Company Dancers

Ian J. Bethany

Ian J. Bethany is from Long Island, NY. He began his dance training as a tap and jazz student at Robert Mann Dance Centre. He started ballet at the age of twelve at Tap to Pointe Dance Center. Ian went on to train at the Frank Ohman School of Ballet, at the School of Ballet Chicago, at Ballet Academy East, and then as a full scholarship student in the professional division of Pacific Northwest Ballet School. He joined Ballet Austin II in 2008, and became a company member in 2009. This is Ian's third season in the company.


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Paul Michael Bloodgood
In his tenth season with Ballet Austin, Mr. Bloodgood trained on scholarship under Don Snyder followed by PNBS. Hailing from Seattle, he has performed with PNB, Ballet Pacifica, Terpsicorps, The Suzanne Farrell Ballet, with tours to Europe, the Kennedy Center, the Joyce Theater and Hawaii. Past repertoire as the principal male lead role include: Hamlet, Romeo & Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew, The Firebird, The Rite of Spring, La Sylphide, Coppelia, Cinderella, The Nutcracker, Liaisons, and as a principal in George Balanchine's Episodes, Tudor's Sunflowers, and Goh's Double Contrasts. Previous Rep includes pieces by Mills, Tharp, Taylor-Corbet, Fonte, and many others, including over forty-five original works. A three-time Austin Critics Table Award recipient, Mr. Bloodgood is a union member of SAG, AFTRA and AEA, appearing in film and television. Mr. Bloodgood holds the rank of pum dan in Tukong Moosul martial arts and has a B.A. in Dance and the Humanities from SEU. His studio band, Floating Pockets, has their upcoming record release in March, 2012. He thanks Jesus Christ, his wife, Anne and his family for their inspiration.

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Michael Burfield
Michael is originally from Lubbock, TX where he studied at Ballet Lubbock under the direction of Yvonne Racz-Key. He also trained at the Lone Star Ballet with Edward R. Truitt. After graduating high school Michael went to the Pacific Northwest Ballet on full scholarship as a Professional Division Student. While at PNB Michael worked closely with Peter Boal, Nicholas Ade, Marjorie Thompson, Timothy Lynch, Marisa Albee and many others. While there he had the chance to perform in productions such as Bruce Wells' Hansel & Gretel and George Balanchine's Chaconne, and in new works created by Barry Kerollis, Seth Orza, Jonathan Porretta and his personal favorite Kiyon Gaines'
10: "Un" A-Frayed Edges. He was a member of Ballet Austin II last season and enjoyed performing Thang Dao's Quiet Imprint and Stephen Mills' The Nutcracker, Red Roses, and The Magic Flute. Michael is very excited about the upcoming year with the company!

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Orlando Julius Canova
Orlando Canova began his ballet training in Southern California with Lawrence and Sarma Rosenberg at the Anaheim Ballet School. At age 16 he moved to New York City to train at the School of American Ballet (SAB). He received a full tuition merit scholarship and was also sponsored by Debbie Allen while attending SAB. Orlando furthered his ballet training with Miami City Ballet School in Miami Beach Florida. In 2001 Orlando became an Arpino Apprentice with the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago and in 2003 he joined as a full company member. While in the Joffrey Ballet Orlando played the part of apprentice in Robert Altman's "The Company". In 2005 Orlando moved to Texas and joined Ballet Austin as a company member. At Ballet Austin Orlando has danced lead roles in The Nutcracker, Cult of Color: Call to Color, Truth & Beauty: The Bach Project, Romeo & Juliet, Nine Sinatra Songs, silence within silence and The Magic Flute. He has worked with such choreographers as: Stephen Mills, Twyla Tharp, KT Nelson, Dominic Walsh, Nicolo Fonte, Sonya Delwaide, Toni Bravo, Michelle Ulerich, and Reginald Harris. This is Orlando's seventh season with Ballet Austin.

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Edward Carr

Growing up in Pittsburgh, Edward received his first 12 years of ballet instruction at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School. After graduating from high school, he continued training for two years at Canada's National Ballet School in Toronto under the instruction of Lindsay Fischer. Edward came to Ballet Austin in 2006 as a professional division trainee and joined Ballet Austin II a year later. Since joining the company for the 2008/09 season, Edward has appeared in Twyla Tharp's Nine Sinatra Songs, as Drosselmeyer and Arabian in Stephen Mills' The Nutcracker, as Claudius in Mills' Hamlet, in Nicolo Fonte's Left Unsaid, as well as in Mill's Angel of My Nature.

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James Fuller
James Fuller is from Irvine, California, and was trained at Ballet Pacifica Conservatory. In 2004, James received a Youth America Grand Prix scholarship to study at the Boston Ballet School where he completed his final year of training. James apprenticed with Oregon Ballet Theatre for a year before enrolling at Harvard University. At Harvard, James had the opportunity to perform works by great choreographers such as Paul Taylor, George Balanchine, and Alvin Ailey. James directed the Harvard Ballet Company in 2009 and graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of the Arts in Philosophy, a secondary field in dramatic arts, and a language citation in Urdu-Hindi. In the summers James studied modern dance with the Paul Taylor Company, American Dance Festival, and Beijing LDTX. Last summer James performed with Califa Arts Collaborative and the National Choreographers' Initiative. This is James' second season with Ballet Austin.

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Ashley Lynn Gilfix

Ashley Lynn Gilfix is excited to return for her 10th season with Ballet Austin. She grew up in the Chicago area and studied under Ms. Sherry Moray. Ashley has premiered many works by Stephen Mills and toured with the company to Italy, Slovenia, The Joyce Theater, and the Kennedy Center where she was featured in Balanchine's Episodes with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet. Ms. Gilfix has also danced numerous contemporary works by Thang Dao, Mats Ek, Nicolo Fonte, Gina Patterson, Dwight Rhoden, and Twyla Tharp, and has made guest appearances with Dominic Walsh Dance Theater. Ashley has enjoyed performing principal roles in Don Quixote, Hamlet, Swan Lake, Coppelia, and La Sylphide. She was delighted to originate the role of 'Pamina' in Mills' The Magic Flute last season. Ashley was honored to receive a 2009 Austin Critic's Table Award for Outstanding Dancer. Ms. Gilfix holds a B.A. in Dance and The Humanities from St. Edward's University.

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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 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's Trainee Program in 2003 and was promoted to Ballet Austin II in 2004. She has enjoyed performing roles in Twyla Tharp's Nine Sinatra Songs, George Balanchine's Serenade and Episodes, and in Stephen Mills' The Taming of the Shrew, Touch, and Hamlet. Recently, Ms Johnson has enjoyed performing the Dream Pas in Mills' Cinderella, and as the Snow Queen and Arabian in The Nutcracker. This is Ms. Johnson's sixth season with the company.

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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, Aara has enjoyed performing featured roles in many of Stephen Mills' ballets: the title roles in The Firebird and The Taming of the Shrew, as well as Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute, Gertrude in Hamlet, Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, and the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. Most recently, she was honored to receive a second Austin Critic's Table Award for her performances in Bournonville's La Sylphide and Mills' silence within silence. Aara and her husband, Ambrose, are the proud parents of two delightful boys, Leo and Lucas.

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Anne Marie Melendez
Anne Marie Melendez, returning for her ninth season, began her ballet training in Torrance, CA with Diane Lauridsen. Ms Melendez has previously performed with the South Bay Ballet, Louisville Ballet, Ballet Pacifica, Nevada Ballet Theatre, and Terpsicorps Theatre of Dance appearing in works by George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, Marius Petipa, Nicolo Fonte, David Parsons, Ron Cunningham, Val Caniparoli, Choo- San Goh, Thaddeus Davis, William Whitener, Ann Marie DeAngelo, Thang Dao, Gina Patterson, Heather Maloy, Salvatore Aiello, and Stephen Mills. Her favorite roles include Ophelia in Hamlet, Tsarevna in The Firebird, Effie in La Sylphide, Cupid in A Midsummer Night's Dream, an evil Stepsister in Cinderella, 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 The Joyce Theatre. Ms. Melendez is also a recent graduate of St. Edward's University. She would like to thank Jesus Christ, her husband Paul Michael, 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 earned distinction in his Advanced 2 RAD examination. He has danced with Los Angeles Dance Theater and performed in Beijing, China. He has also been a guest artist in Japan. Since joining Ballet Austin in 2007 he has been featured in Mills' La Sylphide, Cinderella as Master of Ceremonies, and Carmina Burana, in Dominic Walsh's The Whistling, and in Nicolo Fonte's Left Unsaid and Lasting Imprint. He is currently studying Dance and the Humanities at St. Edward's University. Jordan is also an active Austin musician. He's had the opportunity to accompany renowned singer Khanh Ly in the world premiere of Thang Dao's Quiet Imprint and has had two ballets, Path You Came Here By and Hidding Places, created to his own compositions by Michelle Thompson as a part of the Califa Arts Collaborative of which he is a founding member. He would like to thank his parents for their love and support and his teachers for their generosity, support and inspiration over the years.

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Preston Andrew Patterson
Preston is a native of Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Patterson began his training at the age of eight at Pioneer Valley Ballet, which was then located in Northampton, MA. Mr. Patterson continued his training at Ballethnic Academy of Dance under the instruction of Waverly T. Lucas, Nena Gilreath, Jose Rivera, and Ramazon Bapov. Mr. Patterson then went on to study at the North Carolina School of the Arts (NCSA) with Melissa Hayden, Nina Danilova, and Christin Spizzo. He left NCSA to study at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School (RWBS) under the instruction of David Moroni, Bruce Monk, and Jorden Morris. He left RWBS to attend the School of American Ballet (SAB) on full scholarship. After SAB, Mr. Patterson took a year to study in the Post-Secondary Programme at the National Ballet of Canada. Mr. Patterson joined Ballet Austin II in August 2008 and joined the company in 2010.

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Elise Pekarek
Originally from the Chicago area, Elise began her ballet training with Judith Svalander in Crystal Lake, Illinois. With the school's performing company, she had the opportunity to dance leading roles in The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and Paquita as well as perform in Dance Chicago for several years. Elise attended summer programs at Ballet Austin and Pacific Northwest Ballet. After high school she continued her training with Ballet Austin's professional division trainee program and then became a Ballet Austin II apprentice. As an apprentice, Elise was privileged to perform Stephen Mills' Touch, Carmina Burana, and Red Roses as well as Thang Dao's Quiet Imprint. Following her second season with Ballet Austin II, Elise was invited to join the company and is thrilled about the upcoming season. She also teaches classes for Ballet Austin's Butler Community School and Pilates studio.

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Oren Porterfield
Oren hails from Dallas, TX, where she trained with Tanju and Patricia Tuzer of Tuzer Dancenter. Subsequently she travelled to New York City each summer to participate in the American Ballet Theatre Workshop wherein she was awarded a national training scholarship. Oren continued her training under revered teacher Truman Finney as a member of Ballet Austin's professional division trainee program before joining Ballet Austin II. As a professional Oren danced for two seasons as a member of Ohio Ballet and three seasons with Dayton Ballet, where she had the pleasure of performing the featured roles of Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire, and Lucy Westenra in Dracula. Since returning to Austin she has been featured in Nicolo Fonte's Lasting Imprint and originated a role in Stephen Mills' Luminaria. This is Oren's third season with the company.

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Chelsea Renner

Chelsea Marie Renner, originally from Bozeman, MT, received her early training from Ann Bates of Montana Ballet and Campbell Midgley of Queen City Ballet. Chelsea came to Ballet Austin in 2005 as a professional division trainee and became a member of Ballet Austin II in 2007. Since joining the main company in 2008, Ms. Renner has enjoyed performing in Stephen Mills' Kai, Hamlet, The Firebird, Truth & Beauty: The Bach Project, and most recently as a lady in waiting in The Magic Flute, along with George Balanchine's Episodes, Nicolo Fonte's Lasting Imprint, and Nelly van Bommel's Fanfarneta. During her first season she was privileged to represent Ballet Austin at the Kennedy Center. Chelsea was the first recipient of the Sarah and Ernest Butler Scholarship in 2006. This past summer, Chelsea was honored to marry the love of her life and would like to thank her husband Aaron, her parents, and her grandparents for their endless love and support. Ms. Renner is excited for her fourth season with the company.

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Frank Shott
A native of Vestal, NY, Frank trained with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School/Schenley Program, Houston Ballet Academy, and Pacific Northwest Ballet. Now in his twelfth season with Ballet Austin Frank has had the fortune of performing a variety of roles including Basilio in Don Quixote, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Peter in Peter Pan and James in La Sylphide. Mr. Shott has also appeared on KLRU performing the title role in Stephen Mills' Hamlet. Additionally, Frank has had the privilege of traveling the nation setting the fencing choreograpy for Mills' Hamlet, as well as choreographing the duels in Mr. Mills' Romeo & Juliet. Mr Shott is also honored to have the Austin Critic's Table acknowledge his technical and dramatic efforts on multiple occasions. When not dancing, he attends St. Edwards University, works as a Certified Massage Therapist, and enjoys every moment he has with his beautiful wife and daughter.

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Brittany Strickland
Hailing from Winston-Salem, NC, Brittany attended the North Carolina School of the Arts (now the University of NCSA) from 2001-2007 where she trained under Melissa Hayden, Nina Danilova, and Kee-Juan Han. From there she continued her training with Ballet Austin as a professional division trainee for one year and joined Ballet Austin II in 2008. With Ballet Austin II she was privileged to perform in works such as Thang Dao's Quiet Imprint and Stephen Mills' Touch as well as performing with the company in Mills' Coppelia and his world premiere of The Firebird. In 2010 she was promoted to a full company member and now looks forward to her second season with the company.

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Christopher Swaim

Christopher Swaim is originally from Bryant, AR, where he began his training with Kirt and Linda Hathaway at the Academy of Ballet Arkansas. After graduating with distinction from the University of Oklahoma with a B.F.A. in Ballet Pedagogy, he joined Ballet Austin II in 2004 before joining Ballet Austin's main company in 2006. Mr. Swaim has danced principal roles in The Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia, The Nutcracker, and Valse Fantasie, and has been featured in works by George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, Stephen Mills, Thaddeus Davis, Amy Seiwert, James Clouser, Miguel Terekhov, Septime Webre, Nelly Van Bommel, Gina Patterson, Nicolo Fonte, and Ben Stevenson. He has also performed at the 2010 San Francisco International Arts Festival as a guest with Amy Seiwert's company im'ijre, with The Suzanne Farrell Ballet at the Kennedy Center in 2008, and at the 2011 Festival des Arts de Saint- Sauveur. Mr. Swaim teaches in the Butler Community School and has guest taught across the country

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Beth Terwilleger

Beth Terwilleger, originally from Santa Cruz, CA, 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, Episodes, and Serenade by George Balanchine, Truth & Beauty: The Bach Project, Hamlet, Touch, silence within silence, Songs of Innuendo, and Red Roses by Stephen Mills along with other works by Twyla Tharp, KT Nelson, Michelle Thompson, Reginald Harris, Dominic Walsh, Gina Patterson, Thaddeus Davis, Viktor Kabaniaev and Thang Dao. This is Ms. Terwilleger's seventh 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 ninth season with Ballet Austin, Ms. Thompson has loved dancing in works by Mills (silence within silence, Red Roses, Light/The Holocaust & Humanity Project, Angel of My Nature, Kai), Patterson (Free to Fly, Red Line, Liquid Eyes), Twyla Tharp, and Balanchine. She was thrilled to perform the role of Kitri in Don Quixote and Sugar Plum in The Nutcracker.

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Kirby Wallis

Originally from Huntington Beach, CA, Kirby Wallis 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 then joined Ballet Austin II in the fall of 2006 and became a company member in the fall of 2008. Recently, she has enjoyed dancing in Stephen Mills' Truth and Beauty: The Bach Project and The Magic Flute, and Nicolo Fonte's Lasting Imprint and Left Unsaid. Ms. Wallis looks forward to her fourth season with the company.

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Jaime Lynn Witts

Jaime Lynn Witts, originally from Bucks County, PA, 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 in the trainee program and then joined Ballet Austin II in 2003. She is excited to start her eighth season with the company. Ms. Witts has enjoyed performing in Mills' Light/The Holocaust & Humanity Project and as Swanhilda in Coppelia. When she is not dancing Ms. Witts teaches at the Ballet Austin Academy.

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