COMPANY APPRENTICES

Special Thanks

02 Fitness

Capitol Broadcasting Company/ WRAL

Carolina Family Practice

Celito

Centerline

Chris Walt Photography

City of Oaks Acupuncture

Falls Chiropractic and Injury iHeart Media

Raleigh Magazine

Spectrum

Synergy Spa

Triangle Dentistry

Triangle Disc Care

WCPE, The Classical Station

WNCN CBS 17

Walter Magazine

ZALMAN RAFFAEL (Artistic Director/CEO) Zalman Raffael, familiarly known as Zali, grew up in New York City. At age 8, he began studying at the School of American Ballet under the guidance of Olga Kostritzky. During this time, Zali had the opportunity to perform with New York City Ballet and American Ballet Theater, furthering his knowledge of the theater. At age 13 he choreographed his first piece for the School of American Ballet Choreographic Workshop. As a teenager, Zali worked with choreographers prominent at that time. After joining Carolina Ballet’s Corps de Ballet, Zali began setting ballets on the company and soon thereafter choreographing his own pieces for Carolina Ballet. Zali was promoted to Carolina Ballet’s first Resident Choreographer and has created over 30 ballets for the company including Rhapsody, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto and In the Grey. Founding Artistic Director Robert Weiss, and former Principal dancer Melissa Podcasy, have truly been mentors to Zali, exposing him to the intricacies of teaching, choreographing, fundraising, administrative duties and all aspects of running a professional ballet company. In 2018, Zali initiated opening the School of Carolina Ballet and after becoming Carolina Ballet’s Artistic Director/CEO in 2019, he continues to elevate Carolina Ballet through his innovative vision.

ROBERT WEISS (Founding Artistic Director) Robert Weiss has served as Carolina Ballet’s Artistic Director/CEO since the company’s professional launch in 1997. Under his artistic and executive leadership, Carolina Ballet has become one of America’s premier professional ballet companies, and one of the nation’s finest arts organizations (The Wall Street Journal). Mr. Weiss has created over 70 new works for Carolina Ballet, including the first full-evening ballet choreographed to Handel’s Messiah, an original full-length Don Quixote, Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, Carmen, and The Nutcracker. In addition, he has choreographed repertory pieces to Stravinsky’s Firebird, Petruschka, Symphony in C and Concerto for Two Pianos; Beethoven’s 5th Piano Concerto, Grosse Fuge, and the 9th Symphony; Bach’s Musical Offering; Grieg’s Piano Concerto; Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony; and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. He has worked with contemporary composer Paul Moravec using his Tempest Fantasy and Time Gallery to create new ballets; and he has collaborated on many pieces including The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, The Masque of the Red Death, and a full evening Macbeth with contemporary composer J. Mark Scearce. Mr. Weiss started his career as a dancer with the New York City Ballet where he was a Principal under George Balanchine and Jerome Robbins who both created work on him. Before moving to Raleigh he directed the Pennsylvania Ballet for just shy of a decade. Among his many awards for excellence are a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Raleigh Medal of Arts, and an honorary Doctorate from NC State University. He is married to Melissa Podcasy, the company’s Founding Principal Ballerina, now a Ballet Master with the company.

SEASON 2022-2023

JEROME ROBBINS’ THE CONCERT

SEPTEMBER 22-25, 2022

Raleigh Memorial Auditorium

DRACULA

OCTOBER 13-30, 2022

Fletcher Opera Theater

BEETHOVEN: SYMPHONY NO. 9

NOVEMBER 17-20, 2022

Raleigh Memorial Auditorium

THE NUTCRACKER

Presented by

DECEMBER 10-24, 2022

DPAC/Raleigh Memorial Auditorium

GRIEG: PIANO CONCERTO

FEBRUARY 2-19, 2023

Fletcher Opera Theater

MOZART: SYMPHONY NO. 40

MARCH 9-26, 2023

Fletcher Opera Theater

ORPHEUS & EURYDICE

APRIL 27-30, 2023

Raleigh Memorial Auditorium

SLEEPING BEAUTY

MAY 18-21, 2023

Raleigh Memorial Auditorium

LYNNE TAYLOR-CORBETT (Principal Guest Choreographer: Dracula, Carmina Burana) is a member of the Society for Directors and Choreographers and on the Counsel of Advisors for the Association on American Indian Affairs. She was nominated for Tony Awards and a Drama Desk Award for Broadway’s Swing! and received Drama Desk and Lortel nominations for My Vaudeville Man and Wanda’s World She directed and choreographed Cougar the Musical, KICK! and When it Happens to You Off-Broadway and adapted and directed The Lion King for Disney in Hong Kong. Her choreography can be seen in feature films Footloose and My Blue Heaven. Her dance works have been commissioned by New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Hubbard Street Dance Company, and Pacific Northwest Ballet. Companies throughout the world have performed her works which have been seen on Live from Lincoln Center, Live from the San Francisco Opera House and on UNC-TV. This coming Spring she will open Distant Thunder, a contemporary musical written with son, Shaun Taylor-Corbett set on the Blackfeet Reservation. It will open at the world renown First Americans Museum, in Oklahoma City produced by the Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma in a state that is the end of the Trail of Tears and home to 39 tribes.

DEBRA AUSTIN (Ballet Master, Founding Member) received a scholarship to the School of American Ballet and at age 16 was asked by George Balanchine to join New York City Ballet. Praised by The New York Times for her ability to “levitate...and remain suspended in the air,” Ms. Austin danced many principal roles with New York City Ballet in works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, John Clifford, and Jacques d’Amboise. She later joined Zurich Ballet as a Soloist and danced roles with Rudolf Nureyev in works by all major choreographers, including Heinz Spoerli and Rudolf Nureyev. After her return to the United States, she joined Pennsylvania Ballet as a Principal under the direction of Robert Weiss. She was awarded the “Certificate of Appreciation” from Governor Roy Cooper. Currently, Ms. Austin is a guest teacher for Dance Theatre of Harlem and serves on the Diversity Committee at SAB. Her pointe shoes are displayed at the North Carolina Museum of Natural History. In February 2020, Ms. Austin will be honored at the Fashion Institute of Technology where a gown she once wore as designed by Bieff Herrera will be featured in an upcoming exhibit.

MARIN BOIERU (Ballet Master, Founding Member) studied ballet in his native Romania and then later at the Kirov Ballet in Russia. He won the gold medal at the International Ballet Competition-Varna and the silver at the International Ballet Competition-Moscow. Praised by The New York Times for his “heart-stopping ability,” he performed as a Principal Dancer in the United States at Miami City Ballet and Pennsylvania Ballet and in Europe at Maurice Béjart’s Ballet of the 20th Century (Switzerland), Roland Petit’s Ballet National de Marseille (France), and Opera of Bucharest (Romania). He has toured nationally and internationally with Stars of American Ballet partnering Susan Jaffe, Alexandra Ferri, and Leslie Brown. His television appearances include starring roles in La Sylphide on PBS, in The Magic Flute on French television, and in Giselle on TVR in Romania.

DAMEON NAGEL (Ballet Master, Founding Member) Dameon was born in Canada and received his training at The National Ballet School in Toronto. Before joining Carolina Ballet, he danced with Cleveland San Jose Ballet. Mr. Nagel joined Carolina Ballet as an Apprentice during its inaugural season. He performed the role of Paris in the premiere of Romeo & Juliet. As a founding member of Carolina Ballet, Mr. Nagel has performed in many of the company’s world premieres. Some notable roles include The Man in Lilac Garden, Concerto Barocco, Steptext and Chiaroscuro. Mr. Nagel has set ballets choreographed by Robert Weiss at Washington Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, and Ballet Hawaii as well as Lynne Taylor-Corbett’s Little Mermaid in Denver and Japan.

ACCEPTING STUDENTS AGES 6 TO ADULT!

The School of Carolina Ballet offers a thoughtful, well-versed curriculum led by our faculty and renowned guest artists for beginning to Pre-Professional dancers. Classes offered include Ballet Technique, Pointe, Variations, Pas de Deux, Men’s Class, Conditioning, Contemporary and Hip-Hop. Adult Drop-in classes available for ages 12 and up.

Visit www.carolinaballet.com for additional information.

Call 919-747-8459 or email nfokine@carolinaballet.com .

Debra Austin

Marin Boieru

Jan Burkhard

Kiefer Curtis

Amanda Gerhardt

Willie Hinton

Marcelo Martinez

Ayla O’Day

Pablo Perez

Alyssa Pilger

Lindsay Purrington

Jose Rondon Jr.

Courtney Schenberger

Yevgeny Shlapko

MELISSA PODCASY (Ballet Master, Founding Member) In her 15 seasons as a Principal Ballerina with Carolina Ballet, her repertoire consisted of over 50 ballets, 40 of which were created on her. She danced as a Principal with Pennsylvania Ballet (Robert Weiss, Artistic Director) and Basel Ballet, Switzerland (Heinz Spoerli, Artistic Director). She has appeared as a guest artist with New York City Ballet (Peter Martins’ Barber Violin Concerto); has danced nationally and internationally with Stars of American Ballet; and toured North America with Principal Dancers of New York City Ballet (Colombia Artists Management). She has worked with and created roles for Christopher Wheeldon, William Forsythe, Richard Tanner, Damian Woetzel, and Peter Martins. Ms. Podcasy is honored to have shared the stage and been coached by the great José Limón dancer, Clay Taliaferro. She has collaborated with choreographers Lynne Taylor-Corbett and Robert Weiss throughout her career, appearing in a countless number of their creations. She has performed the work of Antony Tudor, August Bournonville and José Limón. Her Balanchine repertoire consists of more than 25 ballets. Ms. Podcasy has danced the ballerina roles in 10 full-length ballets including Giselle, John Cranko’s Romeo & Juliet, Heinz Spoerli’s La Fille Mal Gardee, and Peter Martins’ La Sylphide, which was filmed for PBS Dance in America. Other television credits: Giselle (Romanian national TV), Homage to Switzerland (Swiss television), 7 productions for UNC-TV statewide. Ms. Podcasy received the Raleigh Medal of Arts in 2007.

PABLO JAVIER PEREZ (Ballet Master, Founding Member)

Pablo was born in Uruguay and graduated with the highest honors from the National School of Dance. In 1994 he won a silver medal at an international dance competition in Brazil. Mr. Perez has also danced with The Teatro de Colón de Buenos Aires. Mr. Perez joined Carolina Ballet in its first season. His roles include Mercutio in Romeo & Juliet, Puck and Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hilarion in Giselle, Renfield in Dracula, and principal roles in Tarantella, Square Dance, Four Temperaments, Fancy Free, Steadfast Tin Soldier, Rubies, and Valse Fantaisie. He has had several principal roles choreographed on him, including Robert Weiss’ Adagio, Joker in Masque of the Red Death, and Peter in Peter & the Wolf. In 2001, he was invited by the First Lady of Uruguay to participate in a national tour of Uruguay.

OLGA KOSTRITZKY (Guest Ballet Master/ Artist in Residence ) is a recipient of The Senates State of New York Award, Mae L. Wien Award and the 2012 Inspirational Award for Women USA. For two decades, Ms. Kostritzky was a faculty member at the School of American Ballet where she was a pioneer and creator of the first Boys Program and it's principal teacher as well. Ms. Kostritzky was a coach for a Cambodian dancer and was featured in the documentary film Dancing Across Borders, produced by Anne Bass. She was a Ballet Consultant and a coach for Natalie Portman in Darren Aronovsky’s Black Swan. She worked with directors: Igor Zelensky at NSOBT, Moscow Stanislavski and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theater, Benjamin Millepied, Aure’lie DuPont-Paris Opera, Aaron Watkin-Semperoper of Dresden, Vail and Houston International Dance Festival.

ALFRED E. STURGIS (Music Director) has conducted over 30 different ballets for Carolina Ballet including four world premieres and nearly 400 Nutcracker performances. In addition to his work with Carolina Ballet, Sturgis serves as Music Director for the North Carolina Master Chorale and the Tar River Orchestra in Rocky Mount. Known for being a strong collaborative artist, he has also enjoyed a great deal of experience in opera and musical theatre. Maestro Sturgis has served as guest conductor for the New York City Ballet, North Carolina Symphony, North Carolina Theatre, Winston-Salem Symphony, Fayetteville Symphony, Long Leaf Opera, and Capital Opera. He has conducted overseas in China, Bulgaria, France, Italy and the U.K. In 1996, he was awarded the Raleigh Medal of Arts.

JEFF A.R. JONES (Resident Designer/Fight Director) has designed sets and/or costumes for many of Carolina Ballet’s original works beginning with the Company’s first new work, Dancers in a Gypsy Style, and continuing with such shows as Messiah, The Kreutzer Sonata, and Carmen. He created the scenery for The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Firebird, Dracula and Little Mermaid among many others. He has designed throughout the Southeast. As a Fight Director, he has staged fights for ballet, dance, theatre, opera, film, and television over the past 20+ years. He has taught classes at UNC Professional Actor Training Program, Florida State, Asolo Conservatory, Duke University, and is faculty at Elon University and William Peace University. He holds the titles of Fight Director, Certified Teacher, and Instructor of Theatrical Firearms with the Society of American Fight Directors. Mr. Jones has a Bachelor’s degree from William & Mary and a Master of Fine Arts from Florida State University.

ROSS KOLMAN (Resident Lighting Designer) is a Founding Member of Carolina Ballet, where he has designed the lighting for Romeo & Juliet, Messiah, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Kreutzer Sonata, Carmen, Coppélia, Stravinsky’s Clowns, The Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen, Firebird and The Nutcracker, among many others. He has designed lighting for many others including Martha Clarke, Jacques d’ Amboise, Lynne TaylorCorbett, Christopher Wheeldon, Ann Carlson, Richard Tanner, Damian Woetzel, Tyler Walters, Chuck Davis, Mark Dendy, Liz Lerman, New Performing Dance Co., The North Carolina Dance Theatre, Peter Pucci, and Clay Taliaferro. Mr. Kolman has also served as the Resident Lighting Designer for Archipelago, The Duke University Institute of the Arts, and Marlies Yearby’s Movin’ Spirits Dance Theater. In addition, Mr. Kolman has worked as the Production Manager for the American Dance Festival, Carolina Ballet, and Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Ensemble Creative Exchanges Program.

TERRY BAKER (Resident Costume Designer) is a graduate of the Southern Illinois University Costume Design MFA program and has worked for Cortland Repertory Theatre, Barrington Stage Company, McCleod Summer Playhouse, and Georgia Shakespeare. His work ranges from production costume making & designing, wardrobe supervising, and makeup artistry to freelance costuming and crafting for individuals. Since coming to Carolina Ballet, his design credits include Barolage (Zalman Raffael), Four Miniatures (Robert Weiss), and the 2021 Choreographers Spotlight Series.

Board Of Directors

Mrs. Karen Foster

CHAIR

Ms. Margaret A. Deal

TREASURER

Mrs. Jane Small

SECRETARY

Board Members

Dr. Lenore Behar

Mr. Maurice W. Boswell

Mrs. Susan Brigham

Dr. Anna Goodmon, M.D.

Dr. Robert Schantz

Emeritus Board Members

Mr. J. Ward Purrington, Founding Chairman Emeritus

Mr. William T. Barnett

Mrs. Tamara P. Barringer

Mrs. Laura Bayzle

Mrs. Sandra Berry

Mrs. Cooper P. Bratton

Mrs. Cynthia D. Brodhead

Mrs. Stephanie B. Brown

Mrs. Mary Jane Bryant

Mr. Clymer Cease

Ms. Holly Crumpler

Mrs. Angela H. Dillard

Mrs. Melanie Black Dubis

The Hon. Allyson K. Duncan

Mr. Clayton I. Duncan

Ms. Susan C. Garrity

Dr. A. Blanton Godfrey

Ms. Jane Heitman Green

Ms. Meredythe J. Holmes

Ms. Jan Hoomani

Mr. R. Horace Johnson

Ms. Becky Johnson

Dr. Moise Khayrallah

Mrs. Stefanie Kahn

VICE-CHAIR

Ms. Elise Hobbs-Gannaway

VICE-TREASURER

Mr. Charlie Silver

Mrs. Katherine R. White

Mrs. Lesley Wilson

Mrs. Judy Zelnak

Mr. Robert E. Leak

Mrs. Judy LeGrand

Mrs. Nancy Lilly

Ms. Rose Meltzer

Mr. M. Reid Overcash

Mrs. Tricia Phoenix

Mrs. Connie A. Plastina

Mrs. Rochelle Prystowsky

Dr. Suzanne T. Purrington

Mrs. Laura Raynor

Mr. Larry Robbins

Mrs. June Roberg

Ms. Pandora Shaw

Mr. Harvey Smalheiser

Mrs. Eve H. Smith

Mrs. Mindy Solie

Mrs. Carolyn Stidham

Ms. Sandy Sully

Mrs. Kimberly Swintosky

Mrs. Joan Techet

Mr. Robert Tiller

Mr. Lars von Kantzow

Mr. Thomas G. Ward

Ms. Peggy Wilks

Carolina Ballet Benefit Piano Sale Event

I n s t i t u t i o n a l s a l e p r i c i n g o n o u r e n t i r e i n v e n t o r y o f i n s t o c k n e w & u s e d p i a n o s

0 % i n t e r e s t f i n a n c i n g f o r 2 5 m o n t h s w i t h a s l i t t l e a s $ O d o w n

A l l p i a n o p u r c h a s e s i n c l u d e u p t o f o u r c o m p l i m e n t a r y C a r o l i n a B a l l e t t i c k e t s

A p o r t i o n o f e a c h p i a n o s e l e c t i o n w i l l b e d o n a t e d t o C a r o l i n a B a l l e t i n y o u r n a m e

N e w f r o m Y a m a h a | B o s e n d o r f e r | E s t o n i a | S c h i m m e l | H a l l e t & D a v i s | C l a v i n o v a

U s e d f r o m S t e i n w a y & S o n s | K a w a i | M a s o n & H a m l i n | Y a m a h a | & O t h e r s C A L L 9 1 9 . 8 3 9 . 2 0 4 0 O

S u p p o r t C a r o l i n a B a l l e t b y p u r c h a s i n g t h e l i m i t e d p r o d u Y a m a h a C F X C o n c e r t G r a n d p i a n o t h a t w i l l b e f e a t u r e d o n s t a g e f o r t h e f i r s t B a l l e t o f t h e i r 2 5 t h s e a s o n !

M S R P : $ 1 9 1 , 3 9 9

F u n d r a i s e r P r i c e : $ 1 5 0 , 0 0 0 w i t h $ 2 5 , 0 0 0 o f t h e s a l e p r i c e a s a d i r e c t t a x d e d u c t i b l e d o n a t i o n t o C a r o l i n a B a l l e t !