Artistic and Production Teams

MARIUS PETIPA (Choreographer, Paquita) “The Father of Classical Ballet” (March 11, 1818—July 14, 1910), was from Marseilles, France and son of a family of artists. His father, Jean, was a ballet master, and his brother, Lucien, was a principal dancer and later a choreographer at the Paris Opéra. After many years of dancing throughout Europe, Petipa was offered a position as principal dancer in St. Petersburg in 1847. There he apprenticed under ballet masters Jules Perrot and then Arthur Saint-Léon. In 1870, Saint-Léon left Russia, and Petipa was named chief ballet master. Petipa was the architect of greatness at the Imperial Ballet during the last thirty years of the 19th century; he developed the opulent, multi-act evening-length spectacle, which was to set the pattern for the entertainments so loved by the court audience. It was this grand classical style of controlled emotion (stressing the formal values of clarity, harmony, symmetry, and order) that produced such successes as Don Quixote, La Bayadère, Raymonda, and the ultimate — Sleeping Beauty. One of Petipa’s greatest contributions to classical ballet was the crystallization of the pas de deux, which always has a well-defined structure in his ballets consisting of the opening adagio for the ballerina and her partner followed by variations for each dancer. The two dancers again join in the concluding coda, which usually contains a display of pyrotechnics. Contributed by Nathan Hites, 2017.

ATLANTA BALLET COSTUME SHOP (Costume Designer, Paquita and Pleiades Dances) is currently comprised of five people: Colleen McGonegle – costume director; Susan Carter – construction supervisor and costume technician; Chloé Gervais – costume technician; Abby Parker –shoe and wardrobe manager, and costume technician; Abby Dupree Polston – patternmaker and costume technician; Maddie Simmons - costume technician. Collectively they bring over 75 years of costuming experience to Atlanta Ballet, with each person brining their own unique and valuable skill set. During Gennadi Nedvigin’s tenure with Atlanta Ballet, the costume shop has supervised 15 new builds, and costumes for over 40 works. Supporting Nedvigin’s vision to bring new works to Atlanta, each season the costume shop constructs costumes for three to four world premieres with original designs. Recently the costume shop has designed costumes for Claudia Schreier’s Pleiades Dances, for Bruce Wells’ Atlanta Ballet 2 presents Beauty and the Beast, The Swan Princess and new a new Butterfly Pas de Deux in Snow White.

BEN RAWSON (Lighting Designer, Paquita and Schubertiada) is an Atlanta-based lighting designer for theatre, opera and dance, member USA 829. Theatrical/Opera design work can be seen at The Alliance Theatre, Michigan Opera Theatre, Florida Studio Theatre, Atlanta Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Theatrical Outfit, Actors Express, Aurora Theatre, Atlanta Lyric Theatre, 7 Stages and Synchronicity Theatre. Dance design work includes collaborations with choreographers Ana Maria Lucaciu, Troy Schumacher and Danielle Agami, as well as with Atlanta Ballet, Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre, Fly on a Wall, staibdance, Bluebird Uncaged, Proia Dance Project and Emily Cargill and Dancers. Ben has also worked across the country as an associate and assistant lighting designer for San Diego Opera (CA), The Alliance Theatre (GA), Berkshire Theatre Festival (MA), Atlanta Opera (GA), Utah Opera (UT), Atlanta Ballet (GA) and Playmakers Repertory Company (NC). benrawsondesign.com

SERGIO MASERO (Choreographer, Schubertiada) is originally from Madrid, Spain. He received his ballet training from Real Conservatorio Profesional de Danza “Mariemma” and San Franciso Ballet School. Since early in his career, the world of choreography has always appealed to Masero and he has seized every opportunity that has presented itself. His works include, La Follia and At the Ballet for Ballet Memphis; Annie, a full-length ballet commissioned by the Dance Academy of Bartlett; Forced Perspective and Tintinare, for galas with Northwest Florida Ballet; and most recently, his original work, Teneo Integrum for Atlanta Ballet. Masero is looking forward to growing his career as a choreographer and is thrilled to be able to create another new work for Atlanta Ballet.

ABBY PARKER (Costume Designer, Schubertiada) has been a theatrical costume designer in the Atlanta area for over 15 years, and she has been conceptualizing and custom building dance costumes for private individuals and studios since 2018. She is the company shoe manager, wardrobe supervisor, and a costume technician for Atlanta Ballet, as well as the unofficial “Therapy Mom” for many of the dancers. This will be her first official design for Atlanta Ballet, and she is ever so grateful for the opportunity to work with Sergio Masero as a choreographer and to crack her creative knuckles at this project.

JOSEPH R. WALLS (Lighting Designer, Pleiades Dances) recently designed world premieres for Sophie Laplane and Juliano Nunes at Ballet West. In addition, designed Ethan Stiefel’s Midsummer Night’s Dream at American Repertory Ballet and a new lighting design for Orlando Ballet’s Nutcracker and Jorden Morris’ Moulin Rouge® - The Ballet. Walls designed Dana Genshaft’s Orpheus for The Washington Ballet exclusively created for Marquee TV. He has designed the lighting for numerous original works with choreographers who include Jessica Lang, Trey McIntyre, Ethan Stiefel, John Heginbotham, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Dana Genshaft, Andrea Miller, Yury Yanowsky, Ricardo Amarante, Gemma Bond and Dwight Rhoden. Internationally, Walls works with STEPS of Panama and recently designed Marlyn Attie’s Crush at the National Theatre of Panamá with support from the United States Embassy. Walls was nominated for the prestigious Premios Escena award for best lighting design for his lighting and scenic design of Rent in Panama. Walls also designed the weeklong celebration with Pope Francis – The World Youth Day. Other design collaborations include those with Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Ballet West, The Washington Ballet, Utah Metropolitan Ballet, staibdance, Inland Pacific Ballet, Chautauqua Dance, Ballet Spartanburg, The Charlotte Ballet, Roswell Dance Theatre, Komasnsé Dance Theater, as well as Sundance Summer Theatre productions. www.jwallsdesign.com

WESTERN-LI SUMMERTON (Accompanist, Pleiades Dances) is a pianist based in Atlanta Georgia. Born in Bellingham, Washington, Summerton has studied with renowned pianists throughout the Pacific Northwest including Judith Widrig, Ralph Markham, Kenneth Broadway, Anita King, Jean-David Coen, and Hwakyu Lee; as well as compositional studies with Renee Favand-See and Kenji Bunch. Summerton has performed in various solo, chamber, choral, and orchestral settings, including Mendelsohn’s two piano arrangement of A Midsummer Night’s Dream with Bodyvox, and The Portland Ballet’s production of Stravinsky’s The Firebird. Summerton has an extensive history in collaboration between music and dance. He has played for many companies across the country, including The Portland Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, NW Dance Project, Alonzo King LINES Ballet and United Ballet Theatre. In 2021, Summerton was invited to play classes for Royal Danish Ballet and Hungarian National Ballet. He currently serves as the Company Accompanist/Music Administration Coordinator for Atlanta Ballet. Summerton holds a Bachelor of Music in piano performance with a minor in business from Portland State University.