Cincinnati Ballet - Bold Moves 2023

JUNE 9-18, 2023

ARONOFF CENTER FOR THE ARTS

SAMANTHA RIESTER, DANIEL WAGNER | PHOTOGRAPHY: AARON M. CONWAY

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PROGRAM EXPLANATION

WELCOME TO CINCINNATI BALLET'S BOLD MOVES FESTIVAL.

For Program 1 information, please continue to page 15 For Program 2 information, please proceed to page 27

We hope you enjoy the incredible dance presented during this production. To expand your Festival Experience and learn more about the repertoire, scan the QR code below.

ACADEMY AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS

Cincinnati Ballet’s Otto M. Budig Academy serves the greater Cincinnati area through world-class dance education programs and unparalleled performance opportunities. Whether students aspire to dance as a profession or pursue it as a personal passion, we believe dance training allows them to unleash potential that proves impactful in all aspects of their lives. Led by nationally recognized faculty, our guiding principles are to teach, challenge, and inspire the whole student to achieve their

CHILDREN’S AND YOUTH DANCE PROGRAMS

Enrollment based on age with beginning and progressing levels Designed to inspire a lifelong love of dance, the Academy’s Children’s and Community Divisions offer entry-level and advancing classes in creative dance, ballet, and a wide array of

Ages 8 – 18

Enrollment based on experience with an accelerating curriculum Our highly regarded ballet training, coupled with well-rounded

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING DIVISION

Ages 16 and Up Enrollment by invitation

For students on the cusp of careers in dance, the Professional Training Division provides dancers with a full-day immersive training program and opportunities to perform alongside Cincinnati Ballet’s professional Company.

ADAPTIVE DANCE PROGRAMS

Ages 4 – Young Adult

Placement determined by student support resources

Cincinnati Ballet’s CB Moves program, developed in partnership with Cincinnati Children’s Department of Physical Therapy, fosters a love of dance and creative expression for students with specific needs.

For more information or to register connect with us at: Email: cbacademy@cballet.org | Phone: 513.562.1111 | Website: cballet.org/academy

Address: 1801 Gilbert Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio

Photography: Hiromi Platt

Photography: Angie Lipscomb

Photography: Angie Lipscomb

Photography: Aaron M. Conway

BOLD MOVES: PROGRAM 1

BOLD MOVES: PROGRAM 1 CREATIVE TEAM

BOLD MOVES: PROGRAM 2

BOLD MOVES: PROGRAM 2 CREATIVE TEAM CINCINNATI BALLET LEADERSHIP

· Season Welcome Gift

·Discounts on additional tickets

·Flexible payment plans

·Flexible, no-fee exchanges (within a production)

·Priority seating before the general public

·Access to pre-paid parking

·Exclusive invitation to rehearsal viewing and other subscriber-only events

· Discount coupon on CB

DEAR FRIENDS OF CINCINNATI BALLET,

What a stellar way to conclude the 2022–2023 Season with our Bold Moves Festival! We are truly inspired by the artists, dancers, and creative collaborators who have worked tirelessly to create this experience for our community. From the rehearsal studio to the stage, our dancers have committed 110 percent to bringing to life the vision of our extraordinary Festival choreographers and artists. First, our guest artist, Irene Rodríguez, will wow the audience with her remarkable Flamenco Dance. I am also excited to welcome back our wonderful choreographers Jennifer Archibald, Val Caniparoli, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Garrett Smith and introduce Cincinnati to the work of legendary choreographer William Forsythe, my longtime colleague and friend. I am honored to share Forsythe’s groundbreaking In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, originally created for the Paris Opera Ballet and considered ‘the work that changed ballet forever.’ As I reflect on my first season as artistic director of Cincinnati Ballet, I must acknowledge how impressed I have been with our Company’s versatility and athleticism, which are on full display here at the Festival with its dynamic contemporary dance. This work is challenging for any dancer in the world, and our beautiful dancers have all risen to the occasion. I am so thankful for their artistry, creativity, and professionalism. I am also deeply thankful for the efforts of Cincinnati Ballet’s artistic team, Rehearsal Directors Cervilio Amador and Dale Shields and Second Company – CB2 Director Suzette Boyer Webb, for their hard work and dedication all season long. I must take a moment now to share some exciting news. As the second woman to lead this incredible Company of artists, I am pleased to announce my predecessor, Victoria Morgan, has officially been recognized as Cincinnati Ballet Artistic Director Emerita. I would like to thank Victoria for curating the 2022–2023 Season and for her 25 years of artistic leadership of Cincinnati Ballet. It is my honor to build on your legacy, push the boundaries of what dance can be, and create a welcoming space for all artists, as we share this incredible artform with our community.

I look forward to seeing you next season for the 60th anniversary and my first year programming repertory for the Company. Have a beautiful summer and see you in September for MORE ROOM TO PLAY, Kaplan New Works, which will launch our 2023–2024 Season.

Sincerely,

JODIE GATES Artistic Director

Sue and Bill Friedlander Endowed Chair Otto M. Budig Academy Artistic Director

A proud sponsor of the musical arts

DEAR FRIENDS OF CINCINNATI BALLET,

Thank you for joining us for our fi nal production of this incredible 2022–2023 Season. Bold Moves Festival features six diverse and thought-provoking pieces that are an appropriate capstone to this phenomenal season. As we approach our 60th Anniversary Season, I am struck by the evolution of the Company over the past six decades into a world-class Company of such depth, breadth, and quality. During this Season, we have presented such varied works as Septime Webre’s over-the-top, whimsical ALICE (in wonderland), our collaborative production with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the May Festival Choir for Nicolo Fonte’s Carmina Burana for our Fall Series, and the groundbreaking and innovative repertoire you are about to experience during Bold Moves Festival. Choreographers William Forsythe, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Val Caniparoli, Jennifer Archibald, and Garrett Smith join guest artist Irene Rodríguez on two rich and eclectic programs. From the novice to the ballet aficionado—this season has been satisfying and entertaining. We are so grateful to you—the thousands and thousands of community members who chose to support our Company by sharing enriching theater experiences with us. Until we meet again for MORE ROOM TO PLAY, Kaplan New Works, which will kick off our Diamond Anniversary Season with incredible world premieres, we are equally excited for our summer programs. We are honored to welcome dancers from all over the world to study at these esteemed Summer Intensive programs. Training the next generation of artists is core to our mission, as we stretch the boundaries of our offerings and look towards the next 60 years of Cincinnati Ballet.

Our sincere gratitude for your support.

SCOTT ALTMAN President and CEO

SPONSORS

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PRODUCTION SPONSORS

PRESENTING SPONSOR

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT SPONSOR

CHOREOGRAPHY & ARTIST SPONSORS

JENNIFER ARCHIBALD CHOREOGRAPHER SPONSORS

Joni Herschede Fund*

Karen F. Maier and Delane Starliper

VAL CANIPAROLI CHOREOGRAPHER SPONSORS

Donald Beck and Dr. Lawrence Eynon

WILLIAM FORSYTHE CHOREOGRAPHER SPONSORS

John and Jen Stein

ANNABELLE LOPEZ OCHOA CHOREOGRAPHER SPONSORS

IRENE RODRÍGUEZ CHOREOGRAPHER SPONSORS

Karen F. Maier and Delane Starliper

The Victoria Morgan Women’s Choreographer and Artist Fund

GARRETT SMITH CHOREOGRAPHER SPONSORS

Linda and Gary Greenberg

SUPPORTING SPONSORS

Charles Scott Riley III Foundation

Debbie and Jody Brant

Fran and Wayne Carlisle

Peter T. Joseph Foundation

Jeffrey & Jody Lazarow and Janie & Peter Schwartz Family Fund*

Alice Schneider

The Austin E. Knowlton Foundation is a proud season partner of Cincinnati Ballet

SIT

CHOREOGRAPHY AND COSTUME DESIGN Jennifer Archibald

MUSIC Midnite, Hang and Balance; Art of Fusion Drumming, Taufiq/Qureshi; Komodo, Maro Jailo

STAGING Cervilio Amador

ORIGINAL LIGHTING DESIGN Robert Eubanks

Premiered September 11, 2014, by Cincinnati Ballet, Aronoff Center for the Arts, Cincinnati, Ohio

A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME

CHOREOGRAPHY AND PERFORMER Irene Rodríguez

MUSIC Cristian Puig (Composer, Flamenco singer and guitarist); Damir Fuentes (percussionist)

COSTUME DESIGN Pilar Cordero

ASSISTANT Irene López

LIGHTING DESIGN Nicole Pearce

World Premiere

IN THE MIDDLE, SOMEWHAT ELEVATED

CHOREOGRAPHY, STAGE, LIGHTING, AND COSTUME DESIGN William Forsythe

MUSIC Thom Willems in collaboration with Lesley Stuck*

STAGING Jodie Gates

LIGHTING SUPERVISOR Michael Korsch

SOUND SUPERVISOR Benjamin Young

Premiered May 30, 1987, Ballet de l’Opera de Paris, Palais Garnier, Paris France

Costumes courtesy of Pacific Northwest Ballet, Peter Boal, Artistic Director

*Performed with permission of Boosey and Hawkes Music Publishers Limited

FESTIVAL LIGHTING DESIGN Nicole Pearce

SIT

PROGRAM NOTES

Inspired by the concept of ‘sitting,’ creating a moment of restfulness to quiet the mind, Archibald’s brilliant work moves the dancers through fluid movement. The piece then progresses to raw, liberating motion—complemented by the Far East and African drums.

CREATIVE TEAM

JENNIFER ARCHIBALD CHOREOGRAPHER

Jennifer Archibald is the founder and Artistic Director of the Arch Dance Company and Program Director of ArchCore40 Dance Intensives. In 2017 she was appointed as the first female Resident Choreographer in Cincinnati Ballet’s 40-year history. Archibald has choreographed for Atlanta Ballet, Ailey II, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Kansas City Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Grand Rapids Ballet, Ballet West, Sacramento Ballet, Nashville Ballet and Pittsburgh Ballet, Richmond Ballet, BalletX, Ballet Austin, Grand Rapids Ballet and worked commercially for Tommy Hilfiger, NIKE, and MAC Cosmetics, as well as chart-listed artists. Archibald was the acting Movement Director for Michael Kahn’s The Oresteia at the Shakespeare Theatre Company. As a director she premiered WeAIghT, a film featuring current Ailey Company member James Gilmer that was selected for Best Choreography and Best Male Lead for Mountain View Film Festival. WeAIghT was an official selection for Lincoln Center’s 50th annual Dance on Camera Festival. Archibald’s works have been performed at venues including New York’s City Center, Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center, Aaron Davis Hall, Jacob’s Pillow Inside|Out Stage, and Central Park’s Summerstage

Mainstage. She was awarded a Choreographic Fellowship for Ailey’s New Directions Choreography Lab under the direction of Robert Battle, and is a Joffrey Ballet Choreographic Winnings recipient. Archibald choreographed Seven, a biographical work about Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee, which was commissioned by St. Louis based MADCO Dance Company. She was the 2018–19 recipient of the CUNY Dance Initiative Residency. Archibald is currently in her eighth year as an Acting Lecturer at the Yale School of Drama and was appointed as Guest Faculty Lecturer to develop the Hip Hop dance curriculum at Columbia/Barnard College. Archibald was the guest ballet Choreographer for Jacob’s Pillow Ballet Summer Program in 2022 and will be the guest Contemporary Choreographer in 2023. She is also a guest artist at several universities including YALE Summer Directing Program, Fordham/Ailey, Stanford University, Purchase College, Princeton, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of South Florida, Goucher College, Columbia College Chicago, Miami New World School of the Arts, South Carolina’s Governor’s School of the Arts, Ailey Fordham, Boston Conservatory, and Point Park. The Kennedy Centre has announced that Archibald will be the choreographer for the Pathways to Performance–Exercises in Reframing the Narrative in summer 2024.

PROGRAMS FOR SCHOOLS

IN-SCHOOL RESIDENCIES

Cincinnati Ballet is delighted to provide elementary schools in the greater Cincinnati area with FREE residency experiences sure to inspire your students to move and to develop an appreciation for the art of dance.

Focus: Second Grade

Available: September - December

The CincyDance! program starts in the classroom using a combination of physical education curriculum and dance training to activate a student’s desire to express themselves through movement. Following the residency, students are invited to audition for scholarships to continue their training at Cincinnati Ballet.

Focus: Pre-K

Available: January - April

The CincyDance! Pre-K program activates a student’s imagination while introducing them to the joy of creative movement and ballet. Students will explore locomotor movement, balance and other key coordination skills with highly skilled Cincinnati Ballet teaching artists.

PERFORMANCES FOR SCHOOLS

Cincinnati Ballet makes the beauty of live performance available to students across the greater Cincinnati area through in-school touring productions and student matinees for all grade levels.

TOURING COMMUNITY PERFORMANCES

Bring Cincinnati Ballet directly to your school or community center! Each production is designed with a specific age group in mind and creates an experience that welcomes new audiences to dancethrough accessible storytelling, relatable themes, funchoreography,and interactive content.

STUDENT MATINEES

Cincinnati Ballet’s student matinees connect students to live dance at the Aronoff Center, Music Hall, and the Valentine Center for Dance. These special performances are offered at an accessible price and time, making for an extraordinary student experience and a unique connection to the region’s largest professional ballet company.

Photography: Hiromi Platt

PROGRAM 1

IRENE RODRÍGUEZ COMPAÑÍA

PROGRAM NOTES

From Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

No matter how you choose to name or label things, they will never change their essence.

CREATIVE TEAM

IRENE RODRÍGUEZ CHOREOGRAPHER, PERFORMER

Born in Cuba and recently settled in the United States, Irene Rodríguez is a leading international figure of Spanish dance and choreography. In 2018, the King of Spain granted her the Orden “Isabel la Católica,” Spain’s highest civilian honor. As a Principal Dancer, choreographer, and dance instructor, Rodríguez has worked both as a dancer and style and choreography consultant to the Spanish repertory and as a choreographer of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. She earned a Theater Arts Degree and a master’s degree in theoretical studies of dance, has given conferences internationally as well as master classes to the Juilliard School, the Straz Center for the Performing Arts, the San José Ballet, FIU, and USF among others. She has danced to great acclaim in the most prestigious theaters and festivals around the world, and in the U.S. she has performed at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Joyce Theater, the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival (with commissioned works), and the Ken-

nedy Center for the performing arts among others. In 2012 she founded her own dance company: Compañía Irene Rodríguez and she directed Havana’s most prestigious Spanish dance academy, which she also founded. For many years, she was the Artistic Director of the International Festival “La Huella de España,” a very significant event in Cuba, directed by Alicia Alonso. In 2019 she decided to continue her career in the United States, settling permanently in Tampa, Florida in 2021. Among her most important awards are: First Prize in the VIII Iberoamerican Choreography Competition SGAE, the UNEAC Choreography Award, the Excellence Choreography Award (International Ballet Schools Competition); she has been included several times in The Book of Honor of the Gran Teatro de la Habana; the Iberoamerican Medal Honoris Causa Foundation (México University); the Audience and UNEAC Award at the Choreography contest “Vladimir Malakhov,” YAGP Outstanding Choreographer. She was recently honored with the University of South Florida MEDAL OF HONOR from University President Rhea F. Law.

CRISTIAN PUIG

COMPOSER, FLAMENCO SINGER AND GUITARIST

Cristian Puig’s Flamenco career stems from his heritage passed on from his parents Pablo (guitarist) and Gloria (singer). He started playing guitar at age 20 and never looked back. In 1989 Puig formed the flamenco-jazz group “Rabat” and led the group in performances throughout South America. Puig came to New York in 2000 from Argentina with a guitar and a dream. He has since played all tablaos in New York and many nationwide.

Notable accomplishments: Original compositions for the film “The Late Quartet” (2012); Thalia The-

ater (2002–2012), Entre Cuerdas with Al Dimeola, Inflam Project, and Flamenco Inside/Out.

Notable performances: Kimmel Center with Peter Nero and The Philly Pops, The Bahamas International film festival, and the White House with actor/ singer Terrence Howard.

Puig has worked with the Irene Rodríguez Company, at the Joyce Theater in New York, at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance festival in 2022 and at the Straz Center for the performing arts. In 2019 he was the musical director of the Spanish dance and Flamenco Program of the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, which was directed by Irene Rodríguez. Puig’s flamenco/ indu music project Inflame is working on a new CD.

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”

DAMIR FUENTES PERCUSSIONIST

Damir Fuentes is a Cuban world percussionist who has been exploring culturally rich musical styles for over 25 years. He has extensive experience with Flamenco and Afro-Cuban cultural influences, having started his career as a musician with the Lizt Alfonso Cuban Dance group and collaborated with influential Cuban Flamenco bands. With a special interest in Flamenco percussion and culture, Fuentes has participated in various master courses and events with renowned figures

of Flamenco. He has also ventured into areas like electronic and experimental music and successfully blended electronic sonorities with Flamenco, Jazz, and Afro-Cuban music. Currently, Fuentes is sharing his artistry with the Central Florida community through multiple musical projects, while also serving as the founder and general manager of Bilingual Speech Therapy of Clearwater, LLC, a clinic that provides effective interventions for neuro-diverse children and adults using music therapy in an array of other well established therapy modalities. Fuentes brings a full multicultural approach to improve the lives of all in our great communities.

IRENE LÓPEZ ASSISTANT

Graduated in Economy, Irene Lopez worked at the National Institute of Technology and En-

vironments at the Cuban Sciences Academy for 39 years. Mother of Irene Rodríguez, she has been the manager of the Compañía Irene Rodríguez since its creation, playing several rolls inside it.

NICOLE PEARCE LIGHTING DESIGN

Nicole Pearce is a multidisciplinary artist living in Queens, New York. Her work has been seen across the United States, Cuba, England, Germany, Japan, Korea, Italy, New Zealand, and Russia. Recent works include The Look of Love choreographed by Mark Morris with the Mark Morris Dance Group, Catch Me If You Can di-

rected by Molly Smith with Arena Stage, and Children’s Songs choreographed by Jessica Lang with American Ballet Theatre. Her installation of 1,000 paintings entitled Tiny Paintings for Big Hearts is open to doctors, nurses, staff , and patients of Elmhurst Hospital in Elmhurst, New York.

PROGRAM NOTES

Originally created for the Paris Opera Ballet, In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated is a theme and variations in the strictest sense. Making use of academic virtuosity, it extends and accelerates these traditional figures of classical ballet. By shifting the alignment of positions and the emphasis of transitions, the enchainments begin to tilt obliquely and receive an unexpected drive that makes them appear at odds with their own origins.

—William Forsythe

IN THE MIDDLE, SOMEWHAT ELEVATED CREATIVE TEAM

WILLIAM FORSYTHE CHOREOGRAPHER, STAGING, LIGHTING, AND COSTUME DESIGN

William Forsythe (1949) has been active in the field of choreography for over 50 years. His work is acknowledged for reorienting the practice of ballet from its identification with classical repertoire to a dynamic 21st century art form. Forsythe danced with the Joffrey Ballet and later the Stuttgart Ballet, where he was appointed Resident Choreographer in 1976. In 1984, he began a 20-year tenure as director of the Ballet Frankfurt after which he founded and

directed The Forsythe Company until 2015. Forsythe’s deep interest in the fundamental principles of organization of choreography has led him to produce a wide range of projects including installations, films, and web-based knowledge creation. While his work for the stage resides in the repertoire of ensembles worldwide, his installations are presented internationally in exhibitions and museums. Forsythe has been the recipient of numerous awards, which include the Golden Lion of the Venice Biennale and Der FAUST German Theatre Award, both for lifetime achievement.

THOM WILLEMS COMPOSER

Dutch composer Thom Willems has collaborated with choreographer William Forsythe on over 60 ballet scores. He studied at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague: composition with Louis Andriessen and electronic music with Jan Boerman and Dick Raaijmakers. Willems started working with Forsythe when he became director of the ballet of the Frankfurt Opera in 1984, and has created electronic scores and music collages using computer technology. His scores are characterized by subtle soundscapes, insistent rhythms, and urban sonorities, forming an intrinsic part of the architecture of the ballets. In 1987 he achieved international success with In the Middle, Some-

what Elevated commissioned by Rudolf Nureyev for Paris Opera Ballet with dancers including the rising star Sylvie Guillem. This classic ballet has travelled the world and is in the repertoire of virtually every major ballet company. Sixty-six companies in 25 countries have performed Forsythe/Willems ballets including The Mariinsky Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, Paris Opera Ballet, Teatro alla Scala Milano, Royal Ballet Covent Garden, Wiener Staatsoper, Semper Oper Dresden, and Ballet de l’Opéra de Lyon among many others. Willems has composed ballet scores for other choreographers including Daniel Ezralow, Daniel Larrieu, and Kristina de Chatel, as well as music for TV, film, and art installations.

MICHAEL KORSCH LIGHTING SUPERVISOR

Michael Korsch is a lighting, projection, and scenic designer based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he earned his BA in theatre from Temple University. He has worked with numerous directors and choreographers, creating hundreds of visual designs for dance, theater, and other live performances throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia, as well as New Zealand. Michael has been the resident lighting designer for Complexions Contemporary Ballet since 1998, and Ballet Arizona since 2001. In

addition, Michael has created designs for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Backhausdance, BalletMet, Ballet Nice Méditerranée, Ballet West, BalletX, Carolina Ballet, Charlotte Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Cleveland Play House, Czech National Ballet, DanceBrazil, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Dayton Contemporary Dance Company, Disney Creative Entertainment, English National Ballet, FELA! The Concert, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, MOMIX, Oakland Ballet, Philadelphia Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Royal Danish Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Staatsballett Berlin, and Washington Ballet among others.

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JUNE 10, 2023 8:00 PM

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JUNE 17, 2023 2:00 PM

2

celebrating the arts that bring us together.

WRITTEN & FORGOTTEN

CHOREOGRAPHY Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

MUSIC Aris Dimitriadis, Rene Aubry, Lisa Gerrard, Manuel Wandji, Madeleine Peyroux

STAGING Anastacia Holden

COSTUMES, LIGHT DESIGN, AND SCENOGRAPHY Annabelle Lopez Ochoa

Originally created for Grand Rapids Ballet in 2014, reprised in 2019 by Sacramento Ballet.

IBSENˇS HOUSE

CHOREOGRAPHY Val Caniparoli

MUSIC Antonín Dvořák

STAGING Betsy Erickson

SCENIC AND COSTUME DESIGN Sandra Woodall

ORIGINAL LIGHTING DESIGN James F. Ingalls

Premiered April 24, 2008, San Francisco Ballet, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, California

Costumes and scenery courtesy of San Francisco Ballet

Mr. Caniparoli wishes to thank Maiqui Manosa for her assistance in the creation of Ibsen’s House

FAÇADES

CHOREOGRAPHY AND CONCEPT Garrett Smith

MUSIC Antonio Vivaldi, George Frideric Handel, and Concerto for Harpsichord & Chamber Orchestra by Philip Glass*

SCENIC DESIGN John Wayne Cook

COSTUME DESIGN Travis Halsey

ORIGINAL LIGHTING DESIGN Michael Mazzola

Premiered May 2015, Ballet West, Salt Lake City, Utah

Costumes and scenery courtesy of BALLET WEST, Adam Sklute, Artistic Director

*©Dunvagen Music Publishers Inc. used by permission

FESTIVAL LIGHTING DESIGN Nicole Pearce

PROGRAM 2

WRITTEN & FORGOTTEN

PROGRAM NOTES

A reverie about the perception of the world through the eyes of a child.

CREATIVE TEAM

ANNABELLE LOPEZ OCHOA CHOREOGRAPHER, ORIGINAL LIGHTING DESIGNER, COSTUME DESIGNER

After a 12-year dance career, the BelgianColombian Annabelle Lopez Ochoa decided in 2003 to focus her energies solely on choreography. In that same year she was hailed “rising star of the Dutch dance scene” (NRC newspaper) and only seven years later the Temecula Performing Arts Examiner wrote, “Ochoa is truly a masterful choreographer with an edge for what dance can and should be in this constantly changing industry.” In her 20year career as a choreographer Lopez Ochoa has become an award-winning and sought-after choreographer, creating more than 100 works for 74

ANASTACIA HOLDEN STAGER

Born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Anastacia Holden joined the Joffrey Ballet in 2003. During her 14 years with the Joffrey, Holden performed soloist and principal repertoire including notable roles in works choreographed by Frederick Ashton, George Balanchine, Alexander Ekman, William Forsythe, Kurt Jooss, Jiri Kylian, Lar Lubovitch, Wayne McGregor, Justin Peck, Yuri Possokhov, Paul Taylor, and Christopher Wheeldon. She originated roles in works by Nicolas Blanc, Val Caniparoli, James Kudelka, Edwaard Liang, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Myles Thatcher, and Stanton Welch, among others. In November 2016, Holden was recognized by Pointe Magazine

dance companies around the world. She is known to create full-length narrative works, and just finished choreographing her 11th narrative ballet, BOTERO, for Alberta Ballet.

Lopez Ochoa is one of the world’s busiest choreographers (a quote from Wendy Perron, Dance Magazine 2016). During the pandemic of 2020–202121, Lopez Ochoa pioneered remote choreography and dance film creations premiered online. She created in total 22 dance films. Lopez Ocho is the recipient of the prestigious Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award of 2019. She is also the program director of the Contemporary Ballet Summer program of the School of Jacob’s Pillow.

as one of 12 standout performers worldwide for her role as the Red Woman in Jiri Kylian’s Forgotten Land.

Since retiring from the Joffrey Ballet, Holden has staged works with companies around the world including the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, the Beijing Dance Academy, Cincinnati Ballet, the Finnish National Ballet, the Hamburg Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet, Los Angeles Ballet, Nashville Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet, and the Royal Ballet of Flanders, for various choreographers including Gerald Arpino, Alexander Ekman, Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa, John Neumeier, and Christopher Wheeldon. She has also acted as dance captain in New York City Center’s gala production of Brigadoon, choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon.

IBSENˇS HOUSE

PROGRAM NOTES

In the late 19th century, Henrik Ibsen wrote a series of plays that challenged Victorian conventions, particularly those concerning the place of women in society. His radical ideas about marriage, gender roles, and family relations shocked and outraged many of his contemporaries, and still holds resonance today.

CREATIVE TEAM

VAL CANIPAROLI CHOREOGRAPHER

Val Caniparoli’s versatility has made him one of the most sought-after American choreographers internationally. He is most closely associated with San Francisco Ballet, his artistic home for more than 50 years, where he also served as resident choreographer. Caniparoli has contributed to the repertories of more than 60 companies, including Finnish National Ballet, Texas Ballet Theater, Joff rey Ballet, Louisville Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, BalletMet, Kansas City Ballet, Scottish Ballet, Boston Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, Pacifi c Northwest Ballet, Northern Ballet The-

BETSY ERICKSON STAGER

Betsy Erickson was born in Oakland, California, and began her formal dance training at San Francisco Ballet School on a Ford Foundation Scholarship, where she studied with Lew and Harold Christensen and Anatole Vilzak. In addition, she studied for many years with Valentina Pereyslavic and Hector Zaraspe in New York.

From 1964 to 1967, Erickson was a soloist with San Francisco Ballet. For the subsequent five years, she was a soloist with American Ballet Theatre, where she danced both soloist and principal roles in Swan Lake and Giselle, and in ballets by choreographers including Antony Tudor, Agnes de Mille, Jerome Robbins, and Leonide Massine. In 1972 she returned to SF Ballet, where she performed principal roles with the Company until 1984.

During her 16-year career with San Francisco Ballet, Erickson’s repertory included principal roles

atre, Pennsylvania Ballet, Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Ballet West (resident choreographer 1993–1997), Washington Ballet, Israel Ballet, Richmond Ballet, Singapore Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, State Theatre Ballet of South Africa, Grand Rapids Ballet, and Tulsa Ballet (resident choreographer 2001–2006). Caniparoli has also choreographed for the Chicago Lyric Opera, San Francisco Opera, and The Metropolitan Opera. He has worked on several occasions with the San Francisco Symphony and with San Francisco’s esteemed American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.). Lambarena, one of his signature works, was featured on Sesame Street and was nominated in 1997 for the Prix Benois de la Danse for Best Choreography.

in works by George Balanchine, Lew Christensen, Jerome Robbins, and Michael Smuin. Erickson danced principal and soloist roles in such ballets as Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments, Agon, and Symphony in C; and Lew Christensen’s Variations de Ballet and Vivaldi Concerto Grosso, a work in which the central pas de deux was created expressly for her.

Following her retirement in 1984, Erickson became ballet mistress for Oakland Ballet for seven and a half years. During her tenure there, she choreographed many works including Songs (1990), Sfumato (1986), and Waterways (1982). In 1990 she traveled to Hong Kong to set Sfumato and Val Caniparoli’s Connotations on the Hong Kong Ballet. The ballets were subsequently performed in Hong Kong, mainland China, and in South Africa by NAPAC Dance Company. Erickson has continued her choreography while at San Francisco Ballet and her works include Wild Echoes Flying (1995) and Beneath the Wake (1998), both for Oakland Ballet. In

addition, she served as artistic director of the National Ballet of Colombia in Bogota in 1986.

Erickson returned to San Francisco Ballet as ballet master in January 1992, where she remained until her retirement in 2020. As ballet master, she was responsible for the rehearsal of various ballets from San Francisco Ballet’s repertory, including works by Lew Christensen, Helgi Tomasson, Val Caniparoli, Jerome Robbins, Mark Morris, and Alexei Ratmansky.

Erickson has received many awards and fellowships, including a 1990 California Arts Council Fellowship, the first given to an individual choreographer. She has also been awarded six National

SANDRA WOODALL

Endowment for the Arts choreographer fellowships (for the period between 1984 and 1987, again in 1990, and in 1995). From 1996 to 1998, Erickson was awarded a national Dance Residency Program Grant, funded by Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by the New York Foundation for the Arts. In addition, she currently acts as a consultant for the Performing Arts Assistance Program of the Zellerbach Family Fund. Erickson is also a former board trustee for Performing Arts and Dance for the Djerassi Foundation Artist in Residence Program in Woodside, and has twins, Julia and Stephen Nemy, born in 1995. Erickson is married to Jeff Nemy.

SCENIC AND COSTUME DESIGN

Sandra Woodall has contributed scenic and costume designs to San Francisco Ballet, Frankfurt Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet, National Ballet of Georgia, the Norwegian National Ballet, the State Opera Ballet of Austria, Dance Theatre of Harlem, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, Houston Ballet, Hubbard Street Dance Project, Singapore Dance Theatre, and other companies around the world. Woodall’s artwork and designs have been shown in solo exhibitions at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut,

JAMES F. INGALLS

and the San Francisco Museum of Performance and Design, as well as in numerous group exhibitions, including the 2011 Wearable Art exhibit in Hong Kong. In 1999 and 2000, she was a Fulbright scholar teaching at what is now the Taiwan National University of the Arts (TNUA). She has contributed designs and visual consultation to many productions in Taiwan, including 2009’s stadium-scale opening pageant for the Deaf Olympics. In Shanghai, China, she recently created scenic and costume designs for AGO, written and directed by Stan Lai. In fall 2021, AGO was the closing show at the Wuzhen Theatre Festival.

ORIGINAL LIGHTING DESIGNER

James F. Ingalls recently designed Miami City

Ballet’s new production

The Firebird . Other designs for dance inUnbound (San Francisco Ballet’s New Works Festival); several pieces for Paul Taylor American Modern Dance Brief Encounters; many pieces for Mark Morris Dance Group including The Hard Nut

L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato; Twyla

Tharp’s 50th Anniversary Tour, John Cranko’s

Onegin (National Ballet of Canada, San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and Ballet West), and Alexi Ratmansky’sThe Sleeping Beauty (American Ballet Theatre and La Scala). His designs for opera include Orfeo et Euridice (Metropolitan Opera), Idomeneo and La Clemenza di Tito, both directed by Peter Sellars (Salzburger Festspiele). His recent work in theatre includes The Cherry Orchard (Druid Theatre/Galway) and Pale Sister (Gate Theatre/Dublin). He often collaborates with the Wooden Floor dancers in Santa Ana, California.

FAÇADES

PROGRAM NOTES

Is who we are what we see... Do others see who we are? Is it just a mirror image? Are reflections real... What do reflections reveal?

—Rebecca Thompson Hamrock

CREATIVE TEAM

GARRETT SMITH CHOREOGRAPHER

Garrett Smith was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, where he began training with the Utah Regional Ballet. Smith was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts, and was honored to meet George W. Bush at the White House where he was presented with and award by Mikhail Baryshnikov. He later studied at the Houston Ballet Academy and created five works for Houston Ballet II’s repertoire. Smith joined Houston Ballet and danced works by Stanton Welch, Jorma Elo, Nicolo Fonte, Christopher Bruce, Christopher Wheeldon, and Ben Stevenson. Smith choreographed his first work on Houston Ballet as an apprentice, through an award presented by Peter Martins from the New York Choreographic Institute Fellowship. Smith later joined Norwegian National Ballet where he worked personally with choreographers Jiři Kylían, Nacho Duato, Alexander Ekman, and danced other works by William Forsythe and John Cranko. Smith was commissioned by Houston Ballet to create new works in the 2013 and 2015

seasons. Other recent commissions include The Mariinsky Ballet, Les Grands Ballets De Montreal, Bolshoi Ballet (Faces Project), Norwegian National Ballet, Ballet West, Pennsylvania Ballet, Ballet National de Bordeaux, Tulsa Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Texas Ballet Theater, and Salt Contemporary Dance. Smith was a selected choreographer to make a new work for the National Choreographers Initiative 2014. His choreography “Mortal Form” took first place at the 2015 Genesis International Choreographic Competition. Smith’s choreography “Solace” was recently seen in a new premiere in Deauville, France, as part of the Festival de L’Art Russe, as well as a U.S. premiere of his work “Imitations” with Norwegian National Ballet, for the 2018 Dance Salad Festival. Smith co-choreographed a new Swan Lake production on ice at the Dynamo Stadium in Moscow, combining figure skaters, acrobats, and ballet dancers, with Olympic Gold Medalist, Evgeni Plushenko and prima ballerina Olga Smirnova. You can see Smith’s choreography on Netflix in the original new series Tiny Pretty Things.

MICHAEL MAZZOLA ORIGINAL LIGHTING DESIGN

Michael Mazzola’s critically acclaimed lighting and scenery have been seen in venues all over the U.S., Europe, and Asia, ranging from opera houses to amphitheaters to circus tents to hay barns. The three-time New York Dance and Performance Award winner has designed lighting and scenery for Oregon Ballet Theatre; Pacific Northwest Ballet; San Francisco Ballet, Whim W’Him of Seattle’ Queensland Ballet, AU; National Ballet of Finland; Stuttgart Ballet; Grand Rapids Ballet; Ballet West; Ballet Nacional de Cuba; Ballet Hispanico; Trey McIntyre Project; The Washington Ballet; Royal Winnipeg Ballet; Houston Ballet; Rachel Tess Dance at the Wanås Foundation in Sweden; Baryshnikov Arts Center and LMCC’s River to River Festival, NYC; 3rd Rail Theater; Bebe Miller Company; and the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange. For the National Young Arts Foundation Michael has designed scenery and lighting for their Miami Galas since 2015. For the 2015 through 2017 Presidential Scholars | Young Arts Awards he designed lighting and created media

content at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Recent tours saw him off to Italy for a whirlwind tour with Tulsa Ballet and Cuba for his second world premiere with Ballet Nacional de Cuba for Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. Last season the world premiere of a full length ballet with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet by James Kudelka, then down south to Chicago for a new Giselle by the Joffery Ballet among many others. Upcoming works include the full-length Cinderella for Ballet West; a reprise of Rachel Tess’s Souvenir at the Wanås Konst Sculpture Park in Knislinge, Sweden; a full length ballet for Penny Saunders for Grand Rapids Ballet; as well as a world premiere of a Nicolo Fonte ballet for Astana Ballet in Kazakhstan.

Michael has been Senior Scenic Designer on Comedy Central Celebrity Roasts as well as the 2015 Lincoln Awards at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall for Uplight, Inc., based in NYC.

His performance photography has been published in Liz Lerman’s book Hiking the Horizontal, as well on the websites and marketing materials for Bebe Miller Company, The Pew Center for The Arts & Heritage Online Text and Image Glossary, and Rachel Tess Dance.

CINCINNATI BALLET LEADERSHIP

JODIE GATES

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR | SUE AND BILL FRIEDLANDER ENDOWED CHAIR | OTTO M. BUDIG ACADEMY ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Jodie Gates has contributed to the profession as a visionary leader, director, arts educator, choreographer, and dancer. She is a former principal ballerina with the Joffrey Ballet, Philadelphia Ballet, Frankfurt Ballet, and Complexions Contemporary Ballet, as well as an international guest artist. She is the Founding Director of the University of Southern California’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance where she also served as Vice Dean and Professor while creating a one-of-a-kind curriculum. She is Founder and Artistic Director of the presenting organization Laguna Dance Festival based in Laguna Beach, California, establishing a sustainable organization that cultivates world-class dance performance and education. As an accomplished choreographer she has been commissioned by numerous companies such as Ballet West, Staatsballett Berlin, and the

SCOTT ALTMAN

PRESIDENT AND CEO

Scott Altman joined Cincinnati Ballet as President & CEO in August 2016. Under his visionary leadership, Cincinnati Ballet has reached many noteworthy milestones, more than tripling asset growth to over $75 million, implementation of its first $11 million operating budget, a dynamic new logo and brand identity, record-breaking ticket sales, the launch of a new Family Series, as well as expanded Academy and community programs. To accommodate this incredible growth, Cincinnati Ballet launched a $31 million capital campaign to construct a new, larger, state-of-the-art ballet center. With the successful completion of the campaign, the 62,000-square-foot Cincinnati Ballet Margaret and Michael Valentine Center for Dance had its grand opening in September 2021. During his tenure, Altman has been honored four consecutive years by Cincinnati Magazine in its Cincinnati 300 , a compilation of the city’s top 300 executives, and currently serves as Executive Managers Council Chair for DanceUSA, Trustee on the Board of Ohio Citizens for the Arts, and member of the Dean’s Advisory

Vail International Dance Festival. Additionally, she created content for television commercials, curated performances for singer/songwriter John Legend, and collaborated for a global ad campaign for Los Angeles Tourism. She is an artistic collaborator with choreographer William Forsythe, staging ballets internationally for Forsythe Productions and has worked at Paris Opera Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Houston Ballet, La Scala Theatre Ballet, and Zurich Ballet, among others. She was awarded the distinguished Residency Fellowship from The Center for Ballet and the Arts at New York University, a recipient of the Jerome Robbins New Essential Works Program and Altria/ABT fellowship from American Ballet Theatre. Gates received a Psychology of Leadership Certificate from Cornell University SC Johnson College of Business and studied with the Higher Education Leadership Program for Women (HERS Institute) at Bryn Mawr College.

Council for Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Altman has been a featured guest speaker for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), Americans for the Arts, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Altman brings with him nearly three decades of experience in nonprofit administration and performing arts. Prior to his roles in administration, Altman enjoyed a 20year career as a professional opera singer and performed 40 opera roles internationally. He has held leadership positions as General Director at both Arizona Opera and Opera New Jersey, and just prior to coming to Cincinnati Ballet he was Executive Director of Ballet West. During his tenure, Ballet West experienced phenomenal expansion, including growth in ticket sales, a vastly expanded touring schedule, robust growth in donor development, and the construction of a new building. He is an alumnus of the Manhattan School of Music as well as State University College at Purchase and taught for three years at Princeton University. Altman earned a certificate from Stanford University’s Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders, was a Utah Business 2016 CEO of the Year Honoree and is a three-time recipient of the New Jersey State Council on the Arts Citation of Excellence Award.

CINCINNATI BALLET LEADERSHIP

DALE SHIELDS REHEARSAL DIRECTOR

Dale Shields trained at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and Butler University before joining Indianapolis Ballet Theatre, where she rose to principal dancer under Artistic Director George Verdak. Shields performed principal roles in productions including Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Romeo & Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Coppelia, Night Shadow, The Moor’s Pavane, and many original works. She served as Principal Bal-

let Mistress for Ballet Internationale, assisting with the original choreography of full-length ballets by Artistic Director Eldar Aliev and worked alongside Irina Kolpakova in staging many well-known classics. Accepting Artistic Director John McFall’s invitation to join Atlanta Ballet as Ballet Mistress gave her the opportunity to assist in mounting numerous full-length productions. She assisted on works by inspiring national and international choreographers including Alexander Ekman, Helen Pickett, Twyla Tharp, Liam Scarlett, David Bentley, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Amy Seiwert, among others. She is now in her third season with Cincinnati Ballet.

CERVILIO MIGUEL AMADOR REHEARSAL DIRECTOR

A skilled artist, entrepreneur, and change agent for the world of dance, Cervilio Miguel Amador received his education and training from the Vocational Ballet School in Camagüey, Cuba, and the National Ballet School of Cuba. He danced with the National Ballet of Cuba as a corps de ballet dancer and then as a corifeo (demi-soloist) before joining Cincinnati Ballet in 2004 as a Soloist. He was promoted to Principal Dancer in 2006 becoming one of the youngest Principals

in the history of the company. During his professional career he has performed as a guest artist in galas all over the world as well as a guest teacher for numerous schools. He has represented Cincinnati Ballet dancers as a Union delegate for over 10 years and after retiring from dance, he became the Rehearsal Director for Cincinnati Ballet. He is currently the Rehearsal Director for Cincinnati Ballet and Co-Artistic Director/Founder of Moving Arts. Amador is also a member of the Cincinnati Ballet Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility Task Force leading sustainable change for dancers now and future artists.

SUZETTE BOYER WEBB DIRECTOR OF SECOND COMPANY

Suzette Boyer Webb joined Cincinnati Ballet in 1979. As a Principal Dancer under the directions of David McClain, Frederic Franklin, and Ivan Nagy, she danced classical and contemporary roles in works by choreographers Frederic Franklin, Ivan Nagy, George Balanchine, Ruth Page, Peter Anastos, John Butler, Sir Kenneth McMillian, Ben Stevenson, James Truitte, Lester Horton, and Vincente Nebrada. Upon retirement from Cincinnati Ballet, Webb served on the Dance Division faculty at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. There, she was awarded The Outstanding

Adjunct Teacher of the Year award. As the director of the Cincinnati Ballet’s Second Company – CB2 and Young Performers Rehearsal Director, Webb has been instrumental in providing technical and artistic learning opportunities to CB2 and Academy dancers in various Cincinnati Ballet productions, including the highly successful Cincinnati Ballet Family Series Webb has choreographed numerous works for the Cincinnati Ballet Second Company. She has staged many ballets, including children’s roles for Victoria Morgan’s The Nutcracker, in Cincinnati; Anchorage, Alaska; at the Kennedy Center for the Arts in Washington, D.C.; and at the Detroit Opera House. Webb has worked nationally as guest teacher, adjudicator, and panelist.

CARMON DELEONE MUSIC DIRECTOR EMERITUS

Carmon DeLeone, Music Director Emeritus of Cincinnati Ballet and Conductor Laureate of The Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra and The Middleton Symphony, has served as Conductor and Host of the Family Concert Series at New York’s Carnegie Hall and has conducted orchestras in Germany, England, Luxembourg, Canada, and Puerto Rico. Under his leadership, The Illinois Philharmonic was twice named “Illinois Orchestra of the Year.” He has composed many original scores for the ballet. His bestknown work, Peter Pan, is frequently performed nationally and overseas. As Assistant and later Resident Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, DeLeone served on its staff with Music

Directors Max Rudolf, Thomas Schippers, Walter Susskind, and Erich Kunzel. He was also selected by Maestro Erich Leinsdorf to participate in an intensive master conducting seminar at The Lincoln Center. He possesses a wide range of musical interests; he is versed in both the classics and jazz playing the French horn or leading his own “Studio Big Band” from the drum set. Maestro DeLeone made his New York conducting debut with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at City Center, and his Carnegie Hall debut with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. DeLeone is a recipient of the Post-Corbett Award and most recently was awarded the esteemed MacDowell Medal by the Cincinnati MacDowell Society. His very popular weekly radio show, Sunday Morning Music Hall, can be heard on WDJO-FM 99.5 & 107.9 and AM 1480.

Take

Culture nurtures the spirit and the community. At EY, we applaud the Cincinnati Ballet, because we believe the arts are not an after thought. They are the foundation for a richer life. Visit

THE COMPANY

PRINCIPALS

Melissa Gelfin De-PoliSirui LiuRafael Quenedit

FIRST SOLOISTS

Minori Sakita Maizyalet Velázquez

SOLOISTS

Katherine OchoaChandler ProctorMarcus RomeoJoshua Stayton

CORPS DE BALLET

Daniel Baldwin

Nikita Boris

Taylor Carrasco

Gabrielle Collins

Luca De-Poli

Matthew Griffin

Samantha Griffin

Christina Laforgia Morse

Michael Mengden

Jace Pauly

NEW DANCERS

Caroline Perry

Simon Plant

Samantha Riester

Bella Ureta

Daniel Wagner

Llonnis del Toro CintraCatherine Lasak Jhaelin McQuay Lenai Wilkerson

SECOND COMPANY: CB2

Nicolas Bierwagen

Nikolas Button

Anderson Da Silva

Sam Epstein

Hailey Flanagan

Julia Gundzik

Ramsay Miller

Simone Muhammad

Scott Reed

Anthony Rhee-Reynoso

Mia Steedle

Salomé Tregre

The Artists of Cincinnati Ballet are represented by the American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO.

THE COMPANY

MELISSA GELFIN DE- POLI (SHE/HER) PRINCIPAL DANCER | PHILADELPHIA, PA | JOINED CINCINNATI BALLET IN 2014

Melissa Gelfin De-Poli began her ballet training with Lisa Collins Vidnovic at Metropolitan Ballet Academy and continued with Barbara Sandonato and Andrea Long-Naidu at Barbara Sandonato School of Ballet. She joined the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre in 2009, under the direction of Franco De Vita and Raymond Lukens, and was awarded a National Training Scholarship with ABT. Prior to dancing with Cincinnati Ballet, Gelfin De-Poli danced for Orlando Ballet II and Orlando Ballet Company from 2011 to 2014 and was a finalist in the 2014 Jackson International Ballet Competition. Gelfin DePoli joined Cincinnati Ballet as a New Dancer for the 2014–2015 Season and was promoted to Corps De Ballet in February of 2015. She was promoted to Senior Soloist in 2017 and Principal Dancer in 2018. As a dancer with Cincinnati Ballet, Gelfin De-Poli’s repertoire includes classical and contemporary works by Septime Webre, Yuri Possikov, Victoria Morgan, Val Caniparoli, Jerome Robbins, George Balanchine, Nicolo Fonte, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Adam Hougland, and Ma Cong. She has danced Principal roles in Septime Webre’s ALICE (in Wonderland) and The Wizard of Oz, Victoria Morgan’s The Nutcracker, King Arthur’s Camelot, and Romeo & Juliet, Kirk Peterson’s Coppélia and Swan Lake, George Balanchine’s Rubies and Serenade, Devon Carney’s The Sleeping Beauty, and originated roles in Penny Saunders’s Nannerl, Myles Thatcher’s Anamoly, Andrea Schermoly’s Swivet, and several works by Jennifer Archibald. Gelfin De-Poli debuted as a choreographer in a solo work for the inaugural 2018 Female Choreographic Initiative Festival hosted by Houston Ballet. She has since debuted two world premieres for Cincinnati Ballet’s 2019 and 2020 The Kaplan New Works Series with her works Clockwise and Ain’t I a Woman respectively. During the summer months, Gelfin De-Poli performs and tours with Moving Arts Company.

SIRUI LIU (SHE/HER)

PRINCIPAL DANCER | SHANGHAI, CHINA | JOINED

CINCINNATI BALLET IN 2011

Sirui Liu trained at Shanghai Dance School affiliated to Shanghai Theater Academy from 2000 to 2007 and went on to the Shanghai Dance College of Shanghai Theater Academy for four years. The desire to expand her dance horizons upon graduation led Liu to Cincinnati Ballet, for which she left her school and family in China. Liu won a gold medal competing in senior group of ballet of the Ninth Taolibei National Dance Competition in China in 2009 and the gold medal of senior group of Beijing International Ballet Invitational in China in 2010. Liu was invited to perform in Night of Ballet Gala in Ulaanbaatar Mongolia in June 2016. Sirui competed in 2014’s USA International Ballet Competition, progressing to the third and final round. Liu was named one of the Top 25 Dancers to Watch in 2017 by Dance Magazine. She has danced several Pas de Deux including Black Swan, Don Quixote, Esmeralda, Diana and Acteon, Le Corsaire, Paquita, Coppelia. She has also performed Principal roles such as Odette and Odile in Swan Lake, Sugar Plum Fairy and Snow Queen in The Nutcracker, Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, Waltz Girl in Balanchine’s Serenade, Tall Girl in Balanchine’s Rubies, The Chosen One in Rite of Spring, Pas couple in Minus 16, amongst other ballets. Liu has also worked with internationally acclaimed choreographers such as Val Caniparoli, Yuri Possokhov, Kirk Peterson, Trey Mcintyre, Alejandro Cerrudo, Ohad Naharin, Annabelle Lope Ochoa, Nicolo Fonte, Garrett Smith, Justin Peck, Septime Webre, Jennifer Archibald, Ma Cong, Travis Wall, and more. Liu is the co-owner of Improvedance and Active Royale. She was named a Cincinnati Ballet Soloist in 2015 and promoted to Principal Dancer in 2017.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY HIROMI PLATT

THE COMPANY

RAFAEL QUENEDIT (HE/HIM) PRINCIPAL DANCER | HAVANA, CUBA | JOINED CINCINNATI BALLET IN 2021

Rafael Quenedit began his training in 2006 in Cuba at Escuela Elemental de Ballet Alejo Carpentier where he trained for five years. He then spent eight years training with the National Ballet School of Cuba. He graduated in 2014 and joined the National Ballet of Cuba as a Corps de ballet dancer. Quenedit was quickly cast in Soloist and Principal roles, before being named Principal dancer at the prestigious international company. Principal roles with the National Ballet of Cuba include Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Giselle, La Fille Mal Gardée, The Nutcracker, Romeo & Juliet, Carmen, La Bayadere, Cinderella, and Theme & Variations. He made his Cincinnati Ballet debut during the 2020–2021 Season in Bold Moves Plus. He has also worked with internationally-renowned choreographers including Alicia Alonso, Alexei Ratmansky, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Giuliano Peparini, and Alberto Mendez, among others. He has performed lead roles in the United States, Italy, Spain, France, Canada, Mexico, and several others. Competition awards include the bronze medal at the International Ballet Competition, Junior Division in Havana, Cuba; gold medal at the International Ballet Competition, Junior Division in Cape Town, South Africa; and gold medal at the XX International Ballet Competition in Havana, Cuba. He was also awarded best Artistic Performance, Senior Division; and winner at Amici World Dance Competition in Italy.

MINORI SAKITA (SHE/HER)

FIRST SOLOIST

Born in Washington, D.C., Minori Sakita began her training at the Maryland Youth Ballet and continued at the Houston Ballet Academy. In 2014, she joined Tulsa Ballet and was promoted to demi-soloist in 2018. She joined Cincinnati Ballet as soloist in 2019 and was promoted to First Soloist the following year. Sakita has performed

principal roles in Victoria Morgan’s The Nutcracker, Cinderella and KingArthur’s Camelot, John Cranko’s Onegin, Andre Prokovsky’s TheThreeMusketeers, Derek Dean’s StrictlyGershwin, Balanchine’s Serenade and Who Cares?, and Septime Weber’s The Wizard of Oz. She has also performed in Classical and Contemporary works by Alexander Ekman, David Dawson, Christopher Bruce, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Ma Cong, Jorma Elo, Yuri Possokhov, Jirí Kylián, and Dwight Rhoden.

MAIZYALET VELÁZ QUEZ (SHE/HER)

FIRST SOLOIST

A native of Puerto Rico, Maizyalet Velázquez began her training at Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico, training in both the conservatory and company. She graduated from the Virginia School of the Arts in 2007, where she studied under David Keener and the late Petrus Bosman. Velázquez joined Cin-

cinnati Ballet upon graduation and was promoted to Soloist in 2012. She enjoys working with Cincinnati Ballet because it offers the opportunity to perform both classical and contemporary repertoire. She has performed the leading role, Marguerite, in Val Caniparoli’s Lady of the Camellias, as well as the title role in Amedeo Amodio’s Carmen. Velázquez was promoted to First Soloist for Cincinnati Ballet’s 2017–2018 Season.

KATHERINE OCHOA (SHE/HER) SOLOIST

Katherine Ochoa began training in 2009 at the National School of Ballet in Cuba, where she learned a vast repertoire of variations and won both gold and silver medals in the Havana International Ballet competition. She later joined the Cuban National

Ballet and in 2019 had the opportunity to participate in the semifi nals of YAGP in Chicago and won the Grand Prix Award. Ochoa moved on to participate in the semifinals of YAGP in New York, where she placed in the top 12. As a member of the Corps de Ballet in Cuba, she performed in Giselle, SwanLake, Cinderella, DonQuixote, and Umbral and was quickly promoted to First Soloist. This is Ochoa’s second season with Cincinnati Ballet.

CHANDLER PROCTOR (HE/HIM) SOLOIST

Chandler Proctor was born in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, where he studied dance until 2013 before joining Houston Ballet II. In 2015 he was off ered a company position

with Tulsa Ballet and was promoted to Soloist in 2019. While in Tulsa he performed in works by renowned choreographers Jiří Kylián, Nacho Duato, Derek Deane, Wayne McGregor, Ma Cong, and Edwaard Liang. This is Proctor’s second season with Cincinnati Ballet.

MARCUS ROMEO (HE/HIM) SOLOIST

Marcus Romeo began training at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet under the direction of Marcia Dale Weary. He completed his last three years of pre-professional training at The School of American Ballet, where he was awarded the Columbus Citizen Foundation Scholarship, the Linda and Arthur Collins Scholarship, and the Rudolf Nureyev Foundation Scholarship. Following his graduation, Romeo joined Boston Ballet II under Mikko Nissinen and was promoted to the corps de ballet in 2014. During his time with Boston Ballet, he appeared in works such as George Balanchine’s DonizettiVariations, Kammermusik No.

2, Theme and Variations, Stravinsky Violin Concerto, Diamonds, and Episodes, Jerome Robbins’ The Concert, John Neumeier’s ThirdSymphony of Gustav Mahler, Ivan Liska’s Le Corsaire, and William Forsythe’s Artifact2017. Romeo joined Cincinnati Ballet in 2017 and was promoted to Soloist. Since joining Cincinnati Ballet, Romeo has enjoyed dancing the works of Jiří Kylián, Justin Peck, Helen Pickett, Cathy Marston, Nicolo Fonte, Penny Saunders, David Morse, Andrea Schermoly, Myles Thatcher, Septime Webre, Ohad Naharin, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Devon Carney, Victoria Morgan, Jerome Robbins, and George Balanchine. In 2022, he earned an Associate of Applied Business degree from Eastern Gateway Community College with a finance focus.

THE COMPANY

JOSHUA STAYTON (HE/HIM) SOLOIST

A Cincinnati native, Joshua Stayton began his training at the School for Creative and Performing Arts before joining the Orlando Ballet School (Peter Stark) and Houston Ballet II (Claudio Muñoz). Prior to joining Cincinnati Ballet, Stayton was a Demi-Soloist at Sarasota Ballet and Soloist at Tulsa Ballet. His repertoire includes leading roles in The Green Table (Joos), Onegin (Cranko), Strictly Gershwin (Deane), A Million Kisses to My Skin (Dawson), Concerto (MacMillian), Mirror

Walkers (Sir Wright), Cinderella (Morgan), Age of Innocence (Liang), Bolero (Fonte), Midsummer (Wheeldon), One/end/One (Elo), Sleeping Beauty (Angelini), Romeo & Juliet (Liang), and Extremely Close (Cerrudo), among others. Stayton has performed internationally in Hungary, Italy, Finland, Spain and Switzerland. As a choreographer, he has had world premieres for Ballet 22, Tulsa Ballet’s second company, De La Dance Company, Azara Ballet, and SCPA’s Dance Ensemble. Beyond his love for the stage, Joshua enjoys teaching the future generation of dance.

DANIEL BALDWIN (HE/HIM)

CORPS DE BALLET

Daniel Baldwin trained at the Governors School of Arts and Humanities from 2013-2014 under Josee Garant and Miriam González. From 2014-2015, he trained with Kirov Academy of Ballet under Adrienne Dellas and Stanislav Issaev, and in 2015 trained at the San Francisco Ballet School with Patrick Armand, Rubén Martín Cintas, and Pascal Molat. In 2017, he joined Cincinnati Ballet Second

Company – CB2 and was promoted to Apprentice the following year. Baldwin has performed in myriad productions such as Helgi Tomasson’s Meistens Mozart, Christopher Wheeldon’s Cinderella, Septime Webre’s The Wizard of Oz, Jennifer Archibald’s Passage and Quem Viver Vera, Adam Hougland’s Rite of Spring, Colby Damon’s I’m Still Here, Jiří Kylián’s Sechs Tänze, Mark Morris’ Silhouettes, Victoria Morgan’s Cinderella and Bolero, David Morse’s OurStory, Helen Pickett’s Petal, and Ohad Naharin’s Minus16

NIKITA BORIS (SHE/HER)

CORPS DE BALLET

Nikita Boris began her ballet training at the Irine Fokine School of Ballet. She continued her studies at the Valentina Kozlova Dance Conservatory of New York. In 2016, she was invited to the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia. She performed in the winner’s gala of the Vaganova Prix at the Mariinsky Theatre. Boris traveled internationally for competitions and was awarded several medals, as well as the Grand Prix at Concorso di Danza Internazionale “Citta di Spoleto” Italy, and at VKIBC in St. Petersburg, Russia. She has danced as a guest

artist with Tanzolymp in Berlin, the Ballet Beyond Borders Gala in Los Angeles, and the International Baltic Ballet Festival in Riga. She joined Boston Ballet II in 2018, where she performed works by choreographers including George Balanchine, Sir Frederick Ashton, Mikko Nissinen, Bruce Wood, and Samuel Kirkjian. She performed with New York Dance Project in the revival of Alberto Alonso’s Carmen Suite and in works by Gerald Arpino. Boris joined Cincinnati Ballet as an Apprentice in 2020. Since joining, she has danced soloist roles in Paquita , a variation from Raymonda, Winter Fairy in Victoria Morgan’s Cinderella, and works by Amy Seiwert, Anabelle Lopez Ochoa, Ohad Naharin, and Twyla Tharp.

THE COMPANY

TAYLOR CARRASCO (HE/HIM) CORPS DE BALLET

“When I was 3, my sister was six and in ballet like every other little girl. My parents would bring me to her classes, and I would try to dance with them from the hallway. They assumed I’d like it, enrolled me in class, and I never stopped,” says Taylor Carrasco. He trained at the School of American Ballet and New Mexico Ballet Company and has attended summer intensives with Boston Ballet, Pa-

cific Northwest Ballet, and Ballet Chicago. He joined Cincinnati Ballet Second Company – CB2 in the 2014–2015 Season and was promoted to apprentice for the 2015–2016 Season and then Corps de Ballet for the 2017–2018 Season. He has had three of his ballets performed by the main company of Cincinnati Ballet, two of them created for The Kaplan New Works Series (2018 and 2019). Carrasco’s favorite dancing memories are tied to dancing with his sister. He says that “sharing the stage with family is the best experience.”

GABRIELLE COLLINS (SHE/HER) CORPS DE BALLET

Gabrielle Collins is from West Hartford, Connecticut, and began training at the Hartt School. In 2014, she was a New York City finalist at the Youth America Grand Prix and won the gold medal at the Connecticut Classic for both the senior female and pas de deux categories. From 2014-2017, she danced with Atlanta Ballet II and performed leading roles such as Marya in John McFall’s The Nutcracker and had the opportunity to dance in The Atlanta Opera’s Romeo and Juliet. Collins is an alumnus of the 2016 Ballet Program at Jacob’s Pillow un-

LUCA DE- POLI (HE/HIM) CORPS DE BALLET

Luca De-Poli, a native of West Palm Beach, Florida, began his training when he was 14 years old at Ballet Florida’s school under the direction of Marie Hale and at A.W Dreyfoos School of the Arts under the direction of Jan Goetz. He attended the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music and graduated in May 2015, when he

der Anna-Marie Holmes. In 2017 she joined Tulsa Ballet II, where she appeared in a soloist role in Helen Pickett’s Meðaland performed in works by renowned choreographers Ma Cong, Jennifer Archibald, and Penny Saunders. In February 2020, she performed the title role in Septime Webre’s Carmen with Dayton Ballet. Since joining Cincinnati Ballet in 2020, Collins has performed in Helen Pickett’s Petal, Stephanie Martinez’s Kiss, David Morse’s OurStory, Twyla Tharp’s NineSinatraSongs, “Spring” and “Autumn” in Victoria Morgan’s Cinderella, Don Quixote Pas de Deux, and most recently in Cathy Marston’s Moving, Still

joined Cincinnati Ballet Second Company-CB2. In 2016, he was promoted into the company and has danced in a world premiere by Ma Cong, Minus 16 by Ohad Naharin, debuted the role of Zeus in the North American premiere of Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s ErosRedux, the title role in Nicolo Fonte’s world premiere of CarminaBurana, Justin Peck’s MurderBallads, Jiri Kylian’s SechsTänze, and works by Victoria Morgan, Devon Carney, Adam Hougland, Kate Weare, and Septime Webre.

THE COMPANY

MATTHEW GRIFFIN (HE/HIM) CORPS DE BALLET

Matthew Griffin began his ballet training in Sarasota Florida at the International Ballet of Florida under the direction of Sergiy Mykhaylov and Darya Fedotova. He attended Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, and graduated in 2017 with a Bachelor's of Science in Dance Arts Administration. He started with Cincinnati Ballet as an Apprentice for the 2017-2018 Season. He was promoted to New Dancer for the 2018-2019 Season and then Corps de Ballet in the 2019-2020 Season. Griffin has performed featured roles in classical and con-

temporary ballets including Petal by Helen Pickett, Kiss by Stephanie Martinez, and Cinderella by Victoria Morgan (step sister). In 2020, Helen Pickett created the solo Balance for him as part of Cincinnati Ballet’s New Works program. Griffin has also danced in works by Ohad Naharin, Twyla Tharp, Jiří Kylián, George Balanchine, Jennifer Archibald, Travis Wall, Myles Thatcher, Jiří Kylián, David Morse, Taylor Carrasco, Melissa Gelfin, Nicolo Fonte, Devon Carney, Septime Webre, Heather Britt, Adam Hougland, Amy Seiwert, and others. Off the stage, he enjoys exploring the Cincinnati food scene, listening to music, and quality time with his friends, two dogs and cat.

SAMANTHA GRIFFIN (SHE/HER)

CORPS DE BALLET

Originally from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Samantha Griffin received her preliminary training at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. After graduating, she then went on to dance with Charlotte Ballet before joining Cincinnati Ballet in 2015. She was promoted to Corps de Ballet for the 2017-2018 Season. In 2018 she was recognized in Pointe Magazine’s “Stars of the Corps.” Since being with Cincinnati Ballet, she has enjoyed performing roles in a variety of classical and contemporary works by Septime Webre,

Val Caniparoli, Georgie Balanchine, Nicolo Fonte, Ma Cong, Stephanie Martinez, Ohad Naharin, Jiří Kylián, Twyla Tharp, Helen Pickett, Cathy Marston, Travis Wall, Jennifer Archibald, and others. Some of these principal and soloist roles include Tall Girl in Balanchine’s Rubies, Dark Angel in Balanchine’s Serenade, Princess Tsarevna in Adam Hougland’s Firebird, Fairy Godmother in Victoria Morgan’s Cinderella, Tiger Lily in Septime Webre’s PeterPan, Carabosse in Devon Carney’s SleepingBeauty, and Garrett Smith’s Facades. When Griffin is not dancing, she enjoys spending time with her husband and two kitties, eating good food, having good drinks, traveling, and exploring new places.

CHRISTINA LAFORGIA MORSE (SHE/HER) CORPS DE BALLET

Christina LaForgia Morse began dancing at 11 years old in Summerville, South Carolina. She spent her high school years at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts under the direction of Ethan Steifel. While there, she was awarded the Dean's Merit Scholarship. In 2011

she was offered a second company position with the Charlotte Ballet and was quickly promoted to join the main company the subsequent season. Following her time in Charlotte, Morse joined Cincinnati Ballet as a Corps de Ballet member in 2014. Her most cherished memories on stage include performing David Morse’s As I Stare at Dust (2019) and Our Story (2022).

THE COMPANY

MICHAEL MENGDEN (HE/HIM) CORPS DE BALLET

Michael Mengden began his training at the age of 10 at Allegro West Academy of Dance with Catriona Steel. In 2012 Mengden trained in Moscow at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy under Ilya Kuznestov. Prior to his training overseashe furthered his training in the pre-professional program at the Sarasota Cuban Ballet School in Florida and had the unique opportunity to train and travel with Dr. Ramona de Saa, Director of the Cuban National Ballet School in Havana. He was then invitedto dance in Cincinnati Ballet’s Second Company program in the fall of 2016. Since joining the company in 2017 Mengden has had the opportunity to

perform with the company in various productions such as Victoria Morgan’s King Arthur’s Camelot and Cinderella, Ohad Naharin’s Minus 16, Nicolo Fonte’s Carmina Burana, Septime Weber’s Wizard of Oz, Val Caniparoli’s Isben’s House, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Limoncello, Jerome Robins’s Fancy Free, Justin Peck’s Murder Ballads, Adam Hougland’s Rite of Spring , Devon Carney’s Sleeping Beauty, Garret Smith’s Facades, Kirk Peterson’s Coppelia and Swan Lake, George Balanchine’s Rubies and Jiří Kylián’s Sechs Tänze Mengden has also been a part of world premiere works from choreographers such Jennifer Archibald, Myles Thatcher, Penny Saunders, Andrea Schermoly, David Morse, Travis Wall, Taylor Carrasco, and Melissa Gelfin De-Poli.

CAROLINE PERRY (SHE/HER)

CORPS DE BALLET

Caroline Perry grew up in Tustin, California, and began her professional training in 2015 at the Houston Ballet Academy, where she worked and performed alongside the company and second company until 2016, when she officially joined Houston Ballet II. In 2017, she represented the Houston Ballet Academy at the Prix de Lausanne competition, where she received an off er to join the corps de

JACE PAULY (HE/HIM)

CORPS DE BALLET

Jace Pauly hails from the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, where he began dancing under Melissa Miller-Port in Wenatchee, Washington. In 2015, he graduated with honors from the Walnut Hill School for the Arts, where he trained under Michael Owen, Denise Lewis, and Russell Clarke. As a dancer for Cincinnati Ballet, Pauly’s most recognized performances are the Act III Pas de Deux from Don Quixote, Ohad Naharin’s Mi-

ballet. Perry continued dancing in Houston until 2022, performing various works including George Balanchine’s Jewels and Siegfried’s Sisters in Stanton Welch’s Swan Lake and new works created by company members Connor Walsh and Melody Mennite. Before joining Cincinnati Ballet for the 2022–2023 Season, she expanded her contemporary repertoire performing with Ishida Dance Company in creations by Bret Ishida and Doma choreographed by Jeremy Galdeano and Vera Kvarčáková.

nus16, and Nine Sinatra Songs by Twyla Tharp, among others. He loves performing for Cincinnati audiences and takes pride in the mental and physical challenges that dance brings every day. Among his biggest supporters are his parents, Katie and Doug, and his sisters, Skye and Chelan, who inspire him inside the studio and beyond. His other passions in life include music, cooking, and the great outdoors. He enjoys exploring the eclectic neighborhoods of Cincinnati and can often be found in a hammock on sunny afternoons.

THE COMPANY

SIMON PLANT (HE/HIM) CORPS DE BALLET

Simon Plant was born in Sydney, Australia, and started dancing at the age of 7. After graduating from The Australian Ballet School in 2013, he joined the Australian Ballet, where he performed works by choreographers Wayne McGregor, Graeme Murphy, Kenneth MacMillian, Simon Dow, Peter Wright, Stanton Welch, Jiří Kylián, Tim Harbour, and others. After moving to New York City with his husband in 2017, he became a company dancer with Complexions Contemporary Ballet

and danced five seasons there, premiering multiple world premieres under co-artistic director and choreographer Dwight Rhoden and co-artistic director/co-founder Desmond Richardson. Plant came on as faculty for the 2022 Complexions Academy Summer Intensives, teaching company repertoire and NIQUE, Rhoden and Richardson’s proprietary contemporary ballet technique, to students around the country. He is also a published author; when he’s not dancing, he’s writing or spending quality time with his husband. He is thrilled to have joined Cincinnati Ballet for the 2022–2023 Season.

SAMANTHA RIESTER (SHE/HER) CORPS DE BALLET

Samantha Riester trained at the School of American Ballet from 2012-2015. She attended summer courses at the School of American Ballet and Miami City Ballet and, after graduating SAB, joined Cincinnati Ballet’s Second Company and was promoted to the main company in 2017. She has danced soloist roles in repertoire such Jiří Kylián’s SechsTänze, Pas de Trois in Kirk Peterson’s SwanLake, Duet Mabul in Ohad Naharin’s Minus 16, Curly Q in Septime Weber’s TheWizard of Oz, Beauty Fairy in Devon Carney’s Sleeping Beauty, Summer Fairy in Victoria Morgan’s Cinderella, and

BELLA URETA (SHE/HER) CORPS DE BALLET

Bella Ureta, a native of Seattle, began her training at the Pacific Northwest Ballet School in 2004 and attended the elite summer programs at the School of American Ballet, Pacifi c Northwest Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, and the National Ballet of Canada until 2016, when she joined Boston Ballet II. She has performed in repertoire by world renowned choreographers including Jean Christophe Maillot’s Roméo et Juliette, Crystal Pite’s Emergence, William Forsythe’s Artifact 2017, Jiří Kylián’s SechsTänze, Duet Mabul in Ohad Naharin’s Minus16, Snow Queen in Victoria Morgan’s The

in Andrea Schermoly’s Swivet. She has performed numerous ballets choreographed by George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, Henkel Pickett, Ma Cong, Septime Weber, Nicole Fonte, Stephanie Martinez, Adam Hougland, Jennifer Archibald, Garett Smith, Victoria Morgan, Myles Thatcher, David Morse, and fellow company members Taylor Carrasco and Daniel Baldwin. Riester has enjoyed dancing with outside organizations such as Cincinnati Opera for its 100th anniversary celebration and production of Aida, as well as guesting for her home studio in Indiana, where she performed principal roles in George Balanchine’s Emeralds and ConcertoBarocco.

Nutcracker, Charm Fairy in Devon Carney’s The SleepingBeauty, Pas de Trois in Kirk Peterson’s SwanLake, and originated a leading role in Emmy Award-winner Travis Wall’s Then...Now. Ureta has performed in ballets choreographed by George Balanchine, Kent Stowell, Victoria Morgan, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Twyla Tharp, Christopher Wheeldon, Mikko Nissinen, Jill Johnson, Marius Petipa, Devon Carney, Septime Webre, Garret Smith, Jennifer Archibald, and Nicolo Fonte. She has enjoyed dancing with Cincinnati Opera in its productions of LaTraviata and Aida. She joined Cincinnati Ballet’s Corps de Ballet in 2017 and in 2020 was named one of Pointe Magazine’s “Star of the Corps.”

DANIEL WAGNER (HE/HIM) CORPS DE BALLET

Daniel Wagner was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, where he began his dance training at Pasadena Civic Ballet under the tutelage of Craig Williams. After attending summer intensives at ABT and the Kirov Academy, he moved to finish high school at the University of North Carolina

School of the Arts. He then finished his training at Houston Ballet under Claudio Muñoz and Andrew Murphy. He has danced professionally with Tulsa Ballet and Cincinnati Ballet, where he performed principal roles in classical and contemporary works such as George Balanchine’s Serenade, Val Caniparoli’s Lady of the Camellias, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s ErosRedux, Penny Saunders’ Nannerl, and Ohad Naharin’s Minus 16

LLONNIS DEL TORO CINTRA (HE/HIM) NEW DANCER

Llonnis Del Toro Cintra was born in 1999 in Havana, Cuba, and began his ballet career at the Fernando Alonso National Ballet School under the direction of Ramona De Saa Bello. He has participated in several national and international ballet competitions, winning two silver medals and a special mention. He was part of the National Bal-

let of Cuba under the direction of Alicia Alonso. Del Toro’s repertoire includes La Bayadere, Flames ofParis, Carnival of Venice, Giselle, DonQuixote, LeCorsaire, Napoli, TheTalisman, Coppelia, La Fille mal Gardée, Theme and Variations, Carmen, In the Shadows of a Waltz,Cinderella, TheMagicFlute, EarthandMoon, and SleepingBeauty, among others. He has participated in festivals in Peru, Mexico, and China and is very excited to join the company of Cincinnati Ballet.

Hiromi Platt Photography

CATHERINE LASAK NEW DANCER

Catherine Lasak began dancing at the Judith Svalander School of Ballet in Crystal Lake, Illinois when she was just 9 years old. Throughout high school, she trained at Ballet Chicago and spent two summers at the School of American Ballet. She received a full scholarship to join the Professional Division at Pacific Northwest Ballet School and later accepted an Apprentice position at Grand Rapids Ballet. In 2018, she joined Cincinnati Ballet’s Second Company – CB2 and in 2021 was invited into the Company. Nota-

ble roles include Ohad Naharin’s Minus 16, Twyla Tharp’s Nine Sinatra Songs, Septime Webre’s Peter Pan and The Wizard of Oz, Juliet in Kenneth MacMillan’s Balcony Scene in Romeo and Juliet, and George Balanchine’s SquareDance, Who Cares?, and TheNutcracker. When not in the studio or on stage, Lasak has a passion for cooking, listening to country music, cross training, kayaking, being outdoors, and spending time at her family’s cabin in northern Wisconsin. She enjoys listening to holistic wellness podcasts and is currently working on her business degree and is proud of her Midwest roots and her time in Cincinnati, a place that truly feels like her home.

JHAELIN MCQUAY (HE/HIM)

NEW DANCER

Jhaelin McQuay began dancing at the age of 11 at the Marina Del Rey Magnet School for the Performing Arts. He soon expanded his dance training at the Debbie Allen’s Dance Academy, where he found a love and appreciation for numerous styles, including hip hop, modern, tap, flamenco, contemporary, ballroom, and African. In his teens, he spent his summers on scholarship at The Rock School, Bolshoi Ballet, Ballet West, and San Francis-

co Ballet. He performed with Ballet West’s Academy for three years before joining Cincinnati Ballet II in the 2019–2020 Season. McQuay has danced for the Oscars and has appeared on stage with Mariah Carey, Chris Brown, Raven Symone, and Debbie Allen. He has also performed works choreographed by George Balanchine, Fredrick Aston, Bruce Marks, Jennifer Archibald, Martha Graham, Lester Horton, Dwight Rhoden, Desmond Richardson, and William Christiansen. In early 2021, his choreography placed top five in the YAGP finals. He is celebrating his second season at Cincinnati Ballet.

LENAI WILKERSON (SHE/HER)

NEW DANCER

Lenai Alexis Wilkerson hails from Washington, D.C., where she attended the Baltimore School for the Arts under the direction of Norma Pera. She graduated from the inaugural class at the University of Southern California as a Glorya Kaufman scholar with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Political Science. Upon graduation, she became a company artist with Ballet Hispánico, where she toured internationally for three seasons and had the pleasure of delving deeper into community engagement opportunities and teaching youth at institutions around the world. Addition-

ally, she has assisted Patrick Corbin in setting a Paul Taylor work for Miami City Ballet. Wilkerson has performed works by choreographers including George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Martha Graham, Barak Marshall, Azure Barton, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Gustavo Ramirez Sansano, d.Sabela Grimes, and Dwight Rhoden. Additionally, she has trained seasonally with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Bolshoi Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Jacob’s Pillow and with legendary ballerina Suzanne Farrell. She is a YAGP Top 12 fi nalist and was one of the seven 2016-17 dance scholars to be awarded a scholarship from Nigel Lythgoe’s DizzyFeet Foundation.

RENOVATING IBSEN ’S HOUSE

When Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen premiered his work, A Doll’s House, in 1879, it was widely considered scandalous. Ibsen’s story centered around Nora, a wife and mother living a seemingly comfortable, middle-class life in 19th century Norway. What was so shocking was Nora’s ultimate decision to throw off the constraints placed on women in her male-dominated Victorian world. In the last scene of the play, Nora decides to leave her family, an unheard-of, socially unacceptable sin of such magnitude, it was known at the time as “the door slam heard around the world.” In all of Ibsen’s plays, women—from various walks of life and socio-economic positions—are depicted struggling to find their voice and their place in a patriarchal world that left them marginalized and often victims of sexual violence and gender discrimination. Ibsen created powerful, complex, full-actualized women who stood up to female subjugation and

NICOLE DOLL

often chose rebellion over polite resignation.

Choreographer Val Caniparoli was intrigued by the dilemmas faced by the female characters of Ibsen’s plays. Ibsen’s House premiered in 2008 at San Francisco Ballet. “I’ve worked at American Conservatory Theater [ACT] in San Francisco and I was approached by [then Artistic Director] Carey Perloff, who was directing a production of A Doll’s House. She asked me to choreograph the Tarantella, a fiery, passionate dance performed by the character Nora,” Caniparoli says. “It reminded me how much I loved Ibsen. I was in the theater department in college and I studied Ibsen, among other playwrights. It dawned on me years later that Ibsen’s work would make a wonderful ballet. Ibsen had this series of plays that challenge the Victorian morals of women at the time and no writer before him tackled this issue. Ibsen really set the world in its ear during his time.

lot of people were offended.” Caniparoli recalls thinking

how interesting it would be to take five women from five of these different stories and use them as a point of departure, in a choreographic exploration of the lives of Ibsen’s Victorian women. “Who would have thought of writing a play in which the wife left her husband and children?” he says. “No one talked about that, that was unheard of. No one during that time wrote about sexuality or sexually transmitted diseases either.” Ibsen recognized the social problems that arose from the marginalization of women. Women were expected to be role players, but Ibsen’s women were radical—intelligent, sexual, willful women. While they were forced to live in “a man’s world,” the dramatic tension of his plays comes from their realization of and struggle to break free from societal constraints and expectations. Those themes continue to be relevant now; even more so considering the recent #MeTooMovement. In October 2017, the hashtag #MeToo went viral on social media following the revelation of the widespread sexual abuse allegations against film producer Harvey Weinstein. Thousands of women from various walks of life used the hashtag to identify themselves as victims of sexual harassment and/or sexual assault. The movement gave a collective voice to women who had felt marginalized and unheard, similar themes to the ones Ibsen explored more than 100 years ago. “It’s come full circle. It’s become even more important to present this ballet now,” Caniparoli says.

In Ibsen’s House, Caniparoli captures the relationship between five heroines and the men in their lives. The five couples represent Hedda Gabler and George Tesman from

Hedda Gabler; Nora Helmer and Torvald Helmer from A Doll’s House; Mrs. Alving and Captain Alving, and Oswald from Ghosts; Ellida Wangel and the Stranger from The Lady from the Sea; and Rebecca West and John Rosmer from Rosmersholm. Caniparoli defines the characters through

both movement and distinct gestures. “The ballet is challenging,” Caniparoli says. “It requires strong acting skills from the dancers performing these complex characters.”

Much like all of Caniparoli’s ballets, scenic and costume design by Sandra Woodall were instrumental from the beginning. While the costumes reflect attire worn during the late 19th century— long skirts and suits and overcoats—they are not stuffy or heavy, but flow with the movement. The costumes worn by the female dancers were also distinctly designed for each character. “The color and the line of the dress were both very important to the character’s development,” Caniparoli says. The scenic design includes a dramatic, illuminated window, a reference to a window in Ibsen’s house. It is a window into a world long ago, a world where women either acquiesced to expectations or rebelled for independence.

PHOTOGRAPHY © ERIK TOMASSON FEATURING (ABOVE) KIMBERLY MARIE OLIVIER (RIGHT) JENNIFER STAHL AND MYLES THATCHER. PHOTOS COURTESY OF SAN FRANCISCO BALLET

“It’s come full circle. It’s become even more important to present this ballet now.”

SIMONE MUHAMMAD (SHE/HER) MISSOURI | 2022

SCOTT REED (HE/HIM) GEORGIA | 2019

NICOLAS BIERWAGEN (HE/HIM) WASHINGTON | 2021

NIKOLAS BUTTON (HE/HIM) SOCHI | 2022

ANDERSON DA SILVA (HE/HIM) FLORIDA | 2021

SAM EPSTEIN (HE/HIM) NEW YORK | 2021

HAILEY FLANAGAN (SHE/HER) GEORGIA | 2021

JULIA GUNDZIK (SHE/HER) OHIO | 2021

RAMSAY MILLER (SHE/HER) OHIO | 2020

ANTHONY RHEE- REYNOSO (HE/HIM) CALIFORNIA | 2020

MIA STEEDLE (SHE/HER) MASSACHUSETTS | 2022

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING DIVISION

SALOMÉ TREGRE (SHE/HER) OHIO | 2023

TRAINEES

CIARÁN BARLOW, CAMILLE BOGGS, CATHLEEN BRESLIN, AMBER HARPER, MADELYN HARPOLE, DIETRICH KLAWONN, TREVOR PINTERPARSONS, SIERRA SEVERT, CLAIRE STURGEON, LAUREN VOGEL, AVERY WARD, ANNELIESE WELSH

PTDS

FIONA ALLEN, HANNAH BLAIR, AVA BRADFORD, ANNA DOGGETT, CARMEN DOLL, BRIANNE FALANGA, CHARLOTTE GULARSON, NATALIE HIGLE, ELIZABETH JACOBSON, HELEN JARDON, CAROLINE LOVE, FIONA MURPHY, ANNIKA OLSEN, TAYLOR PETROWSKI, JENNA RENFIELD, ELIZABETH SWISHER

Joel Stone CHAIR

Sergio Arreola

Fran Carlisle

Smokey Clay

David Cook

Andrea Costa

Judy Dalambakis

Jennifer Damiano

Zahki Davis

Sarah Frank-Fogarty

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

2022–2023 GOVERNING BOARD

Emerson Moser VICE CHAIR

Paul Frodge

Jodi Geiser

Rico Grant

Linda Greenberg

Bruce Halpryn

Kateri Moll Haskett

Cynthia E. Henderson

Lydia Jacobs-Horton

Kristin Fishbaugh TREASURER

Bruce Jeffery

Daphne Jurgensen

Marcene Kinney

Peter Laffoon

Megan McCarthy-Wolf

Jack Miner

Katy Moeggenberg

Alexandra Ollinger

2022–2023 SUSTAINERS

Jennifer Knight Zelkind

SECRETARY

Jim Papakirk

Alandes Powell

Thomas Quinn

Lisa Riccardi

Jennifer Stein

Toilynn O’Neal Turner

Faith Whittaker

Brenden Zenni

Michael Bailes

Bernie Calonge

Sheila Cohen

Connie Dow

Sandra Eisele

Jerry Ewers

Kathryn Harsh

Edmond Hooker

Beth Levy

Debbie Brant

Kelly Brown

Laura Brunner

Trish Bryan

Otto M. Budig

Nancy Clagett

Robert Pitcairn CHAIR

Scott Altman

Michael Bailes

Leon Loewenstein

Madelynn Matlock

Larry McGruder

Skip Merten

Alex Muñoz

Cathy Nwankwo

Marilyn Osborn+

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Julie Richardson

Kitty Rosenthal

Morleen Rouse

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Keke Sansalone

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2022–2023 EMERITUS

William Cordes

Lynn Good

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Charles MacDonnell

Richardson McKinney

Tom Neyer

Carol Duane Olson

Paul Ose

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Michael Rozow

James Sammarco

Kathleen Selker

2022–2023 FOUNDATION BOARD

Debbie Brant VICE CHAIR

Joe Carolin*

Joe Dehner

Madelynn Matlock TREASURER

Kristin Fishbaugh

Rhonda Sheakley

HONORARY TRUSTEES

Craig F. Maier

Rhoda Mayerson+

Heather Theders

Pamela Thompson

Serena Tsuang

Kelly Vanasse

Catherine Vernon

Gary West

Barbara Weyand

Rhonda Sheakley

Russell Shelton

Shelly Sherman

Julie Shifman

Linda Smith

Ronna Willis

Kelly Brown SECRETARY

Jen Stein

Joel Stone

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CINCINNATI BALLET STAFF

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ACADEMY AND EDUCATION INSTRUCTORS

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Sierra Severt

STUDENT EXPERIENCE REPRESENTATIVES

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FIRST WARDROBE ASSISTANT

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Carmon DeLeone MUSIC DIRECTOR EMERITUS

VICTORIA MORGAN WOMEN’S CHOREOGRAPHER AND ARTIST FUND

Thank you to everyone who donated to this fund established in honor of former Artistic Director Victoria Morgan’s 25th Anniversary Season and her career achievements as a champion of women choreographers and artists. This fund enables Cincinnati Ballet to annually draw financial support for a featured female choreographer or artist.

2022-2023 HONOREE Irene Rodríguez

You can see Irene Rodríguez perform in the Bold Moves Festival June 9-18, 2023.

Presented by

VICTORIA MORGAN WOMEN’S CHOREOGRAPHER AND ARTIST FUND DONORS

Trish and Rick Bryan

Paula I. Comisar

Sarah Corathers and James Anthony

Tanya Cornejo and Aaron Kellenberger

Judy and Chris Dalambakis

Jennifer and M. Vito Damiano

Richard and Lisa Damico

Connie and Buzz Dow

Dianne Dunkelman and Peter Schwartz

Ashley and Barbara Ford

Sue and Lynne Friedlander

Melinda Gardner

Lynn and Brian Good

Linda and Gary Greenberg

Lauren Hannan Shafer

Patti and Fred Heldman

Anne Ilyinsky

Randy and Jan Johnson

The Kaplan Foundation

Mark and Marcy Kanter

Michael and Renee Kreeger

Peter and John Laffoon

Lynn and Daniel Langmeyer

Robert and Lynn Macrae

Paul and Marilyn Porcino

Elyse Morgan Roth

Cheryl Spencer

Susan and Russ Shelton

Elizabeth A. Snyder

Jen and John Stein

Timothy Smith and Valerie Newell

John and Susan Tew

Katrina Trimble

Margaret and Michael Valentine

Barbara M. Weyand

George and Kathy Wilkinson

Ronna & Dr. James B. Willis

Joseph Zeis, Jr.

Donald Beck and Dr. Lawrence Eynon

Trish and Rick Bryan

Dianne Dunkelman and Peter Schwartz

Harry J. and Linda Fath

Anonymous in Honor of Victoria Morgan

Dan and Fran Bailey

Jennifer and Robert Conklin

Anonymous

Amy and Michael Bailes

Eileen and John Barrett

Charles and Bonnie Bensonhaver

Cheryl A. Bierwagen

Sue and Ben Blaney

Deborah and Jody Brant

Susan Brenner and Steven Mombach

Fran and Wayne Carlisle

Jennifer and M. Vito

Damiano

FOUNDER

Sue and Bill Friedlander+

Karen F. Maier and Delane Starliper

Debby and Jim Mason

Loretta Motz Cook and David Cook

Jack and Marilyn Osborn

Halle and T. Quinn

Dianne and J. David Rosenberg*

Kitty and Dick Rosenthal

DIRECTOR

Sarah Frank Fogarty and Timothy Fogarty

Linda and Gary Greenberg

Suzanne and Frank Hall

Susan Domonkos

Lauren Hannan Shafer

Christy and Terry Horan

Peter and John Laffoon

Betsy and John LaMacchia

PRINCIPAL

Connie and Buzz Dow

Helen Dupree

Cynthia E. Henderson

Sally D. Hernandez

Noel Julnes-Dehner and Joe Dehner

Jeffrey and Jody Lazarow and Janie and Peter Schwartz Family Fund*

Anne and Craig F. Maier

Madelynn and Raymond Matlock

Stacey and Mark Miller

Kateri Moll Haskett

Emerson and Mitzie Moser

Randall and Marianne Olson*

Kristen and Scott Oyler

Anne Pierce

Jack Rouse

Morleen Rouse

Tom Schiff

Larry A. and Rhonda Sheakley

Jen and John Stein

Margaret and Michael Valentine

Barbara K. Myers

Martha and Nick Ragland

Justin and Lisa Shafer

Keke and Tony Sansalone

Lisa and Joel Stone

Susan and John Tew

Kelly and Guy Vanasse

Gary and DeeDee West

Faith C. Whittaker, Partner with Dinsmore and Shohl

Jo Ann Wieghaus

Christine and John Willig

at left: Chianti Vineyards,

several sizes

DONOR HONOR ROLL

SOLOISTS

Anonymous

Elaine and David Billmire

Bob and Jane Bohinski

Daniel Cifuentes

Paula and William Cordes

Andrea Costa

Aaron and Bobbi Crary

Kelly M. Dehan

Andrea GeorgopoulosStraus

Kim Good

Fred and Patti Heldman*

Margaret Hess

John Hinger and Bryan Goodpaster

Theresa and Eddie Hooker

Steven and Esther Johnson

Daphne and Jason Jurgensen

Barbara and Larry Kellar

Lynn and Daniel Langmeyer

Lane and Skip Merten

Jack Miner and Brian Dozer

Hanna Minor

Mary Lou Motl

Susan Murray

Valerie L. Newell and Timothy Smith

CORPS

Joseph

Marilyn and Paul Porcino

Kathryn J. Pratt

Bradley and Amy Resch

Alice Schneider

Gayle and Bill Sherman

Nydia C. Tranter

Barbara Weyand

Dr. Karen Zaugg, Ph.D.

Anonymous

Janet Baker

Ruth Bley

Robert and Pamela Bosley

Jacklyn Bryson

Lanthan and Louise Camblin

Renee Combs

Judy and Chris Dalambakis

Lisa and Richard Damico

Maureen and John Doellman

Peggy Dossman

Greta Elenbaas

Jennifer and Ron Erdmann

Barry and Sandy Feist

Michele Finch

Valerie Folger

Kristine and David Freitas

Jodi M. Geiser and James

H. Miller III

Ralph P. Ginocchio

Arielle M. Goldberg

Allison and Justin Greiwe

Bill and Christy Griesser

Jessica Hall

Ham and Ellie Hamilton

Mrs. Robert Hasl

Jennifer Heis

Jane Hopson

Katherine Oliver Jarnigo

Michelle D. Jones

Sally Kelsall

The Kereiakes Family

Zofeen Khan

Jean Knuth

Joanie and Lou Lauch

Rick and Christine Lefever

Drs. Lynn and Lizbie Lin

David L. Martin

Jack and Alexa Oliver

Carol and Bob Olson

Lois and Steve Oyler

Andrea Pomeranz

Sid and Sara Pomeroy

R. Cutler Quinllin, III and Lindsey R. Gutierrez

Lori Rappold

January

Neko

January 27

Joshua

February 17

PRESENTED

June 13

Amanda and Craig Rassi

The Relthford Family

Rosemary and Mark Schlachter

Linda Siekmann

Amy Thomas

Christopher and Nancy Virgulak

Robyn and David Wenzke

John and Tiffany Whitcomb

Angela White and Amahle

White-Dragon

Blythe and Tyler Winslow

Jaclyn and Brenden Zenni

“featuringgrammy award-winning talentinaperfect jewel ofatheater.”

Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi

18

Case with Indigo Sparke

Redman 3x3 withLarry Grenadier andJoe Dyson

Rhiannon Giddens Neko Case

Joshua Redman

Pat Metheny

The New Pornographers

A. and Susan E. Pichler*

DONOR HONOR ROLL

THIRD POSITION

Anonymous (3)

Lois and Ken Allen

Lisa and Scott Altman

Pamela Ashmore

Jane S. Anderson

John Back

Carolyn Barham

Alison Belew

Chris Bergman and Stacey Devlin

Marianna Bettman

Sandra and Robert Blanchard

Jennifer Bolton

Neil Bortz

Otto M. Budig

Debbie Campbell

Dr. Onassis A. Caneris

Diane C. Carney

Tracy Cheever

Paula I. Comisar

Dr. Thomas S. Cook

Kristin and David Coppage

Dr. Sarah Corathers and Mr. James Anthony

Tanya Cornejo and Aaron Kellenberger

Dr. Michael Curran and Dr. Manisha Patel

Eric Dauer

Cynthia and Stephen DeHoff

Joyce Elkus

Merry Ewing

Risa and Stephen Feagins

Ashley and Bobbie Ford

Lynn and Brian Good

Mr. Clifford Goosmann and Ms. Andrea Wilson

Barbara and Dr. Jack Hahn

Scott and Sue Harrington

Rob and Genita Heidenreich

Kenneth Heldman and Felicia Zakem

Howard D. and Mary W. Helms

Linda Holthaus

Tom and Terry Honebrink

Anne R. Ilyinsky

Valerie Jacobs and Kevin Hart

Heidi Jark and Steven Kenat

Brenda Jones

Carole and Brad Kindem*

Cheri King

Mary Ann and Jeff Knoop

Michael and Renee Kreeger

Susan and Andrew Krott

Carol Louise Kruse

Kristin and Tom Lamarre

Janet Schultz and Russell Lascelles

Susan and Richard Lauf

Geoffrey Leder

Becky and Thomas Long

Stephen Lord

Sean Luther

Alan Margulies and Gale Snoddy

The Sophia C. McAllister Fund of Vanguard Charitable

Kim and Barbara McCracken

Raymond McNeil and Kathleen Compton

Anne Mitchell Ruiz and Robert Ruiz

Steven Morgan and Emily Crosby Morgan

Larry and Leslie Newman

Benjamin and Katherine Ohlander

Tim O’Toole

Maria and Jim Papakirk

John Pape

Bronwyn Park

Julia W. and Daniel Poston

Alandes Powell

Brandon and Margo Rapp

Ellen Rieveschl

Rachel and Luke Robinson

David and Priya Rolfes*

Elyse M. Roth

Judith L. Roth

Janet and Bill Sarran

Lorraine and Jerry Schlagheck

Nicole Schneider

Marianne Schwab and George Stricker

Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Schwartz

Barbara Seiver

Sonia Sharma

Susan and Russell Shelton

Susan and David Smith

Elizabeth A. Snyder

Dr. Michael and Mrs. Debbie Snyder

Paul H. Spitz

Diane Spitznagel

James Stapleton and Elizabeth Shaughnessy

Dee and Tom Stegman

Mary M. Stein

John U. Tan

Amy and Bill Thaman

Pamela F. Thompson

Rob and Kendra Thornton

Katrina Trimble

Susie Tweddell

Heather and Andrew Vecellio

Barbara Wagner and William Partin

Tamara Weik

Michael G. Williams

Ronna and Dr. James B. Willis

John Yacher

Jody Yetzer and Alexander Kayne

Jennifer Young

Nick and Michelle Ziegler

Tamela and Tim Zimmerman

PHOTOGRAPHY BY PETER MUELLER FEATURING SIRUI LIU AND SAMANTHA GRIFFIN

DONOR HONOR ROLL

Anonymous

Janice M. Amatulli

Pamela Ashmore

William Banks

Henrietta Barlag

Mr. and Mrs. Michael Barron

John and Helene Bentley

Tanu M. Bhati

Curtis Coonrod

Robert Corgan

Kate Costlow and John D’Amore

Madison and Yvonne Cuffy

M. Patricia and T. Patrick Donnelly

Barbara Doviak

Nancy Finke

Heather A. Fischer

Kenneth Frey

Mary and James R. Gardner

SECOND POSITION

Ellen Gentry

Judith and Samuel Gilardi

William J. Gracie and Daniel Fairbanks

Zac Greenberg

Minette Hoffheimer

Bridget and Brian Hoffman

Becky Hogya

Ez and Lynn Housh

Laura Hurley

Isabel Jones

Patricia Joseph

James Kaya

Misty Keeton

Katherine E. Keough-Jurs

Amber Kincaid

Katherine D. Kinsworthy

Kathryn Kipp

Linda Kollar

Heather and H. Lee Krombholz

Caroline A. Love

Tanzy Love and Zach Dietz

Phil and Laura Lucas

Anne Maddox and John Berninger

Dr. James L. Mahon

Bruce McIntosh

Jeff and Lori Miller

Leah and Joe Miramonti

Roberta and Neal Montour

Amy D. Moon

Alice Palmer

Joselyn Michelle Pfeil

RUGiving2?*

Stephen Rogers

Julie and Charles Scheper

Martha and Lee Schimberg

Susanna and Seth Schwartz

Kathy Selker

Keven E. Shell and Sandra L. Wittman-Shell

Shelly Sherman-Greene

Jay and Joanne Smale

Rosalind and Philip Smith

Linda and Nicholas Spadaccini

Roxann Tillinghast and Roberto Molina

Marcia and Robert Togneri

Tom and Torey Torre

Bridgette Tucker

Jennifer Tullo

Susan B. Warren

Chad and Betsy Warwick

Gregory and Deborah Wright

Jeff and Tonya Yetter

Marcy and Bob Ziek

Mr. and Mrs. Robert L. Zierolf

Betsey Zinn

BUSINESS CIRCLE

Thank you to our Business Circle, Foundation, Government, and Institutional donors who supported us through cash and in-kind contributions received by May 1, 2023. The above donor pages represent the information available at the time of print. If you find that you are listed incorrectly or we did not recognize you appropriately, we apologize and want to include you. Please contact our Institutional Giving Manager, Alexandria Wright, at awright@cballet.org or 513. 873. 5812.

About Face Surgical Arts- Khurran A. Khan

Precision Motocars Company The Todd Group @ StifelTrendprescient Art + Interior Design

AS RANKED BY BARRON’S

Barron’s has ranked Valerie Newell as the #1 Financial Advisor in Ohio from 2016-2023 on its Top 1,200 Advisors list. Advisors are ranked and organized on a state-by-state basis. Barron’s rankings for 2016-2023 were published in March of each award year based on the previous year’s September 30th data, including 1- and 5-year periods.

P&G

FOUNDATION, GOVERNMENT, AND INSTITUTIONAL DONORS

$100,000 + $50,000–$99,999

The Kaplan Foundation

$15,000–$49,999

Oliver Family FoundationThomas J. Emery Memorial Fund Wohlgemuth Herschede Foundation

$5,000–$14,999

Chemed Foundation

Crosset Family Foundation

Joni Herschede Fund of The Greater Cincinnati Fdtn Morgan Judd Memorial Fund

$1,000–$4,999

Mueller Family Foundation

Peter T. Joseph Foundation

Andrew Howe Scholarship Foundation

Charles Scott Riley III Foundation

Ez & Lynn Housh Family Foundation

Innovative Worthy Projects Foundation

ARTSWAVE

Lewis & Marjorie Daniel Foundation

Nabama Foundation

Parkinson Support and Wellness

Cincinnati Ballet acknowledges the following partner companies, foundations, and their employees who generously participate in the annual ArtsWave Campaign at the $100,000+ level.

Fifth Third Bank and the Fifth Third Foundation

GE Aviation

alta fiber

Western & Southern Financial Group

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

The Cincinnati Insurance Companies

City of Cincinnati

Enquirer Media

Great American Insurance Group

Ohio National Financial Services

U.S. Bank

The H.B., E.W. and F.R. Luther Charitable Foundation, Fifth Third Bank and Narley L. Haley, Co-Trustees

Macy’s Cincinnati Business Courier

The Kroger Co.

PNC

The E.W. Scripps Company and Scripps Howard Foundation

Duke Energy HORAN

Cincinnati Reds

Josephine Schell Russell Charitable Trust

PARTNERS

THANK YOU

TO OUR GENEROUS Sponsors, Hosts, Performers and Partners

PRESENTING SPONSOR

ENTERTAINMENT SPONSORS

Loretta Motz Cook + David Cook

PREMIER SPONSORS

Peter +

SIGNATURE DRINK SPONSOR

ASSOCIATE SPONSORS

Boards & Beez

Kelly Dehan + Rick Staudigel

Linda + Gary Greenberg

Fred + Patti Heldman

Cynthia E. Henderson

The Johnson Foundation

Daphne + Jason Jurgensen

Quince + Quinn

Marty + Nick Ragland

Barbara Weyand

Faith Whittaker

SUPPORTING SPONSORS

Balloon Bombed

Fran + Wayne Carlisle

Andrea Costa

Peggy Dossman

Ron Erdmann @ Guaranteed Rate

Jessica Hall

Kateri Moll Haskett

Huntington Bank

HOSTS

Pamela Ashmore

Donald Beck +

Lawrence E. Eynon, MD

Jennifer Bolton

Jackie Bryson

Paula I. Comisar

Judy + Chris Dalambakis

Jennifer + Vito Damiano

Susan Domonkos

Merry E. Ewing

Kristin + Chris Fishbaugh

Jodi Geiser + Jim Miller III

John Hinger +

Brian Goodpaster

Anne R. Ilyinsky

Valerie Jacobs + Kevin Hart

Alexander Kayne +

Jody Yetzer

Kristin + Tom Lamarre

Stephen Lord

Sean Luther

Emily Mathews

David Martin

Steve + Emily Morgan

Alexandra H. & Cole Ollinger

Scott + Kristen Oyler

Lisa Riccardi

Omnia 360 Facility Solutions

Steve + Lois Oyler

John + Jen Stein

trendprescient art + interior design

VonLehman CPA & Advisory Firm

Rhonda + Larry A. Sheakley

Rob + Kendra Thornton

The Todd Group @ Stifel

Heather + Andrew Vecellio

Ronna + Dr. James Willis

Brenden + Jaclyn Zenni

Michelle Ziegler

Tamela Zimmerman

Betsey Zinn

Waterson Garner Sponsors

EXPLORE CINCINNATI BALLET

MEET THE ARTISTS

Cincinnati Ballet is pleased to offer Meet the Artists, a pre-performance discussion series connecting audiences to select dancers, choreographers, and members of the creative team who bring our performances to life. Admission to Meet the Artists is included in your ticket to the current production.

ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES

Throughout the year Cincinnati Ballet offers dynamic and interactive experiences to deepen your love of the art form. These programs are designed for everyone and include studio rehearsals, workshops, community and educational performances, pre-and post-performance discussions, and more.

BALLET & BEER

Ballet & Beer is an event series providing an insider’s view into Cincinnati Ballet while enjoying drinks, light bites, and socializing. This season we will host these happy hour–style events at the new Margaret and Michael Valentine Center for Dance in Walnut Hills. These events are free to attend, but due to space limitations for the rehearsals, advanced reservations are encouraged. Events include a cash bar.

COMMUNITY PERFORMANCE SERIES

Cincinnati Ballet is excited to open the Margaret and Michael Valentine Center for Dance to the community for an inviting introduction to ballet and dance performance. These performances are designed to welcome new audiences to dance through accessible storytelling, relatable themes, fun choreography, and community partnerships. Join us at the new Center for Dance on select Sunday afternoons with your family and friends for these hour-long performances.

VOLUNTEER

Cincinnati Ballet offers a variety of volunteer opportunities. Get involved and support Cincinnati Ballet while meeting new people and learning more about ballet. Volunteering for Cincinnati Ballet is fun, educational, and a great way to support the arts. Volunteers are vital in supporting the mission of Cincinnati Ballet.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION

AT THE ARONOFF CENTER FOR THE ARTS

FOOD AND BEVERAGES are available at various lobby locations throughout the Aronoff Center. For many performances, a selection of the concessions we sell, including most drinks, may be taken into the theater. Our concessions staff and ushers can indicate whether or not you may take your snacks and beverages into the theater.

ALL RESTROOMS in the Aronoff Center are accessible to people with disabilities. Restrooms in the Procter & Gamble Hall are located in the side corridors on both sides of the lobbies (except Balcony—restrooms located on the north side of the lobby only).

COAT CHECK can be found on the street level of the Aronoff Center.

IF YOU LOSE AN ITEM while attending an event at the Aronoff Center, check with one of our ushers before leaving the building. If they are unable to locate the item, call the Security Desk at (513) 9774128 during regular business hours, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM, Monday-Friday.

YOUR PARTICIPATION IN OUR RECYCLING effort is appreciated! Blue or silver recycling containers are located near every concession stand. If you don’t want to keep your program, you may recycle it in the program bins in the lobby at the Aronoff Center.

PLEASE NOTE

THE LOBBY at the Aronoff Center opens one hour prior to curtain and you may enter the theater 30 minutes prior to the start of the performance.

LATE SEATING is at the discretion of the Front of House Manager. For many events, there may be a seating hold for latecomers. These holds vary in length depending on the show. Should you need to leave the auditorium during the performance, readmittance and seating will also be at the discretion of the house manager.

PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO of Cincinnati Ballet performances is strictly forbidden.

SMOKING IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED at the Aronoff Center.

FREE TOURS OF THE ARONOFF CENTER are available for groups up to 50 people and are typically off ered Monday – Friday between the hours of 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM, pending theater availability. Weekend or early evening tours also may be possible and can be discussed with a representative. The Aronoff Center tour lasts approximately one hour. To schedule a tour, call (513) 977-4117, ext. 3 and leave a message with the date(s) and time(s) you are interested in attending. An Aronoff Center representative will respond within 2 business days.

ACCESSIBILITY

All theaters and meeting spaces within the Aronoff Center are accessible to patrons with physical disabilities. Once inside the building, all levels are accessible by elevator. The Jarson-Kaplan Theater is equipped with one elevator for patron use. Automatic accessible doors are located on the south end of the building near Sixth and Walnut Streets.

A COURTESY WHEELCHAIR IS AVAILABLE upon request on a first-come, first-served basis for patrons needing assistance from the lobby to their seats. Patrons can ask any staff member or volunteer usher for assistance.

ASSISTIVE LISTENING DEVICES for the hearing impaired are available at the coat room in the lobby of the Jarson-Kaplan Theater. These assistive listening devices operate on an infra-red system and are not compatible with other frequency-based units.

ACCESSIBLE SEATING is available in all theaters for patrons not able to transfer out of their wheelchairs or with other seating needs. Please contact the Ticket Office at (513) 621-2787 in advance to discuss your needs.

SERVICE ANIMALS are always welcome at the Aronoff Center in order to accommodate patrons with disabilities.

For more information about Cincinnati Ballet please visit our website www.cballet.org, call (513) 621-5282, or visit us at 1801 Gilbert Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45202.