Company Dancers

Paul Michael Bloodgood

Now in his seventh season, Paul Michael Bloodgood began his training with Don Snyder at the L’Acadamie de Danse, and then continued on full scholarship with the Rock School of Pennsylvania Ballet and graduated from the Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Originally from Seattle, Washington, Mr. Bloodgood has performed with Pacific Northwest Ballet, Ballet Pacifica, Redlands Festival Ballet, Ballet Austin, as a guest artist with the Suzanne Farrell Ballet, and has toured internationally to Europe, domestically to the Kennedy Center in D.C., the Joyce Theater in New York City as well as Hawaii. Professionally, he has danced principal roles such as Hamlet in Hamlet, Romeo in Romeo & Juliet, Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew, Cavalier in The Nutcracker, Le Chevalier in Liaisons, and as a principal in George Balanchine’s Episodes, Antony Tudor’s Sunflowers, and Choo-San Goh’s Double Contrasts. Mr. Bloodgood past repertoire also includes works by Twyla Tharp, Lynne Taylor-Corbet, Marius Petipa, Peter Pucci, Nicolo Fonte, Septime Weber, and over thirty-five original works created by Stephen Mills, Dwight Rhoden, Kent Stowell, Anne Marie DeAngelo, Jacques Heim, Paul Vasterling, David Allan, Gina Patterson and Thaddeus Davis, among others. An Austin Critics Table Award recipient for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Mr. Bloodgood is a proud union member of SAG, AFTRA and AEA, appearing in film, music videos and television; with recent work in director Michael Bay’s Transformers, Forest Whitaker’s First Daughter and over twenty independent films, some of which have toured the film festival circuit internationally. In his down time, Mr. Bloodgood is pursuing a degree from St. Edward's University and studies Tukong Moosul martial arts under Grand Master Yi (Sin City) for his upcoming lead role in Rene Hinojosa’s Templar: Honor Among Thieves, as well as Joshua Flanagan’s The Undead and Ali Brown’s Invictus. Mr. Bloodgood thanks his wife and company member, Anne, his family, and Jesus Christ for their inspiration.

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Orlando Julius Canova
Orlando Julius Canova, originally from Laguna Niguel, California, has trained with the Anaheim Ballet, School of American Ballet and Miami City Ballet School. Orlando became an Arpino Apprentice with the Joffrey Ballet in 2001 and became a company member in 2003. He moved to Austin in 2005 to join Ballet Austin. Since joining Ballet Austin Mr. Canova has danced such roles as: Lead Russian, and Chinese in The Nutcracker; Sonya Del Wades’ Savoir Vive; Paris in Romeo and Juliet; Red Roses; Five Flights Up; Desire and Three Movements; Touch; and Bow Headed Lou in Cult of Color: Call To Color. This is Mr. Canova’s fourth season with the company and he is looking forward to an exciting year of dance.

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Edward Carr

Growing up in Pittsburgh, Edward received his first 12 years of ballet training at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School. After graduating high school, he continued his training in Toronto with Canada’s National Ballet School under the instruction of Lindsay Fischer. Edward first came to Ballet Austin in 2006 as a professional division trainee, and joined Ballet Austin II a year later. This is his first season as a company member.

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Matthew Cotter
Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Matthew Cotter began his early ballet training with Karen Milligan then continued as a student at the National Ballet School of Canada and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Mr. Cotter has previously danced with Oregon Ballet Theater and BalletMet Columbus. Since joining Ballet Austin, Mr. Cotter has enjoyed roles in Stephen Mills’ Hamlet, The Taming of the Shrew, Light/The Holocaust & Humanity Project, Five Flights Up, and Touch. This is his seventh season with the company.

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Rebecca Johnson
Rebecca Johnson is originally from Ann Arbor, MI where she received her early training from Marjorie Randazzo. From there she attended the Virginia School of the Arts as well as summer programs at Pacific Northwest Ballet, Charleston Ballet Theater, and Ballet Austin. Ms. Johnson joined Ballet Austin II in 2004 and has enjoyed performing roles in Peter Pan, George Balanchine’s Serenade, Taming of the Shrew, Touch, and Amy Seiwert’s Danger of Speaking. This is Ms. Johnson’s third season with the company and she would like to dedicate her performances to her mentor, Petrus Bosman.

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Kirby Wallis

Kirby Wallis is beginning her first year as a company member with Ballet Austin after dancing with Ballet Austin II since the fall of 2006. Originally from Huntington Beach, CA, she trained with Salwa Rizkalla for ten years, later graduating cum laude with a BFA in Dance Performance from Southern Methodist University. While at SMU, she danced principal roles in Balanchine's Serenade, Valse Fantaisie, and Raymonda Variations. Ms.Wallis has especially enjoyed dancing in Stephen Mills' Argelina, Dwight Rhoden's Salsa Pit, and Thaddeus Davis' The Monologue Project in her recent time with BA II. Just married this past July, she looks forward to the upcoming season and feels very blessed by her husband, family, and friends who provide endless support.

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Aara Krumpe
Originally from Corpus Christi, Texas, Aara Krumpe received her early training from Nancy Sulik and studied for three years at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School under David Holladay. She was an apprentice with Ballet Austin II before joining the main company in 2001. Since then, Ms. Krumpe has enjoyed dancing many featured roles including Dark Angel in Balanchine's Serenade, Kate in Mills' Taming of the Shrew, the principal couple in Mills' Touch, and the Sugar Plum Fairy in Mills' The Nutcracker. Aara was honored to receive a 2007 Austin Critics Table Award for Outstanding Dancer for her performance in Serenade and Tharp's The Golden Section. In late June 2008, the Krumpes became proud parents of their delightful boy, Leo.

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Ashley Lynn

Ashley Lynn is a native of the Chicago area where she received her formal training from Sherry Moray.  Ms. Lynn performed with the Alabama Ballet before joining Ballet Austin in 2002.  Ashley has had the honor of performing in several world premieres by Stephen Mills, and touring with the company to Italy, Slovenia, the Joyce Theater (NYC), and The Kennedy Center (D.C.).  Ms. Lynn has also performed works by Dwight Rhoden, Septime Webre, Thaddeus Davis, Thang Dao, Gina Patterson, Sidra Bell, Amy Seiwart, George Balanchine, and Twyla Tharp.  Ashley has enjoyed dancing the featured roles of Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew, Hermia in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, and Kitri in Don Quixote.  Ms. Lynn is currently on faculty with the Ballet Austin Academy, and is also pursuing a degree in Dance and The Humanities from St. Edward’s University.  

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Edward McPherson

Edward comes to Ballet Austin for his first season, from Salt Lake City based Ballet West. He began his training at the Interlochen Arts Academy, a boarding arts high school. He continued at Indiana University under the watchful eye of Violette Verdy, and at Ballet Austin during the summers of 2004 and 2006. Professionally, Edward has particularly enjoyed performing in a number of works by storied American masters including John Butler’s Carmina Burana, Anges de Mille’s Rodeo, and George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, and Stars and Stripes. Other performance highlights have included Anthony Tudor’s Echoing of Trumpets, and world premiers by Edwaard Liang, and New York City Opera director Beth Greenberg. In his personal time Edward enjoys making home improvements, following the stock markets, and playing a variety of card games.

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Anne Marie Melendez
Anne Marie Melendez, returning for her sixth season, began her ballet training in Torrance, California with Diane Lauridsen. Ms Melendez has previously performed with the South Bay Ballet, Louisville Ballet, Ballet Pacifica, and Nevada Ballet Theatre, appearing in works by George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, Marius Petipa, David Parsons, Ron Cunningham, Val Caniparoli, Choo-San Goh, Thaddeus Davis, William Whitener, Ann Marie DeAngelo, Thang Dao, Gina Patterson, and Stephen Mills. Ms. Melendez has enjoyed roles in Twyla Tharp’s The Golden Section, as the White Cat in The Sleeping Beauty, Cupid in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and one of Kitri’s Friends and Cupid in Don Quixote. She has been proud to represent Ballet Austin on tour to the Kennedy Center and at the Joyce Theatre. Ms Melendez is also a contributing blogger at theWinger.com and an avid dance photographer. She would like to thank Jesus Christ, her husband Paul, and her family for their endless love and support.

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Jordan Moser
Originally from Santa Ana, California, Jordan Moser received his training at Academy of Dance under Merle Sepel and Rebeca Tsvkin. He has danced with Los Angeles Dance Theater and performed in Beijing, China. He has also been a guest artist in Japan. This is his second season with Ballet Austin. He would like to thank his parents for their love and support and Mignon Furman for her generosity, support and inspiration over the years.

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Allisyn Paino
Allisyn Paino studied in New York with Ali Pourfarrokh and Kaleria Fedicheva. She has performed principal roles with the Fedicheva Ballet Company, The Indianapolis Opera and Butler Ballet. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a B.F.A. from Butler University. Since joining Ballet Austin, Ms. Paino has performed works by many choreographers including Stephen Mills, George Balanchine, Dwight Rhoden, Thaddeus Davis, Twyla Tharp, and David Parsons. She has been featured in Mills' Kai and One, The Body’s Grace. She has danced the roles of The Chosen One in The Rite of Spring; Kate in Taming of the Shrew, Helena in Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Painter in Cult of Color: Call to Color. Ms. Paino had the honor of dancing the role of The Survivor in the award winning Light / the Holocaust and Humanity Project. She has performed many of these roles in New York, Washington D.C., Russia, Montreal, Slovenia and Italy.

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Chelsea Renner

Chelsea Renner, originally from Bozeman, Montana, received her early training from Ann Bates of Montana Ballet and Campbell Pryor of Queen City Ballet. She attended summer programs at Ballet West, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Ballet Austin. Chelsea was a professional division trainee and an apprentice with Ballet Austin II before joining the main company this season. Ms. Renner has enjoyed performing in Stephen Mills' Argelina and Touch, George Balanchine's Serenade, and Dwight Rhoden's Salsa Pit, along with other works by Gina Patterson, Thaddeus Davis, Michelle Thompson and Kimmary Williams. Chelsea was honored to receive the Sarah and Ernest Butler Scholarship in 2006. She would like to thank her parents and grandparents for their endless love and support over the years. Ms. Renner couldn't be more excited for her first season with the company.

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Frank Shott
A native of Vestal, NY, Frank is currently in his ninth season with Ballet Austin. His training included time at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School/ Schenley Program, Houston Ballet Academy, and the Pacific Northwest Ballet. Mr. Shott began his professional career with Kansas City Ballet. During his time with Ballet Austin Frank has danced a variety of roles including Prince Charming in Cinderella, Peter in Peter Pan, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, and Laertes in Hamlet. In 2004 he was honored by the Austin Critics Table with the award for best male dancer. When not dancing, Frank likes to practice martial arts and work as a Massage Therapist.

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Christopher Swaim
Christopher Swaim, originally from Bryant, Arkansas, started his ballet training with Kirt and Linda Hathaway at the Academy of Ballet Arkansas. He then went on to attend the University of Oklahoma where he graduated with distinction earning a B.F.A. in Ballet Pedagogy. While attending OU he danced featured roles in George Balanchine’s Valse Fantasie, James Clouser’s Carmina Burana, and Miguel Terekhov’s Paquita. Mr. Swaim was a member of Ballet Austin II for two seasons before joining Ballet Austin in 2006. Since joining the company he has been pleased to dance in such works as Twyla Tharp’s Golden Section, Amy Seiwart’s The Danger of Speaking, Sidra Bell’s Substrata, and in Stephen Mill’s Touch.

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Beth Terwilleger
Beth Terwilleger, originally from Santa Cruz, California, joined Ballet Austin II in the fall of 2003 and joined the Company in 2005. Prior to joining Ballet Austin II, Ms.Terwilleger studied ballet with The Studio School of Classical Ballet, Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre, Richmond Ballet, The Rock School, and Miami City Ballet. She has enjoyed dancing roles in Concerto Barocco and Serenade by George Balanchine, Touch, Silence Within Silence,and Red Roses by Stephen Mills along with other works by Gina Patterson, Thaddeus Davis, and Thang Dao. This is Ms. Terwilleger’s third year with the Company.

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Michelle Thompson
Michelle Thompson, originally from San Francisco, trained at San Francisco Ballet for nine years. During her two years with Ballet Austin II, she studied with Truman Finney and was privileged to perform in Ulysses Dove's Vespers. Now in her sixth season with Ballet Austin, Ms. Thompson has loved dancing in works by Mills (Silence within Silence, Kai, Red Roses, Light/The Holocaust & Humanity Project), Patterson (Free to Fly, Red Line, Liquid Eyes), Twyla Tharp, and Balanchine. Most recently she was thrilled to perform the role of Kitri in Don Quixote. She has also enjoyed touring with the Company in New York, Washington D.C., and Europe.

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Johnstuart Winchell

Originally from Waterville, Maine, Johnstuart Winchell began his training with the Maine State School for the Performing Arts and Bossov Ballet Theatre. At the age of twelve he moved to Winnipeg Manitoba in order to receive his professional training from Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. Before graduating from the school he performed roles such as Colas from La Fille mal Gardee and Balsilio in excerpts from Don Quixote. Johnstuart is also an award winning choreographer, winning the People's Choice Award and the CIBC Award for Innovation for two straight years from the school's annual choreographic competition, First Steps. This is his first season with Ballet Austin.

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Jaime Lynn Witts
Jaime Lynn Witts, originally from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, received most of her training from Maxim Ponomaranko at Dance Elite. She attended summer programs at CPYB, Boston Ballet, and Ballet Austin, where she continued to study with Truman Finney and then joined Ballet Austin II in 2003. She is excited to start her fifth season with the Company. Ms. Witts has enjoyed performing in Mills’ Light/The Holocaust & Humanity Project and Gina Patterson’s Red Line. When she is not dancing Ms. Witts teaches at Ballet Austin Academy.

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