Company Dancers
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 Paul Michael Bloodgood
Now in his sixth 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
Washington, Mr. Bloodgood has performed with Pacific
Northwest Ballet, Ballet Pacifica, Redlands Festival
Ballet, Ballet Austin and as a performer has toured
internationally to the Czech Republic, Germany,
Slovenia, Italy, and domestically to the Kennedy Center
in D.C., the Joyce Theater in New York City and Hawaii.
Professionally, he has danced principal roles such as
Romeo in Romeo & Juliet,
Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew, Cavalier and Snow King in The Nutcracker and
created the role of Le Chevalier in Emmy-winning
choreographer Robert Sund’s Liaisons. Mr.
Bloodgood has performed pieces by Tharp, Goh, Tudor,
Taylor-Corbet, Pucci, Petipa, Balanchine and over thirty
original works created by Mills, Rhoden, Stowell,
DeAngelo, Heim, Vasterling, Allan, Patterson and Davis,
among others. As a proud union member of SAG, AFTRA and
AEA, Mr. Bloodgood has made featured appearances in
films, music videos and television, with recent work in
director Michael Bay’s Transformers, Forest
Whitaker’s First Daughter and twenty
independent films, some of which are touring the film
festival circuit internationally. He is currently
training in Tukong martial arts under Master Yi for his
upcoming role in Rene Hinojosa’s Templar: Honor Among
Thieves. Mr. Bloodgood recently tied the knot with
company member, Anne Marie Melendez, and he would like
to thank Jesus Christ and his family for their love and
continuous encouragement.
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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. In 2001, Mr. Canova joined the Joffrey Ballet. He has enjoyed dancing
the roles of Principal in Allegro Brilliante, Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux, El Capitan in Stars and Stripes, Stephen Mills’ Three Movements, Paris in Romeo & Juliet and
Sonya Delwaides Soivre Vivre. Orlando would like to thank his mother Sylvia for her never ending support and love.
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 Anthony Casati
During his 14 years with Ballet Austin, Mr. Casati has
enjoyed two tours to the Kennedy Center in Washington
DC, a run at the Joyce Theater in New York, a residency
in prestigious Chautauqua, New York, as well as a tour
to Italy and Slovenia. In addition to Mr. Casati’s work
with BA, he has participated in many festivals,
guestings and competitions across Europe and North
America, including an extensive tour of China in 2001.
His prized moments onstage include the title role of
‘Hamlet’ in 2000 & 04, and Dancing ‘Romeo’ opposite Lisa
Washburn’s ‘Juliet’ for her retirement in 06. Many
thanks to Debbie Casati for being an amazing mother and
a “silent partner” to all the dancers since 1994’.
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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, Five Flights Up, and Touch.
Mr. Cotter was honored to perform in Stephen Mills’
Light/The Holocaust & Humanity Project. This is his
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, 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, the Sugar
Plum Fairy in Mills’ The Nutcracker and in
Gina Patterson’s Red Line. 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.
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 Reginald Harris
Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Reginald Harris
joined Ballet Austin II in the 2002/2003 and trained
with Truman Finney. Reginald has had the honor of
dancing principal roles in Stephen Mills Desire and
Three Movements, in which the second movement was
created for him, and Stephen Mills Touch.
Reginald is an aspiring choreographer, having created
five ballets for Ballet Austin II. This past year
Reginald was commissioned to choreograph works for the
Dallas Ballet Center and Ballet Conservatory of South
Texas. This year Reginald won a choreographic
competition to create an original work for the Gem City
Ballet in Dayton Ohio. This is Reginald’s fourth 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 Thaddeus Davis’ Pain Inside of
Confidence. This is Ms. Johnson’s second season with
the company.
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 Melissa Ludwig
Melissa Ludwig, originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan,
received her training at the School of the Grand Rapids
Ballet Company. She had the opportunity to perform as
an apprentice with the Grand Rapids Ballet Company as
well as the Milwaukee Ballet Company before joining
Ballet Austin II in the fall of 2004. Ms. Ludwig
has enjoyed performing works such as Thaddeus Davis'
Pain Inside of Confidence with Ballet Austin II and
Stephen Mills' Touch and Taming of the Shrew
with Ballet Austin. Ms. Ludwig is excited for her
second season with Ballet Austin.
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 Ashley Lynn
Ashley Lynn is a native of the Chicago area where she
received her formaltraining 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 has
toured with the company to the Joyce Theater (NYC), The
Kennedy Center (D.C.), Italy and Slovenia. Ms. Lynn
has also danced in works by Dwight Rhoden, Septime
Webre,Thaddeus Davis, Thang Dao, Gina Patterson, George
Balanchine and Twyla Tharp. Most recently, she has been
featured as Bianca in The Taming of the Shrew,
the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker and
Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty.
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 Anne Marie Melendez
Returning for her fifth season, Anne Marie Melendez
began her training in Torrance, California at the
Lauridsen Ballet Centre. She has previously performed
with the South Bay Ballet, Louisville Ballet, Ballet
Pacifica and Nevada Ballet Theatre. Ms. Melendez has
enjoyed roles in Mr. Mills The Naughty Ones,
Twyla Tharp’s The Golden Section, as the White
Cat in The Sleeping Beauty and was privileged to
tour with the company to the Joyce Theatre in New York.
Ms. Melendez is also an avid dance photographer
periodically showcasing her work in local venues. She
would like to thank Jesus Christ, her husband and fellow
dancer Paul and her family for their endless love and
support.
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 Eric Midgley
Mr.
Midgley began his career in 1979 with the Veselka
Ukrainian Folk Ensemble. He graduated from the Royal
Winnipeg Ballet School before joining Ballet Florida in
1989 and Ballet Austin in 2001. He has had over thirty
roles created for him, dancing works by Patterson,
Mills, Ailey, Butler, Caniparoli, Nebrada, Balanchine,
Martins, Soleau, Tharp, Ezralow, Kylian, Van Manen,
Taylor-Corbett, Vesak, Sappington, Lubovitch, McIntyre,
Parsons, Forsythe, and Wainrot. Mr. Midgley co-founded
Ballet Florida’s choreographic workshop, directing the
program for six years. He has toured and guested
extensively across North America and in Europe.
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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. This is
his first season with Ballet Austin. He would like to
thank his parents for their love and support and Mingon
Furman for her generosity, support and inspiration over
the years. Mr. Moser is very excited to be dancing with
Ballet Austin.
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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. Ms. Paino has
danced works by many choreographers including Stephen
Mills, George Balanchine, Dwight Rhoden, Thaddeus Davis
and Twyla Tharp. She has been featured in Mills'
Kai, as
The Chosen One in The
Rite of Spring; as Kate in
Taming of the Shrew
and as The Survivor in
Light / the Holocaust
and Humanity Project. Ms. Paino has toured
to New York, Washington D.C., Russia, Montreal, Slovenia
and Italy.
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 Gina Patterson
Ms.
Patterson has performed on the world’s stages since she
was sixteen, touring with the Pittsburgh Opera. During
twenty years as a Principal Dancer, she has become known
as a consummate actress. Her versatility shows in a wide
range of roles including Giselle, Kitri, Juliet, Odette/Odile
and Ophelia partnered by Desmond Richardson in Mills’
Hamlet as well as extensive repertoire works, both
classical and contemporary. She has appeared
internationally as a guest artist and at the Joyce
Theater, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center.
Ms.
Patterson is an internationally acclaimed choreographer,
winning the Choo-San Goh Award, the B. Iden Payne Award for
Outstanding Choreographer, the National Choreographic
Competition at Hubbard Street 2, Ballet Builders in NY, and
the National Choreographic Initiative. Her works have been
performed by Ballet Austin, Nashville Ballet, Ballet
Florida, Dayton Ballet, BalletMet, Ballet Pacifica, Hubbard
Street 2, Ballet Austin II, Ballet East, and Montana Ballet.
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 Frank Shott
A native of
Vestal, NY,
Frank is
currently in
his eighth
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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 Jim Stein
Jim Stein,
originally
from
Plainfield,
Illinois, is
in his
eighth
season with
the Company.
He trained
in the
Chicago area
and studied
during the
summers in
Milwaukee,
Houston and
Boston
ballet
schools.
After
spending his
senior year
of high
school
training
with the
Boston
Ballet II,
he attended
Butler
University
where he
received his
B.A. Mr.
Stein
performed
with the
Indianapolis
Ballet
Theater for
one season
and the
Atlanta
Ballet for
six years.
He has
enjoyed
performing
nationally
as well as
internationally
in Europe,
Asia, and
Canada. Mr.
Stein has
danced
numerous
principal
roles in
both
classical
and
contemporary
ballets by
such
choreographers
as Dwight
Rhoden,
Stanton
Welch, David
Parsons,
Michael
Pink, Ben
Stevenson,
George
Balanchine,
and Stephen
Mills.
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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
joined
Ballet
Austin II in
2004
appearing in
Thaddeus
Davis’
Pain Inside
of
Confidence
and Dwight
Rhoden’s
Salsa Pit.
He then
joined
Ballet
Austin in
2006 and was
privileged
to appear in
Stephen
Mill’s
Touch
and Twyla
Tharp’s
Golden
Section.
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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 fifth season with
Ballet Austin, Ms. Thompson has loved dancing in works
by Mills (Silence within Silence, Ká, Red Roses,
Light/The Holocaust & Humanity Project), Patterson (Free
to Fly, Red Line, Liquid Eyes), and Balanchine. She
has also enjoyed touring with the Company in New York,
Washington D.C., and Europe.
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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
fourth 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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