Digital Program for The Joffrey Ballet

(32 minutes)

Composed by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Choreography by George Balanchine
Staged by Deborah Wingert
Costumes Design by Barbara Karinska
Lighting Design by Jack Mehler
Lighting Recreated by Chris Marawich

Valeria Chaykina, Victoria Jaiani, Gayeon Jung, Edson Barbosa, Stefan Goncalvez, Lucia Connolly, Anabelle de la Nuez, Natali Taht, Miu Tanaka, Coco Alvarez-Mena, Anais Bueno, Olivia Duryea, Dara Holmes, Yumi Kanazawa, Nae Kojima, Brooke Linford, Princess Reid, Basia Rhoden, Christine Rocas, Julia Rust, Lauren Bemisderfer*, Isadora Bless*, Brian Bennett, José Pablo Castro Cuevas, Jonathan Dole, Yuchan Kim

World Premiere: Mar 1, 1935, American Ballet, Adelphi Theater, NY
Joffrey Ballet Premiere: Apr 27, 2022, Lyric Opera House, Chicago, IL

Choreography by George Balanchine © The George Balanchine Trust

(55 minutes)

Choreography by Cathy Marston
Composed by Thomas Newman
Scenario by Cathy Marston And Edward Kemp
Based on the book by John Steinbeck
Set & Lighting Design by Lorenzo Savoini
Costume Design by Bregje Van Balen

George | Xavier Núñez and Alberto Velazquez
Lennie | Dylan Gutierrez
Curley | Zachary Manske
Curley's Wife | Amanda Assucena
Candy | Yoshihisa Arai
Crooks | Brian Bennett
Slim | Jonathan Dole
The Boss | Valentino Moneglia Zamora
Carlson | Graham Maverick
Whit | José Pablo Castro Cuevas
Women of Weed | Gayeon Jung, Yumi Kanazawa, Brooke Linford
Soledad Bar Women| Lucia Connolly, Dara Holmes
Men of Weed and Ranch Workers | Derek Drilon, Hyuma Kiyosawa, Aaron Renteria

World Premiere: Apr 27, 2022, Lyric Opera House, Chicago, IL

OF MICE AND MEN Copyright © 1937 by John Steinbeck
Copyright © renewed 1965 by John Steinbeck
OF MICE AND MEN © Choreography by Cathy Marston

(22 minutes)

Choreography by Justin Peck
Music by Dan Deacon
Staged by Craig Hall
Costume Design by Humberto Leon
Lighting Design by Brandon Stirling Baker
Sound Design by Abe Jacob

Dara Holmes, Edson Barbosa, Jeraldine Mendoza, Dylan Gutierrez, Anais Bueno, Brooke Linford, Christine Rocas, Graham Maverick, Valeria Chaykina, Lucia Connolly, Yumi Kanazawa, Princess Reid, Julia Rust, Miu Tanaka,Yoshihisa Arai, Evan Boersma, José Pablo Castro Cuevas, Hyuma Kiyosawa, , Valentino Moneglia Zamora, Aaron Renteria

World Premiere: Jan 26, 2017, New York City Ballet, David H. Koch Theater, New York, NY
Joffrey Premiere: Feb 12, 2020, Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, IL

Original Beatles Compositions (SESAC) administered by 2011 Ribbon Music (SESAC) administered by Domino US Publishing Company (SESAC).
Selections from Dan Deacon’s America
USA I — Is A Monster  | USA II — The Great American Desert
USA III — Rail | USA IV — Manifest

Costume Construction by The Joffrey Ballet Costume Shop

Originally from Miami, Florida, Coco Alvarez-Mena is proud to be a first-generation Cuban-American. She began her training at Dance Town Dance Studios under the direction of Maria Eugenia Lorenzo and Manny and Lory Castro. She then attended The Harid Conservatory for pre-professional Vaganova ballet training on full scholarship. Upon graduation in 2015, she was awarded the Cerrone Award for excellence in dance performance. Alvarez-Mena went on to attend USC’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance on a quarter tuition scholarship and is honored to be part of the inaugural graduating class. At USC, Alvarez-Mena trained and collaborated choreographically with William Forsythe and Jodie Gates while being mentored by Balanchine répétiteur Zippora Karz. She also performed alongside professional companies at USC and Laguna Dance Festival. After graduating in 2019 she joined Oregon Ballet Theatre (OBT) as a corps de ballet dancer. She spent three seasons with the company and was fortunate to work with several world-renowned repetiteurs and choreographers. Some of her favorite works from her time at OBT include In the Middle Somewhat Elevated and The Vertiginous Thrill of Exactitude by William Forsythe, In Dreams by Trey McIntyre, and Dreamland by Dani Rowe. In addition to her work with OBT, she has been hired to dance for various multi-media projects and company guestings including The Aspen Santa Fe Ballet and Barak Ballet. Alvarez-Mena has admired The Joffrey Ballet since she was a young girl and is incredibly excited for her first season as a Company Artist.

Born in Hiroshima, Japan, Yoshihisa Arai began his ballet training when he was 10 years old with the International Ballet Academy under Mika Tamaru. In 2005, he joined The Royal Ballet School in London where he performed in Coppélia, Le Corsaire, La Sylphide, Gallantries by David Bintley, and Unwritten by Natalie Weir. The same year, he appeared before Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall at Buckingham Palace, performing an original work as part of an ensemble. Arai graduated with honors and received The Royal Ballet School Achievement Award. In 2007, he performed at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, with the Paris Opera Ballet School and was a Prix de Lausanne finalist. At The Royal Ballet, he performed roles in The Rite of Spring and George Balanchine’s Jewels, among many others. In 2008, Arai joined Northern Ballet under the direction of David Nixon. During his time there he danced in many acclaimed roles in The Nutcracker, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Wuthering Heights, Swan Lake, Madame Butterfly, Giselle, Dangerous Liaisons, and Cleopatra. He collaborated with Dame Gillian Lynne in 2010, developing an original role for the 45th anniversary gala for Northern Ballet. In 2011, he joined Tulsa Ballet as a demi-soloist, where he worked with internationally acclaimed choreographers and performed in pieces including The Merry Widow; In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated; Six Dances; Nine Sinatra Songs; Romeo and Juliet; and Le Spectre de la Rose. At the Joffrey, Arai has performed a principal role in Sylvia by John Neumeier, landed a leading role in The Nutcracker choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon OBE, appeared in the role of Prince in Cinderella by Sir Frederick Ashton, and performed in pieces by Balanchine, Jiří Kylián, Wayne McGregor, and Justin Peck, among other world-renowned choreographers. In 2016, he created an original role for The Miraculous Mandarin, and in 2018, he choreographed Firebird Suite for The Joffrey Ballet Studio Company. 

Amanda Assucena started ballet at the age of eight in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. At age 14, she moved to the United States and completed her ballet studies at The Harid Conservatory in Florida. Assucena joined The Joffrey Ballet in 2013, and since then has performed works by world renowned choreographers like Liam Scarlett, Christopher Wheeldon, Yuri Possokhov, John Neumeier, George Balanchine, Frederick Ashton, Alexander Ekman, Justin Peck, Wayne McGregor, Cathy Marston, and Jiří Kylián. Her repertoire includes lead roles such as Juliet, Cinderella, Odette/Odile, Giselle, Sylvia, Sugarplum Fairy, Anna Karenina, and Jane Eyre. Since joining the Joffrey, Assucena has performed on stages all over the world such as England, France, and Russia.

Edson Barbosa was raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and began his training in ballet, jazz, and tap at age 10 at Grupo Cultural de Dança, Ilha, with Patricia Marques. He was voted Best Male Dancer at the Festival de Danca de Joinville in 2012 — the largest dance competition by number of dancers, as documented by Guinness World Records. He received a full scholarship to study at the Miami City Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Washington Ballet, The Harid Conservatory, and Princess Grace Academy. He was also a Top 12 finalist at the Youth American Grand Prix in New York in 2010 and 2012, Top 6 finalist at the Beijing International Ballet Invitational for Dance Schools in China, and performed at the Opening Ceremony as a guest artist at the Danzamerica in Argentina. Barbosa was a prize winner at the prestigious Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland, where he was voted the best male dancer of the 40th edition in 2012, receiving a scholarship to be a trainee at the San Francisco Ballet School under the direction of Patrick Armand. While in the school he worked in contemporary workshops with Antoine Vereecken and Wayne McGregor, performed lead roles in ballets choreographed by renowned artists in the dance world, such as Christopher Wheeldon, Val Caniparoli, Myles Thatcher, Parrish Maynard, and the main company's director, Helgi Tomasson. Barbosa has had the opportunity to work in the main company's productions of Ramyonda, Giselle, The Nutcracker, and Romeo & Juliet, as well as Serge Lifar's Suite en Blanc, John Cranko's Onegin, Christopher Wheeldon's Cinderella, and Yuri Possokhov's Firebird. With The Joffrey Ballet, Barbosa has performed Balanchine’s Prodigal Son; Possokhov’s RaKu and The Miraculous Mandarin; Tudor’s Lilac Garden; Wheeldon’s Swan Lake, Fool’s Paradise, and The Nutcracker; Robert Joffrey’s The Nutcracker; Ekman’s Tulle, Episode 31, and Joy; Caniparoli’s Incantations; Welch’s Son of Chamber Symphony; Peck’s In Creases and Year of the Rabbit; Lopez Ochoa’s Mammatus; Neumeier’s Sylvia; Thatcher’s Body of your Dreams; Ashton’s Cinderella; Arpino’s Round of Angels; as well as The Red Boy in Welch’s Maninyas, Young Couple in Blanc’s Evenfall, The Dude in Kudelka’s The Man in Black, Spanish Solo in Arpino’s Viva Vivaldi, the White Pas de Deux in Kylián’s Forgotten Land, Tybalt in Pastor’s Romeo & Juliet, and Solo in McGregor’s Infra. He also originated the Man Duet role in Page’s Tipping Point.

Brian Bennett is from Lanham, MD. He began his dance training in the Competition circuit where he performed tap, jazz, hip hop, and contemporary routines at talent competitions across the United States, winning multiple awards. He began his ballet training in high school at Baltimore School for the Arts under the direction of Norma Pera. During this time he attended summer programs on full scholarship with San Francisco Ballet School, American Ballet Theatre, and George Mason University. After high school, Bennett attended Butler University in pursuit of a Bachelor of Science degree in Arts Administration under the direction of Larry Attaway. After his time at Butler he was awarded a scholarship to attend Joffrey Academy of Dance as a Trainee under the Artistic Direction of Raymond Rodriguez and Ashley Wheater MBE before becoming a company artist with Oregon Ballet Theatre (OBT), under the direction of Kevin Irving, for OBT's 2019-2020 season. He danced with OBT for 2 years before returning to Chicago. This is his first season as a company artist with The Joffrey Ballet.

Evan Boersma was born in Chicago, Illinois, and grew up in Dyer, Indiana. He began dancing at a local dance studio at age five and continued until age 14. In 2013, Boersma was accepted to the dance department at the Chicago Academy for the Arts under the direction of Randy Duncan. At the Academy, he received his classical training from Natalie Rast, Guillermo Leyva, and Patrick Simoniello while also receiving training in jazz and modern dance. He graduated from the Academy in May, 2017. Boersma competed in the Youth American Grand Prix in 2017 where he was awarded first place in Chicago, and invited to compete in the YAGP Finals competition in New York City. Boersma attended The Joffrey Ballet Summer Intensive in 2014 and 2017, where he was invited to join the Joffrey Studio Company for the 2017-2018 season. In the fall of 2017, Boersma was promoted to the main company. During his time with the Studio Company, he danced roles in ballets including Viva Vivaldi, Napoli, and Episode 31.

Anais Bueno joined The Joffrey Ballet in 2013. She grew up in Córdoba, Mexico, where she started her first ballet lessons at Fomento Artístico Cordobés at the age of six years old. While in Mexico, she successfully took part in two national ballet competitions, winning the silver medal and later the gold. At the Youth America Grand Prix in 2003, Bueno won a scholarship to the John Cranko School in Stuttgart, Germany, where she continued her dance education under the direction of Tadeusz Matacz until she graduated in 2007. In the 2007–2008 season, Bueno joined The Stuttgart Ballet’s corps de ballet, performing in many John Cranko works such as Romeo and Juliet, Onegin, Taming of the Shrew, and Swan Lake. It was in Stuttgart where she got her first solo opportunity dancing Giselle’s Peasant Pas de Deux and worked with choreographers such as John Neumeier, Marco Goecke, Christian Spuck, and Demis Volpi. In 2012 she joined Boston Ballet for one season, where she performed the lead role in Jiri Kylian’s Tar and Feathers, soloist roles in Frederick Ashton’s Sleeping Beauty, and danced various works by George Balanchine such as Symphony in C, Serenade, and Coppelia. Since joining the Joffrey, Bueno has danced many roles in different ballets, including Stanton Welch’s La Bayadere and Maninyas, Robert Joffrey’s The Nutcracker, Christopher Wheeldon’s Continuum, Swan Lake, and Fool’s Paradise, Alexander Ekman’s Episode 31, Tulle, and the world premiere of Joy, Justin Peck’s In Creases, Year of the Rabbit, and The Times are Racing, Mammatus by Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa, Liam Scarlett’s Vespertine, as well as the leading roles in Val Caniparoli’s Incantations, Wayne Mcgregor’s Infra, and Ekman’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, the roles of Marie and The Golden Statue in Wheeldon’s The Nutcracker, Jane in Cathy Marston’s Jane Eyre, and originated the role of Kitty in Yuri Possokhov’s Anna Karenina. Bueno has performed in different countries, including Canada, Cuba, Japan, Hungary, England, China, Spain, Germany, and Korea. She has been featured in Mexico’s Vogue magazine and on the cover of Dance Magazine Europe.

Valeria Chaykina was born in Podporozhye, a small town in Russia. At the age of seven she moved to St. Petersburg, Russia, to receive her ballet education at the Vaganova Ballet Academy. Throughout the years of her training at the Academy, she worked with great teachers and the stars of the Russian ballet like Konstantin Zaklinsky and Altynai Asylmuratova. Chaykina has also performed at the Mariinsky Theatre with The Academy and danced the main role of Marie in Vaganova’s The Nutcracker at the age of 13. After graduating The Academy in 2012, she joined Leonid Jacobson St. Petersburg State Academic Ballet Theatre as a soloist and has performed several roles in classical ballets including Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and Giselle. In 2013, Chaykina moved to Moscow where she joined Moscow Ballet, also as a soloist, and toured around the world performing in theaters in Spain, Italy, Japan, and Lebanon. In 2014 Chaykina came to America to train in Balanchine technique and was accepted at the Miami City Ballet School on a full scholarship. While there, she trained with Lourdes Lopez, Geta Constantinescu, Olivier Pardina and danced principal roles including George Balanchine's Western Symphony (Second Movement principal), Harald Lander's Études, and Mikhail Fokine's Les Sylphides. That year, Chaykina was also chosen for the second season of Teen Vogue's Strictly Ballet online TV series and was featured in the June/July issue of Teen Vogue magazine. In 2015, Chaykina joined The Joffrey Ballet. Since joining the Joffrey, she has performed numerous roles including Spring Fairy in Sir Frederick Ashton's Cinderella; Peasant Pas de deux in Lola DeAvila’s Giselle; Lover’s Pas de deux in Alexander Ekman’s Midsummer Night’s Dream; Trio in Annabelle Lopez Ochoa's Mammatus; Spanish dance and cygnets in Christopher Wheeldon’s Swan Lake. And other great works like Myles Thatcher's Body of Your Dreams; Jerome Robbins’ Glass Pieces; George Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments; Justin Peck's Year of the Rabbit and The Times Are Racing; Yuri Possokhov’s Anna Karenina; John Neumeier’s Sylvia; Christopher Wheeldon’s The Nutcracker; Nicolas Blanc’s Beyond The Shore; Alexander Ekman’s JOY; Krzysztof Pastor’s Romeo and Juliet; and Cathy Marston’s Jane Eyre.

Lucia Connolly was born in Los Angeles, California, and began her training at age five with Westside School of Ballet under the direction of Yvonne Mounsey. There she performed in many ballets including The Nutcracker (Sugarplum Fairy), Sleeping Beauty (Aurora), Serenade (Waltz Girl), and Don Quixote (Kitri). In 2016, she graduated from The School of American Ballet. There she performed in Jerome Robbins’ Fanfare in the annual Workshop Performance. She also danced at both the Women's Choreographic Institute and the New York Choreographic Institute appearing in new works by Rachel Hutsell and Dana Genshaft. Connolly has attended summer programs at The School of American Ballet, San Francisco Ballet School, and Boston Ballet School, all on scholarship. She has also performed two seasons with Barak Ballet, originating roles in Aether by Melissa Barak, and Tableaux Vivants by Nicolas Blanc. Her other interests include going to the beach, cooking, and hanging out with family and friends, without whom nothing would be possible.

José Pablo Castro Cuevas was born in Queretaro, Mexico, and started dancing at the age of six. He participated for the first time in the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) Mexico in 2013 and received scholarships for the Escuela Superior de Musica y Danza de Monterrey and for PROVER Programa Profesional de Ballet en Córdoba, Veracruz, Córdoba, where he continued his training under the direction of Martha Sahagun and Adria Velazquez. In 2015, he competed in the National Ballet Competition in Mexico City and got an invitation to the L’École Supérieure de Ballet du Québec and was mentioned as an honorific dancer. He attended YAGP Mexico once again in 2015 in which he received a scholarship for the Joffrey Academy of Dance, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet, in Chicago. Castro moved to Chicago at the age of 14 to join the Joffrey Academy’s Pre-Professional Program Level VI, and then the Conservatory Program, both directed by Karin Ellis-Wentz. Shortly after, Raymond Rodriguez, the Abbott Academy Director of the Joffrey Academy, offered him a promotion to the Studio Company. During his time at the Joffrey Academy, he had the chance to perform with the main company several times, including Christopher Wheeldon’s world premiere of The Nutcracker in 2016, as well as in the following two seasons, and Wayne McGregor’s INFRA. He performed as one of the lead dancers in Gerald Arpino’s Viva Vivaldi and as Franz in the ballet Coppélia, both during his time as a member of Joffrey’s Studio Company.

Anabelle de la Nuez has performed on stage since the age of two. She began her formal training at the age of six, at de la Dance Center in Cincinnati, Ohio, under her parents, Meridith Benson and Mario de la Nuez. She was fortunate enough to perform in de la Dance Company’s productions for 16 years. As a student in the school, she performed all the typical roles in The Nutcracker, moving on to Clara at age 13. At 15, she was promoted from the school to the company where she quickly grew into performing the lead roles in ballets such as Giselle, Coppelia, La Sylphide, Paquita, The Nutcracker, Cinderella, and Swan Lake. De la Nuez spent two summers attending American Ballet Theatre’s summer intensive. She participated in YAGP in 2018 and 2019, where she was invited to compete in the New York City finals. Coming from a dancing family, De la Nuez shares her passion for dance with her parents, her older sister Amelie, twin sister, Angelina, who is currently dancing with Grand Rapids Ballet, and older brother Michael, who dances with American Ballet Theatre. De la Nuez was offered a contract with Joffrey at 17 and is thrilled to begin her first year with the company.

Jonathan Dole was born in Bellingham, WA, and grew up in Sacramento, CA. He began dancing at a small studio doing one tap class a week. By age 15 he had been convinced to try a ballet summer intensive and found a new love, ballet. He then moved to the biggest dance school in the Sacramento area and began training in ballet and contemporary. In 2016, Dole joined the Joffrey Academy of Dance, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet, as a Trainee. In 2017, he attended the Youth American Grand Prix (YAGP) where he was awarded first place in Chicago and was invited to compete in the YAGP International Finals in New York City. Dole was awarded top 12 senior men in the New York International Finals. He continued his training at the Joffrey Academy for two more years as a Studio Company member, taking summer programs with The Bolshoi Ballet, Houston Ballet, and The Royal Ballet. In 2019, Dole was promoted to the main company at The Joffrey Ballet. During his time with the Academy, Dole performed in Swan Lake as Von Rothbart, Nicolas Blanc’s Ferdinand the Bull, Don Quixote, Gerald Arpino’s Viva Vivaldi and Suite Saint-Saens, Alexander Ekman’s Episode 31, and Bournonville’s Napoli.

Derek Drilon grew up in Vancouver, Washington. He began his training at Northwest Classical Ballet (NCB) under the direction of his mother, Maricar Drilon in 2009. During his years at NCB, he performed numerous principal roles in several full-length ballets and contemporary works including international performances in countries such as China, Canada, France, and the Philippines. Drilon joined the Studio Company of The Joffrey Ballet in 2015, where he danced in The Nutcracker Suite (Cavalier) and in Coppelia (Franz). He also performed with the main company in Robert Joffrey’s The Nutcracker (Snow Wind) and Sir Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella (Court Couple). In 2016, he joined Boston Ballet under the direction of Mikko Nissinen and associate direction of Peter Stark. With Boston Ballet II, he performed in La Bayadere (Solor), George Balanchine’s Haieff Divertimento, Christopher Wheeldon’s The American (Principal Couple), and Flames of Paris pas de deux, as well as in the main company such as Ivan Liska’s Le Corsaire, Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker, William Forsythe’s Artifact 2017, Jorma Eli’s Pièce d’ occasion, Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty, John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet, and August Bournonville’s La Sylphide. In 2016, he was the Grand Prix winner of the Youth America Grand Prix semi-final in Chicago, IL. After moving on to the final round in New York, he was the only male candidate representing the U.S. to place among the top six Senior Men. Drilon was also a competitor in the 2018 XI USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, MS. Since joining the Joffrey, he has performed in Christopher Wheeldon’s Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, Yuri Possokhov’s Anna Karenina, Liam Scarlet’s Vespertine, Yoshihisa Arai’s Afternoon Watch, Andrea Walker’s HOME, Nicolas Blanc’s Beyond The Shore, Stephanie Martinez’s Bliss!, Justin Peck’s The Times Are Racing, and the world premiere of Nicolas Blanc’s Under The Trees’ Voices. In 2019, Drilon was invited to join Ballet Philippines as a Guest Artist for their 50th anniversary season where he performed the role of Albrecht in Giselle. After a year and a half hiatus from the stage, he danced his first live performance in May of 2021 as Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake with Barlow Ballet Theatre. Soon after, he appeared as a Guest Artist with Long Beach Ballet also performing the role of Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake.

Fernando Duarte grew up in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and received their training at the Escola Estadual de Danças Maria Olenewa. In 2008, they were awarded a full scholarship to train at The Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, FL. With the guidance of the teachers at Harid, and Franco De Vita and Raymond Lukens at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in New York, they were offered a traineeship with the Joffrey Academy of Dance, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet, where they danced lead roles in ballets such as Cinderella, Coppélia and contemporary works by former Academy Artistic Director Alexei Kremnev. Since joining The Joffrey Ballet, Duarte has danced many roles in the Joffrey's extensive repertory such as Lar Lubovich’s Othello, Yuri Possokov’s Don Quixote, Krzysztof Pastor’s Romeo & Juliet, Val Caniparoli’s Incantations, and Justin Peck’s In Creases. Duarte received the Jeannot B. Cerrone Award for excellence in dance performance, an award given to the students who most improve during an academic year at The Harid Conservatory.

Olivia Duryea was born and raised in Haslett, Michigan. She received her early training at the Happendance School under the direction of Diane Newman and Patricia Villanueva and performed for several years with Capitol Ballet Theatre of Michigan under the direction of Gregory George. Accepted into the Joffrey Academy, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet, in 2014, Duryea danced as a Trainee from 2014-2016. She was then invited to join the Joffrey Studio Company for the 2016-2017 season. During her time with the Academy, Duryea performed in Sir Frederick Ashton’s Symphonic Variations, Gerald Arpino’s Suite Saint-Saens, and George Balanchine’s Serenade. She also had the privilege to perform with the Joffrey’s main company in productions including Sir Frederick Ashton's Cinderella, Christopher Wheeldon's The Nutcracker, and Krzysztof Pastor's Romeo & Juliet.

Stefan Goncalvez was born in São Paulo, Brazil. He began his dance training at the age of ten at Clube Paineiras and Raça Centro de Dança in São Paulo. At 13, he started his formal ballet and contemporary training with Pavilhão D Centro de Artes. Goncalvez received a scholarship to attend the Harid Conservatory in 2010. In 2012, he was awarded the Rudolf Nureyev Fellowship Award. Upon graduating in 2014, Goncalvez received the Rory Schwartz Fellowship and Estelle Dennis Scholarship Awards to further his training at The Washington School of Ballet under the direction of Kee Juan Han. He also competed at YAGP, where he won the Youth American Grand Prix Award.

Dylan Gutierrez grew up in Van Nuys, California, and received his training at the Los Angeles Ballet Academy under the direction of his mother Andrea-Paris Gutierrez. In 2006, he was awarded a full scholarship to train at The Royal Ballet School in London. With the guidance of Gailene Stock, Gary Norman, and Meelis Pakri, he was offered a job as an apprentice with the San Francisco Ballet where he danced ballets such as The Four Temperaments and West Side Story Suite. Since joining The Joffrey Ballet, Gutierrez has danced many roles in the Joffrey’s extensive repertory. Favorite roles danced include Death in The Green Table, Basilio in Don Quixote, Prince Siegfried in Christopher Wheeldon’s Swan Lake, Prince Albrecht in Giselle, Main Pas de Deux couple from Wayne McGregor’s INFRA, Sanguinic in George Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments, and Justin Peck’s Year of the Rabbit and the Pas de Deux in The Times Are Racing. Gutierrez has also been a part of several Joffrey world premiere roles including Buffalo Bill, and The Great Impresario in Christopher Wheeldon's The Nutcracker, Vronsky in Yuri Possokhov's Anna Karenina, Stone Furies in John Neumeier's Orpheus and Eurydice, and most recently the role of Lennie in Cathy Marston’s Of Mice and Men, set to premiere in 2022. Gutierrez is 1/3 part of the production company Action Lines, alongside fellow dancer Xavier Núñez and friend/writer Eric Grant. Action Lines has created several original dance films for The Joffrey Ballet, including their inaugural project, an original installation for the 150 Media Stream titled Interim Avoidance.

Dara Holmes was born in Livingston, NJ, but raised in Wilmington, NC. She began her first classes of ballet and tap at Dance Elite at age six. At age eight, she began her formal training of ballet at the Wilmington School of Ballet after attending a week-long outreach program with the school. She studied there on full scholarship from 2000-2007 under the directorship of Elizabeth Hester. Holmes attended summer programs such as North Carolina School of the Arts, School of American Ballet, Chautauqua Dancing Festival, Kirov Academy of Ballet, and Joffrey Academy’s International Summer Dance Intensive. She was accepted into the HARID Conservatory on a full-tuition scholarship in 2007 and graduated in 2010. Holmes then joined the Joffrey's Trainee Program in 2010 for one year. Since joining the Joffrey, Holmes has danced in many ballets including Incantations, Son of Chamber Symphony, Swan Lake, La Bayadère, Don Quixote, Forgotten Land, Tulle, and The Nutcracker. She was also nominated for a 3Arts Award in 2015.

Born and raised in Tbilisi, Georgia, Victoria Jaiani began her training at the age of ten at V. Chabukiani Ballet School. She continued her studies in New York and in June 2003 was awarded a Bronze Medal at the New York International Ballet Competition. Since joining the Joffrey, she has danced leading roles in many ballets, including Christopher Wheeldon’s Swan Lake (Odette-Odile), Stanton Welch’s La Bayadère (Nikia, Gamzati), Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella (Cinderella), Giselle (Giselle), John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet (Juliet), Yuri Possokhov’s Don Quixote (Kitri), Ronald Hynd’s The Merry Widow (Henna Glawari), Lar Lubovitch’s Othello (Desdemona), and the Sugar Plum Fairy in Robert Joffrey’s The Nutcracker. Jaiani originated the lead pas de deux in Edwaard Liang’s Age of Innocence and Woven Dreams; Possokhov’s Bells; Welch’s Son of Chamber Symphony; and James Kudelka’s Pretty BALLET. Other significant performances include George Balanchine’s Apollo (Terpsichore), Stravinsky Violin Concerto Aria II; Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain, Carousel (A Dance) (Julie); Wayne McGregor’s INFRA; Jiří Kylián’s Forgotten Land (Black pas) and Return to a Strange Land; William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated; Possokhov’s RAkU; Jerome Robbins's In the Night (3rd pas) and Ballerina in The Concert (or, The Perils of Everybody); Justin Peck’s In Creases; Welch’s Maninyas; Antony Tudor’s Lilac Garden, Dark Elegies, and Operetta Star in Offenbach in the Underworld; Lar Lubovitch’s …smile with my heart; Frederick Ashton’s Monotones II; Gerald Arpino’s Sea Shadow, Round of Angels, Reflections, Kettentanz, Birthday Variations, and Viva Vivaldi; Nicolas Blanc’s Evenfall; and Alexander Ekman’s Tulle. In 2010, Jaiani was featured on the cover of Dance Magazine and was named “Chicagoan of the Year” by the Chicago Tribune Arts Critic. In 2012, Today’s Chicago Woman named her one of Chicago’s top women in the arts. In 2013, Chicago Magazine named her “best dancer.” Jaiani is married to Joffrey dancer Temur Suluashvili.

Gayeon Jung was born and raised in Seoul, Korea. She studied ballet at the Sunhwa Arts Middle School and Sunhwa Arts High School. As a student, she was a guest member of the Universal Ballet performing small Clara in The Nutcracker in 2004 and 2005. In 2011, she studied at the Korea National University of Arts and graduated in July 2014. During her school years, she performed in many ballets including pas de deux from The Flames of Paris, Sleeping Beauty, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, La Fille mal gardée, La Esmeralda, Diana and Actéon, Le Corsaire, Markitenka, Swan Lake (White Swan/Black Swan), and Grand Pas Classique. Jung has also performed internationally in various galas. Jung has competed in numerous competitions throughout her career. In 2008, she received the Bronze Medal in The Seoul International Dance Competition in Korea. In 2011, she received the Gold Medal in "Sicilia Barocca" International Dance Competition. In 2012, she received the Gold Medal, Best Female Dancer Prize, and the Best Duet Award (with Kimin Kim) at the Arabesque Ballet Competition in Perm. At Youth American Grand Prix (YAGP) in 2012, she was awarded the Bronze Medal in Senior Female Category, and Gold Medal in the Pas de Deux section. In 2014, she was awarded Gold Medalist in the Cape Town International Ballet Competition, South Africa. That year she also received the Bronze Medal and Best Couple Prize at the USA International Ballet Competition.

Yumi Kanazawa was born in Tokyo, Japan. She began her training at the Lauridsen Ballet Centre in Torrance, California under Diane Lauridsen. After competing in the Prix de Lausanne in 2013, Kanazawa went on to study at the San Francisco Ballet School under the direction of Patrick Armand. She joined the San Francisco Ballet Trainee program in 2015. During her time in the San Francisco Ballet School and Trainee Program, she performed in many ballets with the school, including those choreographed by Kenneth MacMillan, George Balanchine, and Helgi Tomasson. She performed with the main company in Natalia Makarova’s La Bayadère; George Balanchine’s Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet and Coppelia; Helgi Tomasson’s Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Giselle, and Don Quixote co-staged with Yuri Possokhov. Since joining The Joffrey Ballet in 2016, Kanazawa has performed in many ballets and contemporary works including Wayne McGregor’s Infra; Cathy Marston’s Jane Eyre (Young Jane, Adele); Liam Scarlett’s Vespertine; Christopher Wheeldon’s Swan Lake, Commedia, and The Nutcracker; Yuri Possokhov’s Anna Karenina; Justin Peck’s Year of the Rabbit and The Times are a Racing; Jerome Robbins’ Glass Pieces; and George Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments.

Yuchan Kim was born and raised in Seoul, South Korea. After training at Sunhwa Arts Middle School and Universal Ballet Junior company from 2014 to 2017, he studied ballet on full scholarship at Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington D.C. and graduated with honors in June 2019. That same year, he joined Joffrey Ballet Studio Company for two seasons. Kim has performed with The Joffrey Ballet, Joffrey Studio Company, and Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington DC, including roles in The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, La Bayadere, Ocean and Pearls and Who Cares?. Kim has received awards from various international competitions including Korea’s Seoul International Ballet Competition and International Ballet Competition (IBC). Kim was the semi-finalist in Switzerland’s Prix de Lausanne and at Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) semi-finals in Korea, he received first place in both classical and contemporary divisions in 2018 and 2019. In 2021, Kim received the Grand Prix award at the YAGP semi-finals in Chicago and won first place at the YAGP finals in Tampa. Kim has also received recognition as a choreographer, receiving the first place in IBC (Korea, 2018), YAGP (Korea, 2018 and 2019) and YAGP (Chicago, 2021). Kim was one of the selected choreographers for Young Moves Student Choreography Project in 2020 while he was a member of Joffrey Studio Company.

Hyuma Kiyosawa was born in Soest, Germany in 2001 and raised in Nagano prefecture, Matsumoto City, Japan. He was offered to join The Joffrey Ballet after receiving Silver medal at the 2018 USA XI International Ballet Competition in Jackson, MS. at the age of 17. In 2018, He was awarded the Cultural Art Grand Prize from Matsumoto City, Japan. He began his ballet training at the age of six at Aoki Chieko Ballet School and afterward with Momoko Ballet Studio. He attended Kiev State Ballet School in Ukraine until 2012, under the instruction of Mr. Constantin Edward Costchcov. From 2012 to 2015, he received his training at Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington D.C. under the instructions of Mr. Nikolai Kabaniaev, Mr. Nikoloz Makhateli, and Mr. Stanislav Issaev. From 2015 to 2018, he was under the instruction of Mr. Nikolai Kabaniaev at City Ballet School in San Francisco. In 2019, he was a guest artist at Ballet Manila and performed lead roles in Cinderella, Paquita, Pas de Deux from Diana and Acteon, and more in neoclassical pieces. His heart is always with dogs and his muscles are mostly made out from mangos.

Nae Kojima is from the Gold Coast, Australia, and began dancing at the age of five at Amanda Bollinger Dance Academy. At age 16, she moved to the U.S to attend the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington D.C. where she trained under the guidance of Bat Udval, Evgenia Singur, Stanislav Belyaevsky, and Anastasia Dunets. After graduating from Kirov in 2019, Kojima joined The Joffrey Ballet Studio Company in Chicago. There, she performed Fascinatin’ Rhythm from George Balanchine’s Who Cares?, works by Lar Lubovitch, and was also selected to perform in the main company’s The Nutcracker by Christopher Wheeldon. In 2021, Kojima returned to her home country and toured regional Victoria as a guest artist with the Projection Dance Company for their ‘Australian Stars of Ballet’ gala performances. Later that year, she joined Atlanta Ballet’s second company, performing the roles of Young Marie in Yuri Possokhov’s The Nutcracker, Butterfly Pas in Bruce Well’s Snow White, and the corps de ballet of Giselle. Nae is very excited to be returning to Chicago for her first season with The Joffrey Ballet.

Brooke Linford was born in Alpine, Utah. She received her early training at Jacqueline's School of Ballet under the direction of Jacqueline Colledge, Heather Gray, and Brittnee Squires. While there, she performed with Utah Regional Ballet and Utah Regional Ballet II. In 2011, she competed in the YAGP New York finals and was offered a scholarship to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre, which she attended from 2011-2012. Linford danced in the Trainee Program at the Joffrey Academy of Dance, Official School of The Joffrey Ballet, from 2012-2014.

Zach Manske grew up in St. Paul, Minnesota training in various styles and competing in local and national competitions. He played the role of “Billy Elliot” in the Broadway national tour of Billy Elliot the Musical. Manske also attended Saint Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists where he trained in ballet, modern, jazz, composition, and other forms. He guested with Minnesota Dance Theater in many performances, including Loyce Houlton’s Nutcracker Fantasy and Carmina Burana from 2014 to 2017. Manske graduated with a BFA in Dance from the University of Southern California’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance under the direction of Jodie Gates in 2021. He performed works by masters such as William Forsythe, George Balanchine, Paul Taylor, and more. During his time at USC, Manske had the opportunity to guest with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet in The Nutcracker. After graduation, Manske joined the Grand Rapids Ballet as a company dancer for their 2021-2022 season under the direction of James Sofranko. He also enjoys choreographing and most recently debuted Shakespeare in Love at Grand Rapids Ballet’s Jumpstart program in 2022. This is his first season with The Joffrey Ballet.

Graham Maverick started his ballet training with his mother and Ruby (Harold) Christensen at the age of three. He continued his training with the San Francisco Ballet School at age seven, staying there until he was 19 years old. While at the San Francisco Ballet, he performed the role of Prince in The Nutcracker for two years, along with dancing many other children’s parts throughout the years. Maverick additionally appeared in many other ballet productions with the company and in the annual Spring Student Showcase. In the summer of 2006, he trained at the School of American Ballet under Jock Soto. As a Trainee at the San Francisco Ballet, he worked with and performed choreography by John Neumeier, Helgi Tomasson, and Parrish Maynard. He also performed in works by George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins. In the spring of 2008, he received The Bay Area Ballet Award for the best young ballet dancer in the San Francisco Bay Area, sponsored by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; this culminated in his participation at the 2008 Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival.

Jeraldine Mendoza was born in San Francisco, California, and trained at City Ballet School of San Francisco since the age of five, under the artistic direction of Galina Alexandrova. At age 17, Mendoza was invited to graduate in the Russian course at the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow. She later won First Place at the YAGP San Francisco Regional Semi-Finals in 2011. Within her first year with the Joffrey, Mendoza danced lead roles in Yuri Possokhov’s Don Quixote, Robert Joffrey’s The Nutcracker, Wayne McGregor’s INFRA, Edwaard Liang’s Age of Innocence, and Jerome Robbins’s In the Night. In 2012, she won the prestigious young artists’ scholarship from the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship Fund, under the nomination of Artistic Director Ashley Wheater, making her the first Chicago artist to win since the award’s inception. Mendoza later graced the cover of Dance Magazine in May 2015, the magazine’s first-ever international issue. Since joining the Joffrey, Mendoza has danced principal roles in Stanton Welch’s La Bayadére (Nikiya), Son of Chamber Symphony, and Maninyas; Jiři Kylián’s Forgotten Land; Gerald Arpino’s Sea Shadow, Light Rain, and Round of Angels; Twyla Tharp’s Nine Sinatra Songs; George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante and The Four Temperaments; Christopher Wheeldon’s Continuum, Swan Lake (Odette/Odile), Liturgy, Fool’s Paradise, The Nutcracker, and Commedia; Jerome Robbins’s Interplay and Glass Pieces; Krzysztof Pastor’s Romeo & Juliet (Juliet); Yuri Possokhov’s RAkU, Miraculous Mandarin, and Anna Karenina (Kitty); Anthony Tudor’s Lilac Garden; Alexander Ekman’s Tulle and Midsummer Night’s Dream; Justin Peck’s In Creases, Year of the Rabbit, and The Times Are Racing; Val Caniparoli’s Incantations; Myles Thatcher’s Passengers; John Neumeier’s Sylvia (Sylvia); Ashley Page’s Tipping Point; Sir Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella (Cinderella); Lola de Avila’s Giselle (Giselle, Myrta); Nicolas Blanc’s Beyond the Shore, Lorelei, and Under the Trees’ Voices; Andrew McNicol’s Yonder Blue; Liam Scarlett’s Vespertine; and Cathy Marston’s Jane Eyre (Blanche).

Born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, Xavier Núñez began training at age ten at The Hartt Community Dance Division in Hartford, Connecticut. In 2010, he continued his training at the International Ballet Academy in Cary, NC, under Miguel Campaneria. In 2012, he was awarded the silver medal at the World Ballet Competition in the professional category. He was then accepted into American Ballet Theatre Studio Company under the artistic direction of Kevin McKenzie and Franco De Vita. There, he went on to perform in international galas dancing in George Balanchine’s Tarantella and Alexei Ratmansky’s Le Carnaval Des Animaux in Italy and France. In 2013, Núñez joined The Tulsa Ballet under the direction of Marcello Angelini where he performed ballets including The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cinderella, and The Three Musketeers. In 2015, he joined The Sarasota Ballet where he performed in works such as Balanchine’s Jewels, Stars and Stripes, Dominic Walsh’s Wolfgang for Webb, Ashton’s Rakes Progress, and many more. In 2017, Núñez took part in the Concours de Opera National de Paris where he ranked sixth, giving him a contract for the 2017-2018 season with the Paris Opera Ballet. Returning to the states, Núñez began performing as a guest artist with companies and schools both internationally and nationally.

Princess Reid grew up in Jacksonville, FL. She started studying ballet at age seven at The Florida Ballet under the direction of Laurie Picinich-Byrd where she danced until she was 18. Soon after, she joined Orlando Ballet's second company in 2015, where she stayed until May 2018. While in Orlando, Reid performed in Don Quixote, Serenade, and Val Caniparoli's A Cinderella Story, to name a few. Reid was also given the opportunity to perform Robert Hill's Requiem at the American Dance Competition gala in 2016 and in June 2018, she competed in the prestigious USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi. Along with ballet, she enjoys reading and cooking.

Aaron Renteria studied under Lola de Ávila and Patrick Armand at the San Francisco Ballet School at age 13, spending three years in the School and two in the Trainee Program. Later, he became a member of the San Francisco Ballet (SFB) company after one year as an apprentice. In the SFB School’s annual showcases and during the Trainee Program, Renteria’s repertory included George Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes and Western Symphony; Helgi Tomasson’s Con Brio and Sleeping Beauty; Parrish Maynard’s Fractals; Christopher Wheeldon’s Danses Bohemiennes; and Myles Thatcher’s Spinae and Stone and Steel. At SFB, he danced in many ballets, including Helgi Tomasson’s Concerto Grosso, Caprice, Romeo and Juliet, Don Quixote, Giselle, The Fifth Season, and The Nutcracker; Christopher Wheeldon’s Rush and Cinderella; George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, Symphony in C, and Brahms-Schoenberg Quartet; Serge Leifar’s Suite en Blanc; and Yuri Possokhov’s Swimmer, Firebird, and Rite of Spring. Since joining the Joffrey, Renteria has danced in ballets such as Jerome Robbins’ Interplay and Glass Pieces; First Theme in George Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments; Nicholas Blanc’s Beyond the Shore; Andrew McNicol’s Yonder Blue; Ballroom Manager in Yuri Possokhov’s Anna Karenina; Krzysztof Pastor’s Romeo & Juliet; Christopher Wheeldon’s Fool’s Paradise and The Nutcracker; Alexander Ekman’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, Justin Peck’s Year of the Rabbit; Yuri Possokhov’s Bells; and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Mammatus.

Basia Rhoden was born and raised in Fresno, California. During her youth, she participated in competitive ballet, jazz, and contemporary. At age 14, she decided to narrow her focus to ballet, moving to Arizona to attend Master Ballet Academy, run by Slawomir and Irena Wozniak. During her two years at Master Ballet Academy, Rhoden attended many national and international competitions. She was the bronze medalist for senior females at the YAGP NY Finals in 2018, a finalist at Beijing International Ballet and Choreography Competition 2018, and the silver medalist for senior contemporary at ADC IBC 2018. Rhoden was also chosen to be the only US female Pre-Select representative at Prix De Lausanne 2019, where she was selected for a scholarship by Patrick Armand to join the San Francisco Ballet School. Rhoden spent her first year in the San Francisco Ballet School at its top level, then was advanced to the Trainee Program for the following two years. As a trainee, she performed choreographic works by Dana Genshaft, Victor Plotnikov, and Davide Occipinti. During that time, she also rehearsed and danced Corps de Ballet roles with the SFB Company, such as in Helgi Tomasson’s The Nutcracker and Swan Lake; Yuri Possokhov and Tomasson’s Don Quixote; Ulrik Bournonville’s La Sylphide; and George Balanchine’s Symphony in C.

Prior to joining The Joffrey Ballet, Christine Rocas danced with Ballet Manila in the Philippines. While there, she had the opportunity to perform in The Nutcracker (Sugar Plum Fairy), Le Corsaire (Medora), La Bayadère (Nikiya), Swan Lake (Odette/Odile), Sleeping Beauty (Bluebird pas de deux), and Don Quixote (Dryad Queen). Rocas participated and won several prestigious awards from differing international ballet competitions. In August 2003, she received a finalist certificate in the Junior Division of the 9th Asian Pacific International Ballet Competition in Tokyo, Japan. She was also chosen as a full scholar in the 2004 Aberdeen International Youth Festival in Aberdeen, Scotland. In 2005, she participated in the Helsinki International Ballet Competition in Helsinki, Finland, where she became a semi-finalist in the junior division. During that year, she received the Arpino Award and was also the silver medalist in the New York International Ballet Competition. Since joining the Joffrey, Rocas has performed in Apollo, Cinderella (Cinderella and Summer Fairy), The Dream, Giselle (Giselle), The Green Table, Light Rain, Les Présages, The Nutcracker, In the Night, Reflections, Pretty BALLET, Crossed, Age of Innocence, After the Rain, Stravinsky Violin Concerto, Romeo & Juliet (Juliet), and The Merry Widow.

Julia Rust was hired just a month after turning 17 and is excited for her third season with the Joffrey. Born and raised in Noblesville, Indiana, she trained with Alyona Yakovleva-Randall and the faculty of Indiana Ballet Conservatory. She furthered her training during summers at many esteemed international schools and then at The Washington School of Ballet (TWSB) on scholarship. A graduate of TWSB, she worked extensively with Xiomara Reyes and Rinat Imaev, and was chosen by Julie Kent to dance in The Washington Ballet’s productions of Serenade, Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, and The Nutcracker at The Kennedy Center and Wolf Trap. She also continues to be mentored by Irina Dvorovenko and Maxim Beloserkovsky. Rust was awarded the Silver Medal at the prestigious USA International Ballet Competition. The USA IBC is known as the “Olympics of Ballet”, and the late Robert Joffrey was instrumental in its founding. Prior to this, she was awarded the Grand Prix Award at the Youth America Grand Prix Semifinal and went on to place in the Top 12 at the World Finals in NYC. She is also the recipient of the Fernando Bujones Memorial Award at ADC|IBC. She has danced in "The Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow" Gala in Salt Lake City, The International Ballet Festival of Miami, and the Awards Gala and Encore Gala at USA IBC. During her debut season with the Joffrey, she had the honor to dance in Christopher Wheeldon’s Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, George Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments, Yuri Possokhov’s Anna Karenina, Andrea Walker’s World Premiere of HOME, and Alexander Ekman’s Tulle. She was also chosen to dance in Joffrey’s tours to New York City in Balanchine: The City Center Years, Minnesota, and California. She shares her passion for ballet with her twin sister and best friend, Morgan Rust, who currently dances with The Washington Ballet.

Natali Taht was born in Tallinn, Estonia. She began her ballet training at the age of 10 at Tallinn Ballet School. At the age of 14, after winning the 3rd place prize at the Tallinn International Ballet Competition, she received a scholarship to study at the Zurich Dance Academy in Switzerland, under the directorship of Steffi Scherzer and Oliver Matz. During her studies she represented the school at Prix de Lausanne and Tanzolymp Berlin, winning the silver medal. Upon graduation in 2020, she joined Tulsa Ballet II, where she worked with and performed pieces by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Andrew McNicol, Itzik Galili, Val Caniparoli, and others. She joined The Joffrey Ballet in 2022.

Miu Tanaka was born in Chiba, Japan, and began dancing at the age of four with Studio en dehors and trained at the K-Ballet School under the direction of Tetsuya Kumakawa from 2013 to 2016. In 2016, she joined the John Cranko School in Stuttgart, Germany, under the direction of Tadeusz Matacz and Anna Jojic, graduating in 2018. While there, she performed in many roles including Glinka pas de trois and as a soloist in Leonid Lavrovsky’s Classical Symphony. In 2018, she joined the Joffrey Academy of Dance’s Trainee Program and was promoted to the Studio Company after one month and performed principal roles in Paquita and Coppélia, as well as being featured in Xiang Xu’s Winning Works piece Vessels Bearing. Awards include first place in the Machida Ballet Competition (2015), second place in the NBA Ballet Competition (2016) and Top 12 in the senior category at the New York finals at the Youth America Grand Prix (2018).

Alberto Velazquez, originally from Havana, Cuba, started ballet at age nine at The National Ballet School of Cuba. He then continued his studies in Mexico with his mother, Adria Velazquez. At the age of 17, he moved to New York City and joined American Ballet Theatre’s school, eventually joining the second company. In 2011, Velazquez joined The Joffrey Ballet, and has performed many works by choreographers such as John Neumeier, Christopher Wheeldon, Jiří Kylián, Frederick Ashton, Wayne McGregor, Liam Scarlett, Yuri Possokhov, George Balanchine, and William Forsythe. In his time with The Joffrey, he has performed roles such as the Prince in Cinderella, Siegfried in Swan Lake, Albrecht in Giselle, Cavalier in The Nutcracker, Aminta in Sylvia, Romeo, and Count Vronsky in Anna Karenina. Velazquez has performed in stages all over the world, including Russia, Italy, and France.

Valentino Moneglia Zamora was born in Murcia, Spain, where he trained at The Conservatorio Profesional de Danza de Murcia and Robles Ballet School under José Antonio Robles and Alberto Muñoz. While studying, Moneglia performed in José Carlos Martínez’s Don Quijote with the Compañía Nacional de Danza of Spain. After graduating, he joined the Joffrey Studio Company in 2016 until he joined the main company. During his time with the Studio Company, Moneglia performed works such as Siegfried in Swan Lake, the Waltz Boy in George Balanchine’s Serenade, Don Quixote, lead roles in Gerald Arpino’s Viva Vivaldi and Suite Saint-Saens, August Bournonville’s Napoli, and Alexander Ekman’s Episode 31. He also performed with the main company in productions such as Christopher Wheeldon’s The Nutcracker and Krzysztof Pastor’s Romeo & Juliet.

Ashley Wheater MBE The Mary B. Galvin Director
Greg Cameron President and CEO
Anne L. Kaplan Board Chair
Robert Joffrey Founder
Gerald Arpino Founder

Artistic and Production Staff:

Nicolas Blanc Rehearsal Director
Adam Blyde Rehearsal Director
Suzanne Lopez Rehearsal Director
Scott Speck Music Director
Micheal Moricz Assistant Conductor & Company Pianist
Jorge Ivars Company Pianist
Cody Chen General Manager
Jeremy Gubman Artistic Administrator And Assistant To The Artistic Director
Catherine Eby Company Manager
Shandee Vaughan Production Manager
Katherine Selig Principal Stage Manager
Amanda Heuermann Stage Manager
Chris Maravich Lighting & Video Supervisor
Scott Wolfson Technical Supervisor