YURY YANOWSKY
Yury Yanowsky’s robust career as a Principal Dancer with the Boston Ballet and as an international guest artist spanned over two decades. Yanowsky won First Prize at the Prix de Lausanne and the Silver medal at the Varna and U.S. International Ballet Competitions.
Yury’s passion for choreography began early in his dancing career and over the past decade he has had the opportunity to showcase his work around the world. He has been commissioned to create new works for Boston Ballet, Bundes Jugend Ballet, Jacobs Pillow Gala, Atlanta Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, and Festival Ballet Providence. In 2015, he was awarded the Choreographic Prize at the prestigious Erik Bruhn Competition and his ballet Smoke and Mirrors for Boston Ballet was named “Best in Dance for 2016” by The Arts Fuse and hailed as a “visual and choreographic masterpiece”.
Yanowsky was named Artistic Curator of Festival Ballet Providence in 2020.
KATHLEEN BREEN COMBES
Kathleen Breen Combes initially joined Festival Ballet Providence as Executive Director in August 2019, after an illustrious career as a principal dancer with Boston Ballet. Originally from Rockville Centre, NY, Breen Combes received her early training from the Fort Lauderdale Ballet Classique, the HARID Conservatory, and The Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet before joining the Washington Ballet in 2000. She joined Boston Ballet in 2003, and was promoted to Principal Dancer in 2009.
As one of Boston Ballet’s leading dancers, Breen Combes was hailed by The New York Times as a “ballerina of colossal scale and boldness”. She was awarded the Lefkowitz Award for Special Achievement at the New York International Ballet Competition at Lincoln Center in 2003, and was featured on the cover of Dance Magazine in 2007. Breen Combes was nominated for the prestigious Benois de la Danse award for her portrayal of Juliet in Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet and Titania in Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream in 2012. Her versatile repertoire includes principal roles in the classical repertoire along with works by Wheeldon, Forsythe, McGregor, Ekman, Yanowsky, Pickett, Robbins, Kylián, and Balanchine. She originated the title role in Jorma Elo’s Carmen, as well as Close to Chuck and Break the Eyes, and has worked exclusively with William Forsythe, originating roles in Playlist and Pas/Parts among many others.
Alongside her performing career, Breen Combes holds a
She worked within the Development and Artistic Administrative Departments while at Boston Ballet. She has been featured in and contributed to numerous print articles in
Dance Spirit, Pointe Magazine, and Dance Magazine among others. In 2014, Breen Combes created a TedEd video entitled “Rethinking Ballet” and has been a guest speaker at The University of Massachusetts, University of Tokyo, Northeastern University and Harvard University. Breen Combes was appointed Director of Festival Ballet Providence in January 2021, and brings her extensive background, both artistically and administratively, to reinvigorate and inspire the Providence community. Her goals for the company include presenting world class art and creating an innovative, accessible and inclusive organization that will bring ballet to the forefront of the cultural landscape of Providence and beyond.
LETICIA GUERRERO
A native of Venezuela, Ms. Guerrero received her early training at the Keyla Ermecheo Ballet School in Caracas. She has performed with numerous companies including Ballet Nuevo Mundo de Caracas, Metropolitan Ballet of Caracas, Minnesota Dance Theatre, Michigan Ballet, Charleston Ballet Theatre, Jose Mateo’s Ballet Theatre and Cadence Dance Project. She has created leading roles in ballets in Gianni Dimarco’s El Amor Brujo, Schéhérazade and Azucar, Plotnikov’s Carmen, The Widow’s Broom, Loof and Let Dime and Coma, and Don Quixote. Other leading roles include Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante, Rubies, Tschaikovsky Pas de Deux, Tarantella, Who Cares?, Pelzig’s The Princess and the Pea, Swan Lake and Eldar Aliev’s A Thousand and One Nights. In addition Providence Mayor David Cicilline awarded a Citizens Citation for her “exceptional and wholehearted devotion for the art of dance.”
After her retirement from the stage in May 2012, she transitioned into her new role as Ballet Mistress with the Company, and as a faculty member with FBP School where she continues to pass on her knowledge to a new generation of dancers.
CHRISTOPHER ANDERSON
Christopher Anderson began his training in Colorado at the Arvada Center for the Arts. At age 14, Anderson trained at the Academie de Danse Classique de Princesse Grace in Monaco before training at North Carolina School of the Arts.. He completed his training at San Francisco Ballet School.
Upon completing his education, Anderson danced for sixteen years at San Francisco Ballet, performed the works of George Balanchine, David Bintley, Christopher Bruce, Val Caniparoli, William Forsythe, Jacques Garnier, James Kudelka, Jiri Kylian, Anna Laerkesen, Mark Morris, Jerome Robbins, Deitmar Seyferrt, Paul Taylor, Glen Tetley, Helgi Tomasson and Stanton Welch. He has also danced in many of the classics including Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Romeo & Juliet, Giselle, La Sylphide, Chopinyana, and The Nutcracker
After his time with San Francisco Ballet, Anderson danced
internationally in Europe as a Principal Guest Artist. He joined Alberta Ballet under the direction of Mikko Nissinen where he worked three years as a principal dancer. Anderson taught in numerous dance programs including Boston Ballet School where he worked as a faculty member for 16 years before joining the Festival Ballet School in 2020. In addition to his work with BBS, Anderson also taught Boston Ballet company class regularly and was the Ballet Master for the Battle Scene in Mikko Nissinen’s production of the The Nutcracker.
BRANDON STIRLING BAKER
Brandon Stirling Baker is an award-winning lighting designer working internationally in the areas of dance, opera, and theatre. His work can be seen on stages throughout the United States and abroad including Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, Hollywood Bowl, Walt Disney Concert Hall, New York City Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Australian Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, American Ballet Theater, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Miami City Ballet, Boston Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Houston Ballet, Pa-
Dresden, Staatsballett Berlin and many others.
Since 2010, Baker has designed over 27 world premieres for choreographer Justin Peck. Additional collaborations include new works by Savion Glover, Sufjan Stevens, William Forsythe, Jamar Roberts, and many others. Baker currently serves as the lighting director of the Boston Ballet.
ERMINIO PINQUE
Erminio Pinque is the founder and artistic director of BIG NAZO, an international performance group and creaturemaking studio in Providence. Originally from New York, he has lived in Providence since receiving his BFA in illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design, where he now teaches a course in creature creation.
CHU LING
Ling is an internationally recognized award-winning artist. Starting off her career in China and Japan Ms. Chu relocated to the United States in 1996, where two years later she founded the Chu Ling Dance Academy, which quickly became established as a vibrant arts space. Since arriving, her works have been performed in Seattle, New York and Boston and her academy has excelled in training a new generation of dancers, and they have performed in notable events across Boston such as First Night Boston and the Boston Arts Festival. Having a philosophy of using dance to celebrate cultural differences and to open up new horizons, Ms. Chu puts personal development at the core of her teachings, and this has been utilized by the Boston Ballet School, Curry College, Lesley Univer-
sity, Wellesley College and Harvard University, where she has taught regularly. Chu Ling is a member of the FBP School faculty.
MARVELOUS MARVIN
Marvin Novogrodski is pleased to assist Yury with magic and circus ideas in this year’s Nutcracker. Marvin, a former dancer/actor with Providence’s Everett Dance Theatre has been integrating magic and circus arts for years under the guise of Marvelous Marvin doing educational shows for elementary schools.
MARISSA PARMENTER
Marissa Parmenter’s dance career has brought her around the world, allowing her the opportunity to dance with a variety of noteworthy professional companies and collaborate with leading choreographers in a wide array of dance styles. In addition to her work as a dancer, Ms. Parmenter continues to make her mark on the dance world through creating choreography and educating the next generation. Her thoughtful approach to teaching combines an awareness of the body with mental observation to cultivate an eager, investigatory dancer.
Ms. Parmenter’s work as a choreographer and stager has been performed by pre-professional dancers at schools across the region, including Festival Ballet Providence School, Wheaton College, and Hollins University. Her pursuit of elevating dance education has also been highlighted by featured articles in Pointe and Dance Magazine and has received both the Caroline Newhouse and Sono Onsato awards for artists in higher education. In addition to her role as Director of Dance Education at Festival Ballet Providence School, Ms. Parmenter is currently an Associate Professor of Dance at Boston Conservatory at Berklee College and serves on the Dean's Faculty Advisory Committee. Ms. Parmenter is passionate about expanding the future of dance by encouraging curiosity, inclusivity and harnessing mind-to-muscle connection.
SARA BROWNELL
A Connecticut native, Sara Brownell received her formative training from Wendy Fish-Lawrence and David Lawrence at Connecticut Concert Ballet. During high school, she was also a member of Hartford-based modern dance company, dancEnlight, under the direction of Lorelei Chang. Sara then continued her studies at Mercyhurst University, where she had the opportunity to perform in both classical and contemporary ballets as well as choreograph for numerous main-stage productions. In 2017, Sara spent the summer with Boca Ballet Theatre where she was fortunate to perform in David Parson’s The Envelope. Sara has also performed with Lake Erie Ballet, appearing as a soloist in The Nutcracker and their black box gala: Matters of the Heart.
Some cast member bios include their favorite parts of the Holidays!
JOÃO ALVES
@joao.savan • Joined: 2022, Hometown: São Paulo, Brazil Professional Division at Balleto Dance Studio and The Rock School for Dance Education. Former dancer at AMA Dance Theatre. Favorite Roles: La Esmeralda, Coppelia, Esmeralda, Le Corsaire, Giselle Fun Fact: Very connected with social media.
AZAMAT ASANGUL
@danseur01 • Joined: 2017, Hometown: Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic Azamat graduated from Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet in 2010. He loves traveling, reading and listening to music. His favorite roles danced at FBP are The American by Christopher Wheeldon, Smoke and Mirrors by Yury Yanowsky and Don Quixote (suite)
KATHERINE BICKFORD
@kjjbickford • Joined: 2015, Hometown: Cutler Bay, FL Katherine trained and graduated from Canada’s National Ballet School. She went on to earn her Bachelor’s degree in Ecology and Environmental Science from the University of Maine before joining FBP in 2015. When she is not dancing, Katherine enjoys choreographing, hiking, and gardening.
KIRSTEN EVANS
@keeksevans • Joined: 2010, Hometown: Seekonk, MA Kirsten began her training at Festival Ballet School at age eleven. She joined the company in 2010 as a trainee and worked her way up to the main company. Kirsten has performed principal roles in classical and contemporary works by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, George Balanchine, Christopher Wheeldon, Trey McIntyre, Yury Yanowsky, Viktor Plotnikov, Dominic Walsh, and others. In 2019, Kirsten earned her BA in Liberal Arts from Providence College. In 2020, Kirsten founded a summer performing arts company called Revolve Dance Project.
EMMA GUERTIN
@Emmaguertinn_ • Joined: 2022, Hometown: Oakville, Ontario, Canada
She was the #1 petsitter in Atlanta for two months straight on the Rover app. Emma has a tattoo of her dog’s paw print, who was a couple months older than Emma, she understood both French and English & lived to be 21 years old. Her tattoo is a symbol of having always Mouffette with her. Mouffette is the french word for skunk, which is what she looked like.
MAMUKA KIKALISHVILI
@mamuka_kikalishvili • Joined: 2019, Hometown: Poti, Georgia Mamuka completed his ballet training at the V. Chabukiani Tbilisi State Ballet School and joined State Ballet of Georgia in 2012. He then joined Hong Kong Ballet in 2014 and Boston Ballet 2016-2018. He also trains & competes in Martial Arts competitions.
ALEX LANTZ
Joined: 2012, Hometown: Rockford, IL Alex danced with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet before coming to Festival in 2012. Some of his favorite roles have included Don Jose in Carmen, Sigfried in Swan Lake, and an ugly step sister in Cinderella
AUDREY LUKACZ
@audreylukacz • Joined: 2020 Hometown: Portsmouth, NH Audrey graduated from Butler University with a B.A in Dance Pedagogy in 2019. Since joining FBP in 2020 some of her favorite works have been, Strings by Yury Yanowsky, Amar é… by Paulo Arrais and Spanish in The Nutcracker Fun fact, she runs FBP’s social media platforms and can pogo stick with no hands.
One of my favorite memories is my dad performing as a party dad in our Nutcrackers growing up. Now, I love decorating for the holidays, and wrapping presents!
TARA MCCALLY
@Tara.mccally • Joined: 2021, Hometown: Houston, TX Tara spent most of her years training at the Feijoo Ballet School and during that time she won Grand Prix at Dance Open America. The following year she joined Festival Ballet Providence as a company member. Some of Tara’s roles Blue Until June, Dewdrop and Lead Panda in the Nutcracker! She is very excited to perform with the company again this year!
Hot chocolate, family, and driving around looking at Christmas lights!
CLAY MURRAY
@claymurray • Joined: 2022, Hometown: Hattiesburg, MS Clay has trained at various high level schools including Houston Ballet performed in numerous classical and contemporary works while training but also working professionally with Boston Ballet and Los Angeles Ballet. Some of his favorites are William Forsythe’s Artifact, Alejandro Cerrudo’s Paco Pepe Pluto, Azure Barton’s Les Chambres Des Jaques and George Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments and Agon
So many things to love. Holiday food, the sense of community it brings, and doing Nutcracker shows with my fellow dancers.
HEATHER NICHOLS
@heathercnichols • Joined: 2022, Hometown: Richmond, VA Heather began her training at West End Academy of Dance in Richmond, Virginia. In 2009, she joined the Richmond Ballet as a trainee. From 20112015, Heather attended Butler University and received her Bachelor of Science in Dance Pedagogy and Pre-Physical Therapy. In 2015, she joined Ballet San Meraki with National Choreographers Initiative.
LUIS OCARANZA
@luisocaranza • Joined: 2022, Hometown: Morelia, Mexico Ocaranza began his training at Centro Pro-Ballet de Michoacán before joining Miami City Ballet School. Orcanza has performed ballets by George Balanchine, Sir Frederick Ashton, Kenneth MacMillan, Rudolph Nureyev, John Cranko, Marco Goecke, Paul Taylor, Anthony Tudor, Val Caniparoli, Christopher Wheeldon and others. He also performed with Sarasota Ballet in 2016 Fall For Dance Festival. In 2017 he joined Milwaukee Ballet and in 2021 was part of Theater Im Pfalzbau dance festival in Germany as a member of Compañía Nacional de Danza.
ANNA LISA WILKINS
@annalisa.wilx • Joined: 2020, Hometown: East Longmeadow, MA Anna Lisa graduated IU Jacobs School of Music in 2019 (Go Hoosiers!) and her favorite role with FBP thus far has been Dew Drop in The Nutcracker I love spending time with family and friends. It's a wonderful time to slow down and enjoy the little things…The decorations make everything so festive!
NINA YOSHIDA
@ninaballerina98 • Joined: 2020, Hometown: Madison, NJ Nina’s favorite role to perform is the Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker. When she’s not dancing, she loves reading fantasy books, gardening, cooking, and street in Manhattan, a distance of over 300 miles. Nina is also very interested in changing her habits to be more environmentally conscious, and she wishes to become more involved in Rhode Island’s conservation efforts. Slowing down and spending time with family. I enjoy the little things like
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KOBE ATWOOD COURTNEY
@Kobe.Courtney • Kobe Atwood Courtney (they/them) was introduced to dance through Richmond Ballet’s Outreach program Minds in Motion. They trained with Richmond Ballet, under the encouragement of Jasmine Grace, finishing at San Francisco Ballet School where they performed works including Balanchine’s Stars and Stripes and Jiri Kylian’s Sarabande. They then worked with Orlando Ballet learning works such as Lyric Pieces by Jessica Lang and Lambarena by Val Caniparoli. They continued their career with Festival Ballet Providence, performing leading roles in works by Yury Yanowsky, Ja’ Malik, and Lia Cirio. They are currently with COMPLEXIONS Contemporary Ballet.
DAVID D BOIS
ddubois23 • David joined Festival Ballet Providence in 2015 where he performed a vast range of works including Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante and Serenade, Yury Yanowsky’s Smoke and Mirrors, and a principal role in Trey McIntyre’s Blue Until June. After seven seasons with Festival Ballet Providence and a career spanning two decades, David retired in April 2022 from his full time dancing career. He looks forward to joining FBP this season as a Guest Artist and continuing to explore new artistic opportunities.
RICARDO RHODES
Ricardo Rhodes was born in Boston, Massachusetts where he trained at the Boston Ballet.Ricardo was accepted to the Sarasota Ballet in 2007 and promoted to Principal in 2012.
He has performed many principal roles which include ballets such as La Fille Mal Gardée, Symphonic Variations, Les Patineurs, Birthday Offering, Scènes de Ballet, Monotones II, The Dream, Stars and Stripes, Apollo, Diamonds, Emeralds, Rubies, Serenade, Allegro Brillante, Theme and Variations, Who Cares? among others.
JOSHUA TUASON
@jtwasun • Joshua Tuason, based in Providence, RI, began his dance artistry in a public-school dance outreach program run through San Francisco Ballet. He obtained a BFA in dance from Marymount Manhattan College and soon joined the Martha Graham Ensemble. Eight years as a member of the Stephen Petronio Dance Company and later a freelance career led him to work with modern dance artists such as Yvonne Rainer, Pam Tanowitz, John Heginbotham, Ian Spencer Bell, and the Merce Cunningham Trust. On faculty at Boston
ATHINA ALIMONOS
Joined: 2018, Hometown: Hadley, MA @athinamarinaaa
Athina began dancing at the age of four and trained with Irina Vakhromeeva for many years followed by training at Massachusetts Academy of Ballet with Rose and Charles Flachs. Some of her favorite roles she’s performed with FBP include Yury Yanowsky’s Same Spanish dance in The Nutcracker; the Tall Elige Woman in Balanchine’s Serenade; Variation 4 in Paquita; and Grisi in Pas De Quatre. This will be Athina’s fourth season with FBP.
Decorating for Christmas and baking!
MADELINE GLINSKI
@madelineglinski • Joined: 2021, Hometown: Malvern, PA Madeline fell in love with ballet at an early age and spent most days since then at the studio. Her dream role is “Juliet” in Romeo and Juliet. She loves the music, story, and especially her character for the strong emotions expressed throughout the ballet.
FIONA KIRKLAND
• Joined: 2021, Hometown: Millburn, NJ Fiona is an amateur photographer and loves any type of outdoor activity. Her favorites include rock climbing, sailing, and laying in soft grass in the sun.
AJ MAIO
@a.m_j08 • Joined: 2022, Hometown: Barrington, RI AJ Maio began his Ballet training with Festival Ballet Providence School. In the Spring of 2022, he graduated from the University of Utah with a B.F.A. in Ballet and a B.A. in Russian. While there, he performed lead roles from Le Corsaire, Carmen, Raymonda, Don Quixote, Giselle, La Vivandiere, Paquita, and La Fille Mal Gardée Providence.
HANNAH WOOD
@hannah_elisebeth • Joined: 2021, Hometown: Westminster, MD Hannah began dancing at Carroll County Dance Center. She then continued her training at BalletMet where she had the opportunity to perform in ballets such as Serenade, Walpurgisnacht, Myrtha in Giselle, Don Quixote, Tributary Festival she danced many roles, including Anton Dolin’s Pas de Quatre, and other works by Yury Yanowsky. Hannah is very much looking forward to her second season with Festival Ballet. My favorite thing about the holidays is looking at all the christmas lights and decorations!
JULIANA GODLEWSKI
@lifeofjuj • Joined: 2021, Hometown: San Clemente, CA Originally from Orange County, CA, Juliana has spent most of her life on the west coast up until last season when she joined FBP. Some of her favorite roles that she has performed include Myrtha in Giselle,” Gulnare in “Le Corsaire” and Marie Taglioni in “Pas de Quatre.” Her favorite part of being a dancer is being a part of the rehearsal process, when new works and traditional classics come to life in the studio.
ALEXANDRA JONES
@alexluvs2dance • Joined: 2021, Hometown: Brownsburg, IN In May 2021, Alexandra graduated from Indiana University’s JSoM with a B.S. in Music (Ballet), an EMT. Her favorite performances include; Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, Wheeldon’s Carousel: A Dance, Balanchine’s Walpurgisnacht, Robbins’ The Concert, Balanchine’s Emeralds (1st Variation), & Forsythe’s In The Middle Somewhat Elevated (Excerpt). This is Alexandra’s second season with FBP. For her full bio visit— www.alexandrarjones.com
CORINNE MULCAHY
@corinnemulcahyy • Joined: 2022, Hometown: Philadelphia, PA Corinne joins Festival Ballet Providence this season from Philadelphia, where she danced with
Alongside her dance career, Corinne currently studies online at the University of Pennsylvania. She is also an avid cook and is always searching for new recipes to try. She cannot wait to perform alongside the beautiful artists of Festival Ballet Providence this season.
RACHEL SCHULTZ
@ rachel_grace11 • Joined: 2021, Hometown: Carmel, IN Rachel Schultz began her ballet training at age 8 in Crystal Lake, IL and continued her training at various ballet schools. In 2020 she graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor’s degree in Ballet and Arts Management. Her favorite role to perform was the Principal in Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante. Some of Rachel’s other interests are fashion, playing golf, and anything that involves the ocean!
My favorite thing about the holidays is spending time with family and all the festive decorations and lights everywhere you go. It just makes everywhere more festive and happy.
ALEXA KEARNAN
GRACE CAMPBELL
ELIZABETH LABOVITZ PARIS MILLS CHLOE OLSON
MARIA ROGLER
ANNABELLE THIBODEAU ADELE WALDEN GRACE WEIDEMANN
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Zinovieva and Mamuka Kikalishvili
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