CHICAGO — August 17, 2011 — Ashley C. Wheater, Artistic Director of the world-renowned Joffrey Ballet, is pleased to announce additions to the company's artistic team, including new Ballet Master Nicolas Blanc and eight new dancers to complete the company's diverse roster.
Blanc comes to the Joffrey after serving as Ballet Master of the Scottish Ballet since 2009. He has also danced with Nice Opera Ballet, Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Dusseldorf, Zurich Ballet and San Francisco Ballet, where he was made Principal Dancer in 2004. Blanc started his dance training in Montauban, France, continuing at the Academie de Danse Classique Princesse Grace in Monte Carlo. After winning a scholarship in the 1994 Prix de Lausanne, he completed his education at the Paris Opera Ballet School. Throughout his career he originated roles in Christopher Wheeldon's Rush and Quaternary, Staton Welch's Falling and Naked, Yuri Possokhov's Study in Motion and Reflections, and Helgi Tomasson's 7 for Eight and Blue Rose. In 2010 he was the personal assistant of Val Caniparoli for the world premiere of Still Life.
The Joffrey Ballet's newest dancers include Ogulcan Borova (Istanbul, Turkey), Katherine Bruno (Chicago, Illinois), Rory Hohenstein(Washington, D.C.), Dara Holmes (Wilmington, North Carolina), Jeraldine Mendoza (San Francisco, California), Katherine Minor (Portland, Oregon), Alberto Velazquez (Havana, Cuba) and Mahallia Ward (Austin, Texas). With experience from all around the world, these dancers will compliment the talent of the returning Joffrey company.
The Joffrey Ballet's 2011-2012 subscription season launches this fall with the World Premiere of Yuri Possokhov's story-ballet Don Quixote. For this new work — the first commission of an evening-length piece by The Joffrey Ballet in over 60 years — Possokhov, a former principal dancer with Russia's Bolshoi Ballet, presents a fresh interpretation of the classic story of Don Quixote. A puppet by Cynthia Von Orthal, projections by Wendell Harrington (whose work was seen in Joffrey's production of Othello in 2009), a set design by Jack Mehler and costumes by Travis Halsey all complete this new production. The Joffrey will perform Possokhov's Don Quixote at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, October 12 — 23, 2011.
For more information about The Joffrey Ballet and its 2011-2012 season, please visit joffrey.org .
About the Artists
Ogulcan Borova, born in Turkey, was the First Prize Winner at the Third National Rotary Clubs Dance Competition. Since then he has established an international career, making 18 guest appearances and holding a lead role in 28 performances. Cincinnati Ballet welcomed Borova as a principal dancer in 2008. Previously, he danced with Ballet Internationale Indianapolis for six years, with whom he toured to China, Canada, Germany, Taiwan, Detroit, New York, Los Angeles and many other U.S. cities.
Katherine Bruno, a native of Chicago, trained at the Salt Creek Ballet School under the direction of Sergey Kozadayev, Zhanna Dubrovskaya and Randall Newsome. Upon graduation, she danced many principal roles including Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Columbine in Harlequinade, and pas de deuxs from Le Corsaire and Flower Festival in Genzano. She has danced seasonally with Les Grands Ballet Canadiens de Montreal and danced as a guest artist with many Chicago schools and companies. After two seasonal contracts with The Joffrey Ballet dancing in The Nutcracker and The Merry Widow, Bruno now joins the company as a full-time company member.
Rory Hohenstein was born in Washington, D.C. and began training at age six in jazz, tap and modern before going on to train at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in D.C. at age 12. At age 17 he joined Le Jeune Ballet de France in Paris and later, in 2001, joined the San Francisco Ballet. In 2008 he joined choreographer Christopher Wheeldon's company in New York City, Morphoses, and in 2010 he completed a season with the Lar Lubovitch Dance Company. Hohenstein has had the pleasure to work with such choreographers as Helgi Tomasson, Wayne McGregor, Mark Morris, Alexi Ratmansky, Val Caniparoli, William Forsythe, Jorma Elo and Wade Robson.
Dara Holmes began her official training at The Wilmington School of Ballet on full scholarship for seven years. Starting in 2005 she has attended summer programs such as North Carolina School of the Arts, The School of American Ballet, Chautauqua Dance Festival, Kirov Academy of Ballet of Washington, D.C., and the Joffrey's International Summer Dance Intensive. In 2007, Holmes attended The HARID Conservatory and graduated after three years of training. She then attended the Joffrey Academy of Dance 2010-2011 Trainee Program. During the program, she worked with the company, on tour and in Chicago in The Nutcracker, and later in the production of Ronald Hynd's The Merry Widow. Holmes has worked with choreographers such as Mark Diamond, Mark Godden, Alexei Kremnev, Ronn Stewart, and Amy E. Hall. She has also danced lead roles in Cinderella, Swan Lake, Paquita, and Le Corsaire.
Jeraldine Mendoza, from San Francisco, California, trained at the Ballet School of San Francisco since the age of five, mainly under the artistic direction of Galina Alexandrova. She received full merit scholarship to the School of American Ballet's Summer Session in 2009 at age 17. Mendoza was selected by Helgi Tomasson to become a trainee at San Francisco Ballet at the age of 17 as well. She was the first American female invited to graduate in the Russian course at the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet Academy (now known as Moscow State Academy of Choreography) and graduated with honors. Mendoza later won first place at the YAGP San Francisco Regional Semi-Finals in 2011. Her lead roles include Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Odette in Swan Lake, The Dying Swan in Carnival of the Animals, Odalisque in Le Corsaire, and various principal roles in new ballets made by choreographer Yuri Zhukov
Katherine Minor was born in Grenoble, France, but became a native of Portland, Oregon at a young age. She began classical dance training at age five at The School of Oregon Ballet Theatre. When she was twelve she trained for a year at the Paris Opera Ballet School. In 2006, she attended the summer program at the School of American Ballet. She was offered an apprenticeship at Oregon Ballet Theatre in 2010, and was featured in company productions of The Four Temperaments, Emeralds, The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty, and danced a number of roles in the School Showcase including the pas de deux in La Source and Stars and Stripes, and a Russian Girl in Serenade.
Alberto Velazquez began his ballet studies at the Alejo Carpentié elementary ballet school in Havana, Cuba and continued at the Fomento Artistico Cordobés in Cordoba Vercruz, Mexico. In 2005, he won the gold medal in his first International Ballet Compeition from the French school Attitude. He also won a full scholarship to study ballet in Lyon, France. In 2006, he was a semifinalist in the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) in New York City and was subsequently awarded scholarships to the Orlando Ballet, The Harid Conservatory, The Kirov Academy, The Rock School and American Ballet Theatre's Summer Intensives. At the same competition, he won the YAGP gold medal in pas de deux and a scholarship to the Harid Conservatory and the Royal Academy in London. In 2006, Velázquez attended the Harid Conservatory's Summer Intensive and began studies as a full time student at the school. He has performed for the 50th anniversary gala of the Spoleto Festival in Italy and the 12th International Ballet Festival in Miami. In he joined the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre on full scholarship and became a member of ABT II in 2009.
Mahallia Ward is from Austin, Texas. She trained on scholarship at Ballet Austin's Academy and at the Slavin Nadal School of Ballet. As a freshman in high school, she moved to Boca Raton, Florida to attend the Harid Conservatory under the instruction of Victoria Schneider, Olivier Pardina, and Svetlana Osiyeva. While at Harid, she recieved the Rudolf Nureyev Dance Education Fellowship, the Ruth Nelson Kraft Award, and the Fred Lieberman Award for Excellence. In 2010, during her senior year, Ward moved to Chicago to be a trainee at The Joffrey Ballet and now joins as a full company member for the 2011-2012 season.
