Ballet Austin Company Dancers

IAN J. BETHANY
BA TWO: 2008–2009 | Joined Company: 2009

Ian was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. He started dance as a tap and jazz student at Robert Mann Dance Centre, continuing at Tap to Pointe Dance Center, the Frank Ohman School of Ballet, the School of Ballet Chicago, Ballet Academy East, and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. Ian has enjoyed dancing roles in Balanchine’s Agon, Allegro Brillante, Rubíes, and Serenade, Lar Lubovitch’s Dvořák Serenade, Stephen Mills’ Grimm Tales, A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Puck), The Magic Flute, The Nutcracker, and Cinderella (Master of Ceremonies), in The Sleeping Beauty (Bluebird Pas de Deux), in Septime Webre’s ALICE (in Wonderland) (White Rabbit), in Paul Vasterling’s Peter Pan (Peter), and in works by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Nicolo Fonte, Jennifer Archibald, Gabrielle Lamb, Bradley Shelver and others. He has performed with ZACH Theatre, Entr’acte, Performa/Dance, Zilker Theatre Productions, the Austin Opera, and does numerous juggling gigs around Austin. Ian has choreographed and taught for the Ballet Austin Academy, the ZACH Theatre Pre-Professional Company, and for other schools across Texas, Mississippi and New York.

ANDREW BUCKLEY
Joined Company: 2022

Andrew is originally from Philadelphia, PA. He started his ballet training in Berlin, Germany and began his pre-professional training at the School of Pennsylvania Ballet. Andrew continued training at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet with Marcia Dale Weary and Darla Hoover until he was accepted to the Professional Division Program at Pacific Northwest Ballet under the leadership of Peter Boal. There he trained with world renowned faculty and performed George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker and Diamonds, as well as Jean Christopher Maillot’s Romeo et Juliet and Kent Stowell’s Swan Lake. Andrew has attended summer programs on scholarship at Pacific Northwest Ballet, School of American Ballet, Boston Ballet, Miami City Ballet, American Ballet Theater, Houston Ballet and Chautauqua Institution.

COLIN CANAVAN
Joined Company: 2022

Colin is from Reading, MA. At age 15, he attended Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, MA. Colin graduated from Indiana University’s Jacob’s School of Music in 2022 with a BS in Ballet Performance, Arts Management, and Human Resource Management. At IU, he has performed roles such as the principal in Donizetti Variations, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Prince Charming in Sasha Jane’s Cinderella, and corps roles in other Balanchine, Robbins, and Wheeldon works. Colin was one of eleven dancers chosen by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa to attend the Jacob’s Pillow Contemporary Ballet Program in 2021.

EDWARD CARR
BA Trainee: 2006–2007 | BA TWO: 2007–2008 | Joined Company: 2008

Growing up in Pittsburgh, Penn., Carr received his first 12 years of ballet training at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater School. After graduating high school, he continued his training at Canada’s National Ballet School in Toronto, where he had the privilege to work with choreographers including James Kudelka, Toer van Schayk, and Rudi van Dantzig. Carr moved to Austin in 2006 to attend Ballet Austin’s trainee program and joined the main company in 2008 after one season as an apprentice. Since joining Ballet Austin, he has been featured in Stephen Mills’ Light/The Holocaust and Humanity Project, premiered as The Beast in Mills’ Belle REDUX / A Tale of Beauty & the Beast, and has been featured in works by George Balanchine, Twyla Tharp, Lar Lubovitch, Pam Tanowitz, Pontus Lidberg, Nicolo Fonte, and Jennifer Hart. Carr recently appeared in visual artist Rodney McMillian’s film Untitled (neighbors), part of McMillian’s first solo exhibition Against a Civic Death at The Contemporary Austin. Carr also serves as the associate director to local contemporary dance company Performa/Dance, founded in 2014 by Carr and local choreographer Jennifer Hart. Performa/Dance continues to expand its reach and produce dance for the Austin scene and has been recognized with several Austin Critics Table Awards.

KATHERINE DEUITCH
BA TWO: 2016–2018 | Joined Company: 2018

Katie is originally from St. Paul, Minnesota. She began her pre-professional training at Minnesota Dance Theatre under the direction of Lise Houlton and went on to become an apprentice with the professional company at age 16. She attended summer intensives at the Juilliard School, Alonzo King Lines Ballet, DanceWorks Chicago, Boston Ballet, and the School of American Ballet (SAB). In 2014, she was invited to solidify her professional training as a part of SAB’s winter term. She participated in multiple NY Choreographic Institutes including choreography by Dana Genshaft and Peter Walker as well as her own. She performed Jerome Robbins’ Fanfare as well as George Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments in the annual SAB Workshop performances. Upon graduation, Katie danced in Ballet Austin TWO for two years before her promotion to the company in 2018. With Ballet Austin, she has performed in works by Stephen Mills, Jennifer Hart, Michelle Thompson, Paul Vasterling, Thang Dao, and Septime Webre. Her most notable performances include soloist and principal roles in George Balanchine’s Rubies, Amy Seiwart’s Traveling Alone, as well as Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Symbiotic Twin. She also enjoyed dancing Odette/Odile in Stephen Mills’ staging of Swan Lake and as the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. In the off-season, Katherine is a member of project-based contemporary company Performa/Dance. In conjunction with her dance career, she has completed her 200-hour yoga teacher certification, teaches in the Ballet Austin Academy, and is a part-time student.

LEXI EICHER
BA TWO: 2021-2023 | Joined Company: 2023

Born in Fort Wayne, IN, Lexi began her pre-professional ballet training during the sixth grade at Project Ballet, instructed by Beth McLeish. She graduated from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music in 2021 with a B.S. degree in Ballet Performance & Psychology. At IU, she performed in Christopher Wheeldon’s Carousel (A Dance), Jerome Robbins’ N.Y. Export: Opus Jazz & The Concert, Martha Graham’s Diversion of Angels, and George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante. She joined Ballet Austin as an apprentice in 2021 and performed lead roles in excerpts from Paquita and Sleeping Beauty. Lexi appeared in George Balanchine’s Serenade as well as in Stephen Mills’ The Nutcracker, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Swan Lake, and Light with the company before her promotion in 2023. She also enjoys teaching for Ballet Austin’s Young Children’s Division and Pre-Ballet classes. 

VIVIEN FARRELL
Joined Company: 2020

Born and raised in the Green Mountains of Vermont, Vivien Farrell trained for 12 years with Vermont Ballet Theatre. She furthered her training in Miami City Ballet School’s pre-professional division and spent an additional year at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet under the direction of Marcia Dale Weary. Prior to Ballet Austin, Vivien danced five seasons with Eugene Ballet in Oregon. While there, she performed the roles of Clara in The Nutcracker, Love in Suzanne Haag’s world premiere of The Firebird, and was most recently featured in Stephen Mills’ Hamlet and Edward Liang’s Age of Innocence.

TRISTIN FILSINGER
Joined Company: 2023

Tristin grew up primarily in Eureka, California. At age twelve, he was accepted into Boston Ballet School’s Pre Professional program with a full merit scholarship. There, he trained under Peter Stark, Igor Burlack, and Margret Tracy among others before continuing his education at Butler University under full merit scholarship. At Butler, Tristin earned a BFA in dance and performed many roles as a part of Butler Ballet including the Nutcracker Prince, Snow King, the Pas de Trois from Swan Lake, and the Peasant Pas De Deux from Giselle. He also performed in world premieres from choreographers such as Patrick de Bana and Jennifer Archibald.

JAMES FULLER
Joined Company: 2010

James Fuller is from Irvine, CA, and was trained at Ballet Pacifica Conservatory. In 2004, James received a Youth America Grand Prix scholarship to study at the Boston Ballet School where he completed his final year of training. James apprenticed with Oregon Ballet Theatre for a year before enrolling at Harvard University. At Harvard, James performed works by Paul Taylor, Martha Graham, George Balanchine, and Alvin Ailey.  In the summers, James studied modern dance with the Paul Taylor Dance Company, American Dance Festival, and Beijing LDTX.  James directed the Harvard Ballet Company in 2009 and graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor of the Arts in Philosophy, a secondary field in dramatic arts, and a language citation in Urdu-Hindi. Since joining Ballet Austin, James has danced Tamino in The Magic Flute, Ivan in The Firebird, Albrecht in Giselle, and the final duet in Stephen Mill’s Four Mortal Men.

COLIN HEINO
Joined Company: 2023

Originally, from Plainfield, Illinois, Colin graduated from the University of Southern California’s Glorya Kaufman School of Dance in 2023, with a BFA in Dance. At USC, Colin performed featured roles in Whereabouts Unknown by Jiří Kylián, In Creases and Rodeo by Justin Peck, Counterpoint by Kyle Abraham, and corps roles in works by Ohad Naharin, William Forsythe, and more. Before attending USC, Colin trained at The Chicago Academy for the Arts and expanded his training by spending summers at the Jacob’s Pillow Contemporary Ballet Program, the Royal Ballet School, the Joffrey Academy of Dance, the Pacific Northwest Ballet School, and the Juilliard School.

ARNALDO HERNANDEZ
BA TWO: 2020-2022 | Joined Company: 2022

Arnaldo is from Bayamon, Puerto Rico, where he began training at Pasos Ballet Academy and The Conservatory of Ballet Concierto of Puerto Rico. He was later accepted to The Rock School for Dance Education where he performed in Nutcracker 1776 as well as Gala and Fringe Festival showcases. He later joined Pennsylvania Ballet’s second company and danced the pas de trois from Paquita, Celtic Fire and the pas de deux from La Fille Mal Gardée. He also appeared in company productions such as George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, Macmillan’s Romeo & Juliet, Angel Corella’s La Bayadere and Jerome Robbins’ Glass Pieces.

COURTNEY HOLLAND
Joined Company: 2016

Originally from Toronto, Canada, Courtney began her professional training at age 11 at Canada’s National Ballet School and graduated in 2010. She continued training at the Dance Theatre of Harlem. In 2012, she was a finalist at Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition. She received a scholarship to the Banff Centre’s Professional Dance Program and appeared as a guest artist in the Arts Summer Festival performing George Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco and Christopher Wheeldon’s Souvenirs. In 2013, Courtney joined Charlotte Ballet II where she performed works by George Balanchine, Dwight Rhoden, Sasha Janes, Mark Diamond and Jean- Pierre Bonnefoux, and was featured in The Nutcracker and Cinderella (The Autumn Fairy), directed by Kennedy Center Honoree Patricia McBride. At Ballet Austin, Courtney has danced works by Stephen Mills, Septime Webre, Pam Tanowitz and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. She enjoyed performing Justin Peck’s In Creases, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s A deux and was featured in Paul Vasterling’s Peter Pan as ‘Tinker Belle’.

MEG KATAOKA
BA TWO: 2022-2023 | Joined Company: 2023

Meg was born in New York and grew up in Japan. She started her training with Tomoka Dance Studio. In 2016, she joined Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School where she performed lead roles in Marius Petipa’s Paquita and David Linchine’s Graduation Ball. She spent two years with PBT before an invitation to Boston Ballet School came through their summer intensive. She performed in Miko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker and was coached in various Balanchine works. In 2020, Meg joined Kansas City Ballet’s second company where she performed in Balanchine’s Serenade, Septime Webre’s Wizard of Oz, and various other classical/contemporary works. She joined Ballet Austin as an apprentice in 2022 and performed Aspirin girls in Serenade.  She also danced in Stephen Mills’ The Nutcracker, I am the Monument, Light and Cinderella with the main company.

KYAWZWA JEREMY LWIN
Joined Company: 2023

Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Kyawzwa began dancing at the Westlake School of Performing Arts at age 5. He continued his ballet training at City Ballet San Francisco under the direction of Mr. Nikolai Kabaniaev at age 15. Since then, he has performed lead roles in The Nutcracker, Le Corsaire, Satanella, and more in contemporary and neoclassical pieces. In 2020, he was awarded first place at YAGP San Francisco Semi-Final. In 2022, he attended YAGP finals in Tampa, Florida and was awarded 2nd place in Contemporary Pas de Deux category. He was also invited and participated in the prestigious Helsinki International Ballet Competition in Helsinki, Finland.

ISABELLA PHILLIPS LYNCH
BA TWO: 2018-2021 | Joined Company: 2021

Born in Fremont, Calif., Isabella trained at San Francisco Ballet. At 15 she continued at Ballet San Jose under José Manuel Carreño where she performed in the U.S. premiere of Alicia Alonso’s Giselle. At 17 she joined The New Ballet Studio Company under Dalia Rawson Hughes. In fall 2017, she was a trainee with Smuin Ballet. Summer training included Joffrey Ballet Chicago, National Ballet of Cuba’s Yoira Esquivel Brito and Amparo Brito, and Ellison Ballet. Her Ballet Austin TWO credits include the Grand Pas from Paquita, Joshua Manculich’s Menagerie, Jimmy Orrante’s Ugly Duckling, and Stephen Mills’ The Nutcracker and Giselle.

ALYSSA MANGUIAT
Joined Company: 2021

Originally from Mason, Ohio, Alyssa received her training from the Cincinnati Ballet Academy under the direction of Sarah Hairston from 2007-2017. She went on to study as a trainee at Cincinnati Ballet, then joined their second company, and later joined their company as an apprentice. Ms. Manguiat has enjoyed dancing many roles with Cincinnati Ballet such as the principal girl in Balanchine’s Walpurgisnacht, a cygnet in Kirk Peterson’s Swan Lake, and the corps de ballet in Adam Hougland’s Rite of Spring and Balanchine’s Serenade.

PAUL MARTIN
BA TWO: 2015–2017 | Joined Company: 2017

Paul began his ballet and dance training in West Des Moines, Iowa, under the tutelage of Hank and Beth Adams. With their guidance, Paul earned scholarships to notable summer intensive programs, including Kansas City Ballet School, Nutmeg Conservatory, San Francisco Ballet School and Ballet Austin. In 2014, Paul received a scholarship to Kansas City Ballet School where he advanced his training, culminating in a performance opportunity with Kansas City Ballet II. As a Ballet Austin TWO apprentice, Paul performed lead roles, such as The Judge in Nick Kepley’s Season of Innocence and The Prince in Nelly Van Bommel’s Snow White. Additionally, he’s performed in Jennifer Hart’s Spaces and Stephen Mills’ Touch and The Nutcracker.

JACK MORRIS
Joined Company: 2023

Jack Morris is from Pasadena, MD where he started his dance training at Jamz Dance Studio. In 2018, he enrolled at Baltimore School for the Arts where he received ballet training under the mentorship of Anton Wilson. In 2020, he continued to the School of American Ballet where he performed principal roles in George Balanchine’s Symphony in C and La Source as well as featured roles in Jerome Robins’ Glass Pieces, Four Seasons, and Goldberg Variations. Jack has also performed with the New York City Ballet in their production of Peter Martin’s The Sleeping Beauty and George Balanchine’s Garland Dance.

GRACE MORTON
BA TWO: 2012–2013 | Joined Company: 2013

Grace is from Seattle, WA. She received her early training at Dance Fremont under the direction of Vivian Little and Mary Reardon. In 2010 she continued her study under Damara Bennett in Oregon Ballet Theater’s professional division. As a member of Ballet Austin TWO she enjoyed performing featured roles in Stephen Mills’ Luminaria, Jennifer Hart’s Wavemakers, and Nelly van Bommel’s Snow White. After joining the company, Grace has danced lead roles in Mills’ The Nutcracker (Snow Queen, French), One/the body’s grace, and CARBON53. She has also appeared in works by George Balanchine, James Gregg, Jennifer Hart, Gabriel Lamb, Pontus Lidberg, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, and Pam Tanowitz. Grace has danced for project-based company Performa/Dance and appeared in Zilker Theatre Production’s presentation of Oklahoma! as Dream Laurie. She is also a teacher in the Ballet Austin Academy.

SAHEL FLORA PASCUAL
Joined Company: 2022

Growing up in the Philippines, Sahel started her dance training with Maritoni Tordesillas and later, Lisa Macuja-Elizalde and Osias Barossa at Ballet Manila. She continued at the School of American Ballet, performing featured roles in George Balanchine’s Emeralds, Divertimento No. 15, Valse Fantaisie, Symphony in C, and Peter Martin’s Sleeping Beauty. Sahel performed with the New York City Ballet in their 2022 Spring Gala and Stravinsky II Festival and originated featured roles with the New York Choreographic Institute. Sahel is also a student at Columbia University specializing in developmental and sociocultural psychology with a focus in dance pedagogy and an interest in choreography.

ELISE PEKAREK
BA Trainee: 2007–2009 | BA TWO: 2009–2011 | Joined Company: 2011

Elise Pekarek is originally from the Chicago area and began her formative ballet training with the Judith Svalander School of Ballet under the direction of Judith Svalander and Greg Begley. Since joining Ballet Austin, Elise has been honored to have been featured in several works by Stephen Mills and has most cherished performing the classical roles of Odette/Odile in Swan Lake and Myrtha in Giselle. Elise has also performed works by Lar Lubovitch, George Balanchine, Pam Tanowitz, Christopher Wheeldon, Septime Webre, Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa, Jessica Lang, Amy Seiwert, and Jennifer Archibald. As a freelance artist, Elise has performed with Raiford Rogers Modern Ballet, Performa/Dance, and has participated in the National Choreographer’s Initiative 2017-19. In 2017, she performed Thang Dao’s award winning choreography, We Circle The Night, for the Danz in Arte a Pietrasanta festival in Pietrasanta, Italy.

CHELSEA MARIE RENNER
BA Trainee: 2005–2007 | BA TWO: 2007–2008 | Joined Company: 2008

Chelsea Marie Renner, originally from Bozeman, Mont., received her early training from Ann Bates of Montana Ballet and Campbell Midgley of Queen City Ballet. Chelsea’s favorite principal roles include Cinderella in Stephen Mills’ Cinderella, The Sugar Plum Fairy in Stephen Mills’ The Nutcracker, and Kate in Stephen Mills’ The Taming of the Shrew, as well as Wendy in Paul Vasterling’s Peter Pan. She has also enjoyed performing in Stephen Mills’ Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project, Hamlet, Exit Wounds, Grimm Tales, The Magic Flute, Kai, and as Rosalyn in Romeo & Juliet, along with George Balanchine’s Agon, Serenade, & Episodes. Nicolo Fonte’s Lasting Imprint, and works by Nelly van Bommel, Gregory Dolbashian, Gabrielle Lamb, Jimmy Orrante, and Pam Tanowitz. In June of 2013, Chelsea was honored to travel to Washington, D.C., to perform Stephen Mills’ Hush for Ballet Across America III at The Kennedy Center, and in September of that year joined the company in Israel for a three-city tour of Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project. Chelsea was the first recipient of the Sarah and Ernest Butler Scholarship in 2006, which has now become the Butler Fellowship Program. When not in the studio, Chelsea loves spending her time with her 8 year old son Landon, and her husband Aaron. Chelsea would like to thank Aaron, her parents, her sisters, and her grandparents for their endless love and support. Chelsea will be retiring from the stage this December 2023 after her final Nutcracker performances. After over 18 years at Ballet Austin Chelsea would like to thank Stephen Mills and this wonderful organization for believing in her and being the place she got to live her childhood dreams!! This was a journey Chelsea will never forget!!

DIANETZY ROJAS
BA TWO: 2019-2021 | Joined Company: 2021

Dianetzy is originally from Puerto Rico. Her early training began in Puerto Rico at Escuela Julian E. Blanco, Conservatorio de Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico, and Escuela de Danza de Siglo 21 before being accepted to the School of American Ballet in 2016. At SAB she has performed works by George Balanchine, Justin Peck, William Forsythe, and Sofia Bianchi. Other performance experience includes Don Quixote with Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico.

EZRA SCHENCK
Joined Company: 2023

Raised on a homestead in the mountains of Vermont, Ezra began dancing at a local studio as a child.  He joined the Boston Ballet School at age 15 and trained under Peter Stark for two years before moving to Florida to continue his training with the Sarasota Ballet School.  Ezra spent three years in Sarasota where he had multiple works choreographed on him by guests Gemma Bond, Arcadian Broad, and resident choreographer Ricardo Graziano.  He also danced in the corps de ballet for several company productions including La Sylphide, Kenneth MacMillan’s Elite Syncopations, and George Balanchine’s Western Symphony.

MORGAN STILLMAN
Joined Company: 2017

Morgan Stillman began his ballet training with Project Ballet in Fort Wayne, IN and attended Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. In 2014 he joined Nevada Ballet Theatre and performed principal and soloist roles in works by James Canfield and George Balanchine. At Ballet Austin Morgan has danced principal roles in Mills’ Romeo & Juliet, The Nutcracker, The Firebird, and Giselle, and has been featured in works by Justin Peck and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa.

LEIGHTON TAYLOR
Joined Company: 2021

Born in Charlotte, NC, Leighton started training at Charlotte Ballet Academy at age 8. At 15 he relocated to train at International Ballet Academy under director Christina Fannéy and with teachers Nadia Pavlenko & Maxim Ponomarenko. There Leighton performed Cavalier in The Nutcracker and Colas in La Fille Mal Gardée. In 2018, he joined Boston Ballet School as a trainee, performing in Konservatoriet with the school and with the company in Mikko Nissinen’s The Nutcracker, Balanchine’s Coppelia, and Frederick Ashton’s Cinderella. In 2020 Leighton joined Boston Ballet II and performed works by Petipa, Peter Stark, and Artist My’kal Stromile.