Ballet Austin Company Dancers
IAN J. BETHANY
BAII: 2008–2009 | Joined Company: 2009
Ian J. Bethany is from Long Island, N.Y. He started dancing as a tap and jazz student at Robert Mann Dance Centre. He started ballet at Tap to Pointe Dance Center, continuing at the Frank Ohman School of Ballet, the School of Ballet Chicago, Ballet Academy East, and Pacific Northwest Ballet School. With Ballet Austin, Ian has been featured in George Balanchine’s Agon and Allegro Brillante, Nicolo Fonte’s Lasting Imprint, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Requiem for a Rose, Gabrielle Lamb’s Dovetail, Bradley Shelver’s The Last Just, Stephen Mills’ Carmina Burana, The Magic Flute, and The Nutcracker, as the Master of Ceremonies in Mills’ Cinderella, in the Bluebird Pas de Deux in The Sleeping Beauty, as the White Rabbit in Septime Webre’s ALICE (in wonderland), and as Peter Pan in Paul Vasterling’s Peter Pan. He has performed with project-based company Performa/Dance, ZACH Theatre, Zilker Theatre Productions, has sung with 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, for Harmony School of Creative Arts, and for Agni Entertainment.
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 | BAII: 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
BAII: 2016–2018 | Joined Company: 2018
Katherine is originally from St. Paul, Minn. She began her pre-professional training at Minnesota Dance Theatre under Lise Houlton. She became an apprentice with MDT in 2013, where she danced works by Loyce Houlton, Lise Houlton, Elliot Feld, and Emery LeCrone, among others. In 2014, she was invited to attend the School of American Ballet. While at SAB, she participated in multiple Choreographic Institute’s where she originated roles by Dana Genshaft and Peter Walker. She also appeared in SAB’s annual Workshop performance in Jerome Robbins’ Fanfare as well as George Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments. As an apprentice with Ballet Austin, she has had the opportunity to dance works by Stephen Mills, Michelle Thompson, Thang Dao and Septime Webre. Most recently, she appeared in Jennifer Hart’s Fellow Travelers with Performa/Dance.
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.
JAMES FULLER
Joined Company: 2010
James Fuller is from Irvine, Calif., 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 choreographers such as 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 performed in original works by Stephen Mills, including Luminaria and Though the Earth Gives Way, danced in Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante, performed with the National Choreographers Initiative, and choreographed for Houston City Dance.
ARNALDO HERNANDEZ
BAII: 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
Courtney Holland was born and raised in Toronto, Canada, and at the age of 11 began her professional training at Canada’s National Ballet School. After graduating from NBS in 2010, Courtney moved to New York City to continue her training at the Dance Theatre of Harlem on a full scholarship. In June 2012, she was a finalist at the Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition. She was awarded a full scholarship to the Banff Centre’s Professional Dance Program where she 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. There she had the privilege to perform featured roles in The Nutcracker and the role of the Autumn Fairy in Cinderella, under the direction of Kennedy Center Honoree Patricia McBride. Since joining Ballet Austin in 2016, Courtney has had the pleasure of dancing several of Stephen Mills’ ballets as well as works by Septime Webre and Pam Tanowitz. She enjoyed performing Justin Peck’s In Creases and was featured in Paul Vasterling’s Peter Pan as Tinker Bell. Courtney feels very blessed to have the love and support of her family and is excited for her third season with Ballet Austin.
ISABELLA PHILLIPS LYNCH
BAII: 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 II 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
BAII: 2015–2017 | Joined Company: 2017
Paul Martin began his ballet and dance training in West Des Moines, Iowa, under the tutelage of Hank and Beth Adams. With their guidance, Paul was able to earn scholarships to notable summer intensive programs to include the Kansas City Ballet School, Nutmeg Conservatory, San Francisco Ballet School and Ballet Austin. In 2014, Paul received a scholarship to study full time at the Kansas City Ballet School. Joining Ballet Austin II in 2015, Paul performed and trained as an apprentice for 2 years before joining the company in 2017. He has performed works by choreographers such as Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Septime Webre, Christopher Wheeldon, and George Balanchine. He has performed a multitude of works by Stephen Mills including Exit Wounds, Grimm Tales, and The Magic Flute.
GRACE MORTON
BAII: 2012–2013 | Joined Company: 2013
Grace Morton is from Seattle, Wash. She received her early training from Vivian Little and Mary Reardon, school directors of Dance Fremont. In 2010 she began training under the direction of Damara Bennett in Oregon Ballet Theater’s professional division. She had the chance to tour to Korea and performed in company productions of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker and Nicolo Fonte’s world premiere of Petrushka. As a member of Ballet Austin II, 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 performed roles in classical ballets such as French in Stephen Mills’ The Nutcracker, Puss ‘n Boots in The Sleeping Beauty, and Four Little Swans in Swan Lake. She has also had the pleasure to appear in George Balanchine’s Agon, Stephen Mills’ One/the body’s grace, Gabriel Lamb’s Dovetail, James Gregg’s The Space Between, and Jennifer Hart’s To Here. Grace has danced in 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 | BAII: 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 | BAII: 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. Since joining Ballet Austin’s main company, Chelsea has enjoyed performing principal roles in Stephen Mills’ The Nutcracker as the Sugar Plum Fairy, and Paul Vasterling’s Peter Pan as Wendy. She has also enjoyed performing in Stephen Mills’ Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project, The Magic Flute, Kai, Hamlet, and as Rosalyn in Romeo & Juliet, along with George Balanchine’s Agon, 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. When not in the studio, Chelsea loves spending her time with her 3-year-old son, Landon, her husband, Aaron, and running her home-based skin care business with Rodan & Fields. Chelsea would like to thank Aaron, her parents, and her grandparents for their endless love and support.
DIANETZY ROJAS
BAII: 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.
MORGAN STILLMAN
Joined Company: 2017
Morgan Stillman began his ballet training with Project Ballet in Fort Wayne, Ind., and attended Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. In 2014, he joined Nevada Ballet Theatre and performed principal and soloist roles in James Canfield and Balanchine repertoire. Morgan joined Ballet Austin’s professional company in 2017.
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.