins BalletMet from the National Ballet of Cuba, where he was a principal dancer. Educated at the National Ballet School of Cuba, he has won numerous awards, including the gold medal at the 2016 Youth America Grand Prix, where he obtained two scholarships for the Royal Ballet School in England and American Ballet Theatre in New York. Arias has performed many classical and contemporary works and has danced all over the world. He has been with BalletMet since its 2023–24 season and is excited to continue his career there.

TyLeigh Baughman was raised in Sand Springs, OK, and trained at Tulsa Ballet Center for Dance Education under the direction of Pia Russo, Stephanie Murish, and Daniil Gaifullin. After training, she danced with Tulsa Ballet II for two years, then was promoted into the main company for the 2017–2018 season as the first person to be hired from the school. Baughman has enjoyed dancing in Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella as the Summer Fairy, BalletMet’s The Nutcracker as Clara, and in Edwaard Liang’s Beautiful Child as the Hallelujah Pas, Cinderella asthe Summer and Autumn Fairy, and Don Quixote as Kitri’s Friend. She has also performed multiple works and world premieres created by world-renowned choreographers such as Ma Cong, Marcello Angelini, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Helen Pickett, and Jennifer Archibald. Baughman has been with BalletMet since its 2018–19 season.

Jessica Brown, 2017 Emmy winner of television arts and sciences, received her training at American Dance Center and through the BalletMet Trainee program. Brown has performed the principal female role in Carousel, Fool’s Paradise, and Interplay, in addition to performing as Clara in The Nutcracker, Bluebird pas de deux in The Sleeping Beauty, Lucy in Dracula, and Tiger Lily in Peter Pan. She has also performed in Cinderella, Symphonic Dances, and in George Balanchine’s Symphony in C (movements 1 and 3) as Principal Couple; Who Cares? as Jumping Girl; Serenade as Waltz Girl; and Square Dance as Principal Couple. Brown has danced with BalletMet at the Moscow International Contemporary Dance Festival in Russia, at the Joyce Theater in New York, and at the National Choreographers Initiative in California for its 10th anniversary, where she performed in Edwaard Liang’s Vicissitude.

Maria Karla Iglesias Buela studied at the National Ballet of Cuba School in Havana, Cuba. She participated in different international and national competitions, including the 2014 International Ballet Competition in Cape Town, South Africa, and the International and National Competitions in Havana, Cuba. Buela joined the National Ballet of Cuba as a corps de ballet member. She eventually rose to soloist, where she had the opportunity to dance in Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Giselle, Cinderella, Coppélia, Las Sílfides, La Fille mal gardée, and The Nutcracker—in addition to works by renowned choreographers including Alexei Ratmansky, Alberto Méndez, Cathy Marston, and Gemma Bond, among others. Buela has been with BalletMet since the 2023–24 season.

Leiland Charles, a dancer and choreographer rapidly gaining new acclaim, was born in Baltimore, MD. Leiland trained at The Juilliard School under the direction of Lawrence Rhodes. While at Juilliard, he performed works by Nacho Duato, William Forsythe, Twyla Tharp, Alexander Ekman, and many others. Leiland joined Alberta Ballet in Calgary, Canada, where he danced roles such as Benvolio in Jean Grand-Maître’s Romeo and Juliet and Red Couple in Jiří Kylián’s Forgotten Land. In his six seasons at BalletMet, Leiland has enjoyed performing numerous works, including In Creases by Justin Peck and Cacti by Alexander Ekman. Leiland’s original choreography includes Passages for Alberta Ballet, Togetherness for BalletMet 2, Figurines for BalletMet, and The Tides, created for the 2022 National Choreographer’s Initiative. Leiland continues to perform with BalletMet while choreographing and teaching dance in the Columbus, OH, community. He has been with BalletMet since its 2017–18 season.

Iris Dávila began her training at La Escuela Especializada en Ballet Julián E. Blanco and Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico. After receiving a scholarship to the San Francisco Ballet School, she trained under the direction of Patrick Armand and has performed in various full-length ballets with the San Francisco Ballet, such as George Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Helgi Tómasson’s The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty, and Tómasson/Possokhov’s Don Quixote. She joined Tulsa Ballet II for the 2020–2021 season. In 2021, she joined BalletMet 2 and became a company member for BalletMet the following season. Since joining BalletMet, she was named Dance Magazine’s “rising star” and has since performed soloist and principal roles in works by world-renowned choreographers including Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, Edwaard Liang, Justin Peck, Ulysses Dove, David Nixon, Ma Cong, Martha Graham, among others.

Francesca Dugarte was born in Caracas, Venezuela. Before joining BalletMet, she danced with The Washington Ballet. Dugarte trained at Academia de Ballet Clasico Nina Novak and La Scala Theatre Ballet School. Prior to Washington Ballet, she was a principal dancer at Teatro Teresa Carrẽno, a demi-soloist at Zurich Ballet, a principal dancer at Victor Ullate Ballet, and a guest artist at Slovakia National Ballet. She is the winner of numerous awards, including second place in the Youth America Grand Prix. Dugarte has danced a variety of repertoire including Coppélia, The Sleeping Beauty, Le Corsaire, La Sylphide, Swan Lake, Diana and Acteon, Paquita, Esmeralda, Flames of Paris, Napoli, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, Serenade, Graduation Ball, Carmen, Theme and Variations, Firebird, 27’52”, In the Upper Room, Samsara, and Jaleos. Dugarte has been with BalletMet since its 2018–19 season.

Originally from Madison, WI, Zachary Guthier moved to New York City to train at the School of American Ballet (SAB), where he was a recipient of the Rudolf Nureyev Scholarship in 2013 and SAB’s nominee for a Princess Grace Award in 2012. Three seasons with Los Angeles Ballet took Guthier out west, later joining Barak Ballet and California Ballet Company, where he was a principal dancer. While in Southern California, he spent his summers with the National Choreographers Initiative before moving to Las Vegas, where he spent one season with Nevada Ballet Theatre. Guthier has also performed with the Suzanne Farrell Ballet, where he gained hands-on experience with Farrell on a number of Balanchine works. Guthier has been with BalletMet since its 2020–21 season.

Vincent Van Harris is a native of Columbus, OH. He has been dancing with BalletMet since 2009 when he was accepted into the academy through BalletMet’s Discover Dance scholarship program. As an academy student, Vincent performed many roles in Gerard Charles’ The Nutcracker and Edwaard Liang’s Sleeping Beauty, Romeo & Juliet, and Cinderella. Since becoming a trainee in 2017, Harris has performed many principal roles including La Bayadere, Waltz Boy in George Balanchine’s Serenade, Albrecht in Giselle, and principal male in Raymonda. He has also danced company roles in Giselle, Twisted 3, Cinderella, The Nutcracker, and ALICE. In 2022, he accepted a contract as a company dancer. He is very excited and grateful to continue his career with BalletMet.

Born in Columbus, OH, Sumi Ichikawa began dancing with BalletMet Academy, then later joined the BalletMet Trainee program under Academy Director Maria Torija, where she had the opportunity to perform in classical and George Balanchine repertoire such as Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, Swanilda in Coppélia, and second movement Principal in Balanchine’s Western Symphony. After dancing in the BalletMet Trainee program, Ichikawa was offered a contract for BalletMet 2 at the age of 18. She also performed in many different works, such as David Nixon’s Dracula and Edwaard Liang’s Murmurations, Swan Lake,Tributary, and Dorothy and the Prince of Oz. Ichikawa was also selected to be a part of the 2023 USA International Ballet Competition held in Jackson, MS. Ichikawa has been with BalletMet since its 2023–24 season.

Miguel Wansing Lorrio was born in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany, and began his dance education at the Dance Academy of Cologne. He attended the School of Hamburg Ballet John Neumeier from 2015–2020, where he danced his first professional role of Sebastian in John Neumeier’s Romeo and Juliet. He also trained with the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre as a guest student and received a scholarship for gifted students from the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung in Berlin. Prior to joining BalletMet, Lorrio was with the Hamburg Ballet, where he danced roles as Young Ashenbach in Death in Venice and Gardener in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Wansing Lorrio has been with BalletMet since its 2022–23 season.

Rie Matsuura started ballet when she was four years old at Jun Ballet Gakuen in Japan. In 2012, she moved to the United States and continued training at Houston Ballet Academy for two years. In 2014, she joined Orlando Ballet’s second company, and continued training there for two years before moving on to Atlanta Ballet’s second company, where she had the opportunity to perform Belle in Bruce Wells’ world premiere of Beauty and the Beast. While in Atlanta, Matsuura had the opportunity to work with Tina Bohnstedt, Craig Davidson, John McFall, Yuri Possokhov, Amanda McKerrow, and John Gardner. In 2018, she joined Columbia Classical Ballet as a principal, and performed Gulnare in Le Corsaire, Sugar Plum Fairy and Snow Queen in The Nutcracker, and Snow White in Snow White. Matsuura danced with Texas Ballet Theater from 2019 to 2021. She has been with BalletMet since our 2021–22 season.

Sophie Miklosovic received her pre-professional training under Magaly Suarez, director of The Art of Classical Ballet school, where she was named a Zarely “Rising Star” and a Gaynor/Minden “Gaynor Girl.” Her contemporary training was directed by Liz Schmidt-Mazurkiewicz at Spotlight Dance Works, culminating in being named the New York City Dance Alliance’s Junior National Outstanding Dancer. Miklosovic joined BalletMet in 2017. She was named one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch” in 2019 and had the opportunity to perform iconic roles such as Juliet in the balcony scene of Romeo and Juliet, adult Clara and the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, and soloist roles in Edwaard Liang’s Giselle.

Beñat Andueza Molina started dancing in his hometown of Gasteiz in the Basque Country. After participation in Grand Audition, Molina was offered a contract with Atlanta Ballet 2, where he performed in various second company shows, as well as performing in the main company shows as Russian Dancer in John McFall’s The Nutcracker and corps in Yuri Possokhov’s Don Quixote. He also was part of the world premiere of Remembrance / Hereafter by Craig Davidson. Molina joined Texas Ballet Theater as a company dancer under the direction of Ben Stevenson and performed one of his dream ballets, William Forsythe’s In The Middle, Somewhat Elevated. He also performed a solo from Andre Silva’s ballet 11:11, various Stevenson story ballets, and others. During 2021, Molina was part of various productions for the Spanish company Metamorphosis Dance, directed by Iratxe Ansa and Igor Bacovich. He has been with BalletMet since its 2022–23 season.

Rachael Parini, originally from Snellville, GA, studied at the Lilburn School of Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, The Rock School for Dance Education, and Shanghai Ballet. She has danced with the American Repertory Ballet, Nashville Ballet, and the Washington Ballet. Some of her favorite roles are Moyna in Edwaard Liang’s Giselle; Val Caniparoli’s Lambarena; George Balanchine’s Serenade, Theme and Variations, and Rubies; Cygnets in Kirk Peterson’s Swan Lake, William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, Gustavo Ramírez Sansano’s 18+1, and Jerome Robbins’ Interplay. She has been with BalletMet since its 2016–17 season.

Austin Powers, born in Portland, OR, began his professional career in 2014 as a trainee with Ballet San Jose and joined BalletMet in 2015, where he continues to perform. Powers also performs regularly with the Chamber Dance Project in Washington DC. Some of his favorite roles have been Tybalt in Edwaard Liang’s Romeo and Juliet, 18+1 by Gustavo Ramírez Sansano, Dwellings by Christian Denice, Symphonic Dances by Liang, Fool’s Paradise and After the Rain by Christopher Wheeldon, Cacti by Alexander Ekman, and Herr Drosselmeyer in Gerard Charles’ The Nutcracker. Powers has also collaborated with his wife, Grace-Anne, to choreograph and dance several works for San Jose’s Commons Arts Festival, and an original production of Amahl and the Night Visitors for Opera Project Columbus. He has been with BalletMet its 2016–17 season.

Prior to joining BalletMet in 2015, Pennsylvania-native Grace-Anne Powers was a dancer at Ballet San Jose, a soloist at La La La Human Steps in Montreal, and a principal soloist with the Cuban Classical Ballet of Miami. She has performed a large repertoire of principal roles in the classics, including Giselle, Swan Lake, La Bayadere, Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet, Carmen, Esmeralda, Raymonda, and Le Corsaire, among others. With La La La Human Steps, she performed in Édouard Lock’s New Work, which premiered in Amsterdam in 2011 and then toured internationally for the following two years. Powers has also been involved in several film projects for BalletMet, including In Tandem and Becoming Violet, for which she received an Emmy Award. She has been with BalletMet since its 2015–16 season.

Andrew Rossi studied ballet at Indiana University’s (IU) Jacobs School of Music. While at IU, Rossi had the opportunity to perform ballets by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Twyla Tharp, Sasha Janes, Sarah Wroth, Michael Vernon, Mark Morris, Antony Tudor, and Chrisopher Wheeldon. Upon graduation, he joined Kansas City Ballet as an apprentice, where he danced works by Edwaard Liang, Michael Pink, Lila York, and Septime Webre. In addition, Rossi has performed works with Charlotte Ballet, Nashville Ballet, and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre while attending the Chautauqua Institution as an apprentice dancer. Rossi has been with BalletMet since its 2022–23 season.

Alvin Tovstogray is from Dnipro, Ukraine, where he trained with Viacheslav Volkov and graduated from Dnipro State Choreographic School. Later he studied at San Francisco Ballet School and spent two seasons with The Washington Ballet’s studio company. After joining Oklahoma City Ballet in 2012, Tovstogray was promoted to soloist in 2014 and then to principal dancer in 2015. Notable awards include third place at the Istanbul International Competition (2010), bronze medal at World Ballet Competition Orlando (2011), and gold at Tanzolymp (2012). He has performed works by Edwaard Liang, George Balanchine, Antony Tudor, August Bournonville, Jiří Kylián, Nacho Duato, Twyla Tharp, Helen Pickett, Ma Cong, and others. Favorite roles include Romeo in Romeo & Juliet, Albrecht in Giselle, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, and James in La Sylphide. Tovstogray is an American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum certified teacher. He has been with BalletMet since its 2020–21 season.

Cooper Verona, who danced for Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre for 11 seasons, is thrilled to be back with BalletMet for the 2024–2025 season! Verona has been featured as Hilarion in Terrence S. Orr’s Giselle, Rothbart in Swan Lake, Tybalt in Derek Deane’s Romeo and Juliet, Dracula in Ben Stevenson’s Dracula, Bernardo in Jerome Robbins’ West Side Story Suite, Mad Hatter in Derek Deane’s Alice in Wonderland, Jay Gatsby in Jorden Morris’ The Great Gatsby, Carabosse in Sleeping Beauty, and Cavalier in Terrence S. Orr’s TheNutcracker. He has also been featured in William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, Jerome Robbins’ In the Night, Dwight Rhoden’s Ave Maria, and Julia Adam’s Ketubah. He has been commissioned by Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre to create brood, Walking With, Gravitational Embrace, and Thick White Sheets. He has also created works for Point Park University, Chamber Dance Project, PearlARTS Festival, Carnegie Mellon Center for the Arts in Society, and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s School. Verona has been with BalletMet since its 2022–23 season.

David Ward was born in London, England, and he began his professional career with Northern Ballet in Leeds, where he was promoted to soloist. He moved to the U.S. to join BalletMet in Columbus, OH, as a leading dancer. Ward has performed as a guest principal with Oklahoma City Ballet and has performed lead roles in productions across the U.S. with various companies. He originated roles in many world premiere creations, including Prince in Edwaard Liang’s Cinderella and James Kudelka’s Rite of Spring. He has performed leads in much of BalletMet’s diverse classical and contemporary repertoire, including the works of George Balanchine, Jerome Robins, Michael Pink, Liang, David Nixon, and Christopher Wheeldon. Ward enjoys teaching and coaching students in the Columbus area and beyond. This season, he dives back into his passion for narrative works on stage and looks forward to creating new memories with mentors spanning different times in his career. He has been with BalletMet since its 2009–10 season.

Victoria Watford joins BalletMet from Pittsburgh, PA, where she danced for six seasons with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. She has been featured as Russian Girl in George Balanchine’s Serenade, soloist in Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15, Fairy of Grace in Sleeping Beauty, Big Swan in Swan Lake, and Marie in The Nutcracker. She has also been featured in world premieres by Aszure Barton (Bright Progressions) and Jennifer Archibald (Through the Window). Other favorite works performed include Kyle Abraham’s Quiet Dance, Helen Pickett’s Petal, Nacho Duato’s Duende, Stanton Welch’s Orange, Balanchine’s Rubies and Western Symphony, and Mark Morris’ Sandpaper Ballet. She portrayed Eke-Nnechukwu in Mikael Owunna and Marques Redd’s film, Obi Mbu (The Primordial House). The first film to tell a story of African cosmology, it premiered in galleries in New York, California, North Carolina, and Pittsburgh. Watford has been with BalletMet since its 2022–23 season.

Joan Sebastian Zamora was first artist at the English National Ballet, danced with the Joffrey Ballet, a soloist dancer at the Colombian Company of Ballet (CCB), and principal dancer at The Georgia Ballet. His experience as a professional dancer includes classical repertoire and works from choreographers like Christopher Wheeldon, Yuri Possokov, John Neumeier, Jerome Robbins, Arkam Khan, Alexander Ekman, Krzysztof Pastor, Val Caniparoli, and Annabel Lopez Ochoa, among others. He has guested with Los Angeles Ballet and numerous ballet schools/academies. He was also featured in the film and ballet documentary, First Position by Bess Kargman. Awards include a silver medal in the 2010 Youth America Grand Prix, finalist at the 2010 International Ballet Competition in Jackson, MS, and a finalist in the 2013 English National Ballet’s Emerging Dancer Competition. In 2014, he was commended by the mayor of the municipality of Santiago de Cali (premio a la Caleñidad) for his outstanding work in art and dance worldwide. He has been with BalletMet since its 2023–24 season.