NOW: Premieres

India Bradley

India Bradley is a member of New York City Ballet’s corps de ballet. Born in Detroit, Michigan, she began her dance training locally at the age of four. She received additional training from Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Professional Training Program before entering the School of American Ballet in 2014. She was named an apprentice in 2017, and joined the Company in 2018. Her repertory includes leading roles in works by George Balanchine, Kyle Abraham, Andrea Miller, Justin Peck, and Pam Tanowitz. 

Lil Buck

Lil Buck is a movement artist who began jookin at age 13. Named one of Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch, he gained international notoriety after an impromptu piece with Yo-Yo Ma went viral. Since then he has collaborated with artists including JR, Damian Woetzel, the New York City Ballet, Madonna, Benjamin Millepied, and Spike Lee. Buck is an avid arts education advocate, recipient of the WSJ Innovator Award. He has collaborated with brands like Glenfiddich and Louis Vuitton, and launched a capsule collection with Versace.​

Herman Cornejo

Herman Cornejo was born in Villa Mercedes, San Luis province, Argentina, and began his ballet studies at the age of eight at Teatro Colón’s Instituto Superior de Arte, Buenos Aires. At fourteen he received a scholarship from the School of American Ballet, the dance school of New York City Ballet and on his return to Buenos Aires he joined Julio Bocca’s Ballet Argentino. In 1999 Herman joined American Ballet Theatre, New York, was promoted to Soloist in 2000 and was appointed Principal Dancer in 2003. Herman has participated in numerous galas and has performed as Principal Guest Dancer with Ballet del Teatro Argentino de La Plata, Boston Ballet, Compañía de Danza Contemporánea de Cuba, Corella Ballet Castilla y León, New York City Ballet and Sapporo Ballet.

Robbie Fairchild

Robbie Fairchild was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and began his dance training at Dance Concepts. His formal ballet training began at the age of ten at the Ballet West Conservatory. Mr. Fairchild attended the 2002 and 2003 summer courses at the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet, and enrolled as a full time student in the fall of 2003. In June 2005, Mr. Fairchild became an apprentice with NYCB, and the following June, he joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet. He was promoted to soloist in May 2007, and in October 2009 was promoted to principal dancer.

Christopher Grant

Christopher Grant was born in Jamaica, Queens. He began his dance training at the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet, in 2002. Additional training includes summer courses at Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB) and the New York State Summer School of the Arts.

In August 2015, Mr. Grant became an apprentice with NYCB. As an apprentice with the Company, Mr. Grant originated a featured role in Nicolas Blanc’s Mothership. He joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in August 2016.

HONORS

Mr. Grant was a recipient of the Mae L. Wien Award for Outstanding Promise in 2014.

Lauren Lovette

Lauren Lovette is a principal ballerina who danced with the New York City Ballet from 2010-2021 while alsogrowing herself as an independent and acclaimed choreographer. In her time with the NYCB she has earned boththe Janice Levin Award and the Clive Barnes Award for dance.

She has created works for the New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, American Ballet Theatre’s StudioCompany, Paul Taylor Dance Company, Nevada Ballet Theater, among others. Her collaborators include musicianKate Davis, poet Andrea Gibson, and fashion designers Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim of Oscar de laRenta/MONSE, Zac Posen, Narciso Rodriguez and Victor Glemaud.

In 2019 Ms. Lovette was named Artist-in-Residence for Damian Woetzel’s prestigious Vail Dance Festival. In2018, she was awarded a Virginia B. Toulmin Fellowship for Women Leaders in Dance at The Center for Balletand the Arts at New York University.

Lauren is now the Executive Director of her new company Lauren Lovette Studio, Inc. that will bring moreawareness to the aspects of classical ballet that she believes must be preserved and celebrated. Lauren LovetteStudio, Inc. has developed an initiative named Why It Matters and has plans to bring Live performance events tovarious cities around the US and abroad. These Live experiences will all exist for the sole purpose of showcasingwhy the art form of dance matters so dearly to her and her fellow dance lovers.

Mira Nadon

Mira Nadon was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and began her ballet training at the age of six at the Inland Pacific Ballet Academy in Montclair, California under the direction of Victoria Keonig and Jill Voznick.

She attended summer courses at the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of NYCB, in 2014 and 2015, before entering SAB full-time for the 2015 winter term.

In November 2017, Ms. Nadon became an apprentice with NYCB and as an apprentice she originated a corps role in Gianna Reisen’s Judah. She joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet in November 2018.

Ms. Nadon was promoted to the rank of soloist in January 2022.

_{Photo © Erin Baiano}

Dario Natarelli

Dario is a 2016 graduate of Fiorello H. LaGuardia HS of Music & Art and Performing Arts and a 2020 Cum Laude graduate of The Pennsylvania State University’s BFA Musical Theatre Program. Credits include: Vail Dance Festival (2016-present), Tap Dance Kid (NYCC Encores!), DanceCaptain & Swing for Justin Peck (Broadway Labs), Tappin’ Thru Life with Maurice Hines (Off-Broadway), Funny Girl (Broadway Pre Production), The Radio City Christmas Spectacular(National Tour), A Salute to the Presidential Scholars at The Kennedy Center directed by Debbie Allen, Breaking Brooklyn (film), Vail Dance Festival (performer/soloist), Assistant Choreographer to Michelle Dorrance at Vail Dance Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center, national commercials, and more. Dario is a tap dance teacher at the acclaimed Broadway Dance Center in New York City. Dario is grateful to all of his teachers and supporters, at Penn State and throughout his training -especially his late tap dance mentor, Robert L. Reed, who always reminded him to “Respect the dance.”

Tiler Peck

Tiler Peck has been a Principal Dancer with New York City Ballet since 2009. She made her Broadway debut at age 11 as Gracie Shinn inThe Music Man and was seen on Broadway as Ivy Smith in the Tony Nominated On The Town.She originated the title role in Susan Stroman’s newest musical Little Dancer at the Kennedy Center and is attached to star in the Broadway production. Tiler made her choreographic debut at the Vail Dance Festival in 2018 and has gone on to choreograph and appear in episodes of Tiny Pretty Things and Ray Donovan, and she recently choreographed the box office smash hit film John Wick 3. She has also appeared on Dancing with the Stars, the Kennedy Center Honors and Live From Lincoln Center’s The Nutcracker and Carousel. As a guest star, she was the first ballerina ever to appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. In film she has starred in “Ballet Now”, a Hulu documentary that followed her as she became the first woman to curate and star in The Los Angeles Music Center’s presentation of BalletNOW, “Ballet 422”, “A Time for Dancing”, and “Donnie Darko”. She is a recipient of the Princess Grace Statue Award, The Dance Magazine Award and was named one of Forbes 30 under 30.

To keep the dance world connected during the pandemic, Tiler developed a free ballet class #TurnItOutWithTiler that airs on her Instagram. She is the designer of Tiler Peck Designs for Body Wrappers, a studio-to-streetwear clothing line and is also the designer of the capsule collection Tiler Peck X STATESIDE in collaboration with the popular Los Angeles-based clothing company. She has released two children’s books with Simon & Schuster, Katarina Ballerina and Katarina Ballerina & The Victory Dance.

@tilerpeck

Unity Phelan

Unity Phelan is a Principal Dancer with New York City Ballet. Born in Princeton, NJ, she began her dance training at age 5 at the Princeton Ballet School and came to the School of American Ballet in 2009. Named an NYCB apprentice in 2012, she joined the NYCB corps de ballet in 2013, was promoted to Soloist in 2017, and to Principal Dancer in 2021. Her repertory includes leading roles in works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Robert Binet, William Forsythe, Lauren Lovette, Peter Martins, Andrea Miller, Matthew Neenan, Justin Peck, Alexei Ratmansky, Jamar Roberts, and Christopher Wheeldon. 

Calvin Royal III

Calvin Royal III began his formal dance training at the Pinellas County Center for the Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida under the direction of Suzanne Pomerantze􀀁 and Patricia L. Paige. He was a finalist at the Youth America Grand Prix Competition, and was awarded the Ethan Stiefel Scholarship to train at American Ballet Theatre’s (ABT) Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in 2006. Royal joined ABT II in 2008, ABT main company as a member of the corps de ballet in April 2011. In September 2017 he was promoted to Soloist and in September 2020 Royal was appointed Principal Dancer with ABT. He has soared across stages worldwide with ABT in productions of Swan Lake, Manon, Fancy Free, Apollo, Giselle, and Romeo & Juliet. Royal has been featured in works by Twyla Tharp, Christopher Wheeldon, Alexei Ratmansky, Kyle Abraham, Justin Peck, Wayne McGreggor, Michelle Dorrance, Jamar Roberts, and many more. He was nominated for numerous awards including the Clive Barnes Award, the winner of the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship in 2014, a $50,000 grant to further his artistic development working with private coaches at the Paris Opera Ballet, Royal Ballet, Mariinsky Ballet and Royal Danish Ballet. Royal was named the July 2020 cover star of Dance Magazine, and continues to expand his outreach in mentorship as well as conducting masterclass series for young dance students worldwide. Royal is represented by IMG Models and has been featured in global campaigns for GAP, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Canali, starred in the 2019 Pirelli Calendar alongside Misty Copeland, and named the 2020/21 Artist-in-Residence here at the Vail Dance Festival.

Follow Calvin on Instagram @calvinroyaliii and to learn more visit calvinroyaliii.com.

Cory Stearns

Born on Long Island, New York, Cory Stearns began his classical training at the age of five with Mme. Valia Seiskaya at the Seiskaya Ballet. At age fifteen, he participated in the Youth America Grand Prix and was offered a full scholarship to The Royal Ballet School in London. Stearns performed in Madrid, Moscow, Milan, Düsseldorf and London while at The Royal, and appeared with Kylie Minogue in her music video Chocolate in 2004. Upon graduating from The Royal Ballet School with honors, he received, for the second year consecutively, the Dame Ruth Railton Award for excellence in dance. Stearns joined the American Ballet Theatre Studio Company in September 2004, the main Company as an apprentice in January 2005 and became a member of the corps de ballet in January 2006. He was appointed a Soloist in January 2009 and a Principal Dancer in January 2011. Stearns won the 2009 Erik Bruhn Prize for best male dancer.

Devon Teuscher

Devon Teuscher began her ballet training at the age of nine under Deanna Doty of the Champaign Urbana Ballet Academy in Champaign, IL.  When her family moved to Vermont, she continued her training at the Vermont Ballet Theatre School in Essex, Vermont under the direction of Alex and Kirsten Nagiba.  At the age of eleven, Teuscher attended The Kirov Ballet Academy summer intensive.  She also attended the Pacific Northwest Ballet summer intensive on full scholarship for two years.

From 2002 to 2006 Teuscher attended American Ballet Theatre’s Summer Intensive, and was a National Training Scholar from 2003 to 2006.  In January 2005 at the age of 15, Teuscher relocated to New York City to dance at American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School on full scholarship.

Teuscher joined ABT Studio Company in 2006.  She joined American Ballet Theatre as an apprentice in December 2007 and the corps de ballet in June 2008.   She became a Soloist in August 2014 and Principal Dancer in September 2017.

Teuscher was nominated for the Clive Barnes Award in 2014 and received the Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowship in 2016.

Byron Tittle

At a young age, Byron Tittle began tap dancing with David Rider and the American Tap Dance Foundation in his hometown of New York. Determined to be a multi-faceted artist, he trained weekly at Broadway Dance Center and Steps on Broadway in other disciplines: ballet, jazz, hip-hop foundations, modern, and dancehall. Byron is a co-captain of Dorrance Dance, touring with the tap dance company for the last decade. He is humbled to have been a featured dancer with Hugh Jackman’s 2019 “The Man, The Music, The Show,” touring The United States, Australia, and New Zealand, and in Jon M. Chu’s soon-to premiere feature film “In the Heights.” He is also a recipient of a 2019 Princess Grace Foundation Dance Fellowship Award.

Melissa Toogood

Melissa Toogood is a New York Dance and Performance Award winning Performer. She is Dancer, Rehearsal Director and Artistic Associate for Pam Tanowitz Dance. Melissa was a member of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, has taught Cunningham Technique internationally since 2007, is a 2013 & 2015 Merce Cunningham fellow, and is an official stager for the Merce Cunningham Trust. She has performed with Kyle Abraham/Abraham.In.Motion, Kimberly Bartosik, Wally Cardona, Rosie Herrera Dance Theater, Stephen Petronio Company, Miro Dance Theater, Rashaun Mitchell + Silas Reiner, Sally Silvers, Michael Uthoff Dance Theater, Christopher Williams, The Bang Group:Tap Lab, and others. She has made work for New York Theater Ballet, Boston Ballet, Vail Dance Festival and created her own show titled Set A|Part in collaboration with her sister Jodie Toogood and visual artist Kenneth E. Parris III. Dance Magazine named her in their 25 to watch (2014) and featured her in the inaugural episode of Behind the Curtain. Toogood is originally from Sydney, Australia, is a proud mom, and holds a B.F.A in Dance Performance from New World School of the Arts, Miami, FL.

Shawn Cusseaux

Shawn Cusseaux is BalletX’s Independence Foundation Dance Fellow. Shawn is an emerging performing artist hailing from Tampa Bay, FL, where he attended Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School. He continued his studies in Pittsburgh PA at the Conservatory of Performing Arts at Point Park University, where he received his Bachelor in Fine Arts. During this time he was given opportunities to perform works by Garfield Lemonious, Jae Man Joo, Kiesha Lalama, Jennifer Archibald, Jose Limon, Jason Mcdole, Amy Hall Garner, Robert Priorie, Edwaard Liang, and Camille A. Brown.The BalletX Dance Fellowship is sponsored by the Independence Foundation.

Jonah Delgado

Jonah graduated from Marymount Manhattan College in 2019. His formative dance training began with The Academy of Dance Arts, in Illinois. During his time in college he also guested with Visceral Dance Chicago, Martha Graham Dance Company, and Illinois Ballet Theatre. After graduating from college, Jonah joined Aspen Santa Fe Ballet. He joined BalletX in 2021.

Francesca Forcella

Francesca Forcella came to BalletX in 2013 after working as a company member with the Washington Ballet Studio Company and Los Angeles’ American Contemporary Ballet. She trained with Gina Forcella at Dance Stop Education Center in New Jersey, then continued her classical ballet training with Risa Kaplowitz and Susan Jaffe.  At 16 she joined Houston Ballet II (HBII) and continued training with Claudio Munoz and Sabrina Lenzi.  With HBII, she toured nationally and internationally, and in 2011, she represented Houston Ballet at the International Youth Dance Festival in Budapest, Hungary. Francesca has enjoyed the privilege of having ballets set on her by choreographers Ma Cong, Elie Lazar, and Lincoln Jones.  She has danced ballets by George Balanchine, Stanton Welsh, Twyla Tharp, and Septime Webre.  Among her favorite roles are the female leads in Trey McIntyre’s Blue Until June and in Stanton Welch’s Fingerprints. 

Savannah Green

Savannah Green grew up in New York City, where she attended LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts as a Dance Major. She attended Manhattan Youth Ballet on a full merit scholarship, performing featured roles in works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, & Larry Keigwin. In 2017 Savannah earned her BFA in Dance at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she was a member of the Student Dance Company. She spent her senior year touring internationally, performing works by José Limón, Andrea Miller, and others. Upon graduation, she worked with Buglisi Dance Theater, performing new works in New York City & the Kaatsbaan International Dance Center. In 2019, Savannah became the inaugural Dance Fellow at BalletX, before being invited to join the company for its 15th anniversary season. Since working with BalletX, she has performed ballets by Matthew Neenan, Nicolo Fonte, Jamar Roberts, Tiler Peck, Hope Boykin, Jennifer Archibald, Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa, among others. Savannah danced at the Vail Dance Festival with BalletX in 2021, as part of the festival’s Company-In-Residence, as well as in 2019 in Merce Cunningham’s Antic Meet. 

Zachary Kapeluck

Zachary Kapeluck hails from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he received his early training at Southwest Ballet and Pittsburgh Ballet Theater. He trained at The Juilliard School and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago’s Summer Intensives, and in the summer of 2011, he worked as a guest artist with Mary Miller Dance in Pittsburgh in a project titled Confluence. He graduated with a BFA in Dance from Point Park University, where he had the opportunity to perform works by such choreographers as George Balanchine, Gerald Arpino, Toru Shimazaki, Kevin Iega Jeff, Val Caniparoli, Jessica Lang, and Alejandro Cerrudo.  He received training there from Doug Bentz, Kiesha Lalama, Garfield Lemonius, and Dana Arey. Zachary joined BalletX in 2013.

Blake Krapels

Blake Krapels, a 2011 United States Presidential Scholar in the Arts, trained in New Jersey under the tutelage of Billy Larson and Jamie Salmon. In 2015, Blake graduated with a BFA in dance from The Juilliard School, where he performed repertoire by William Forsythe, Merce Cunningham, Elliot Feld, Jose Limon and Peter Chu. In addition to his core training at school, Blake participated in Summer Intensives at Nederlands Dans Theatre (2014, 2016) and Springboard Danse Montreal (2013). Since graduating, he has danced for The Metropolitan Opera, Keigwin & Company, GroundWorks Dance Theatre, Emery LeCrone Dance, and Konverjdans. Last fall, Blake launched Alpha, a dance theater company with two of his Juilliard classmates Michael Marquez and Gemma Bender. They curated their world premiere as a part of Cleveland DanceWorks 2017. Blake joined BalletX in 2018.

Skyler Lubin

Skyler Lubin is originally from Miami Beach, also growing up in the New Jersey and Philadelphia area. She received her early training from The Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia, PA, then continued her training at the Miami City Ballet School. Skyler also attended summer programs at The School of American Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre. From 2010-2014, Skyler danced as a member of the Corps de Ballet with Miami City Ballet, under the direction of Edward Villella and Lourdes Lopez. She has performed in featured roles, including Flower Festival pas de deux, Swan Lake pas de trois, and Jerome Robbins’ Afternoon of a Faun, and has premiered pieces by Alexei Ratmansky and Liam Scarlett. Skyler joined BalletX in 2015.

Ashley Simpson

Ashley Simpson is originally from West Palm Beach Florida and trained at A.W Dreyfoos High School of the Arts and her local dance studio, School of Ballet Arts. In 2016 Ashley became a Young Arts Winner before moving to New York City to train at the Ailey/Fordham BFA program majoring in Dance and Communications. During her time in college, Ashley performed the works of such choreographers as Dwight Rhoden, Alvin Ailey, Bradley Shelver, Nijawwon Matthews, Janice Rosario, Troy Powell, and Hope Boykin. In 2019, Ashley was awarded the Denise Jefferson Memorial Scholarship, representing her class at the annual Ailey/Fordham benefit concert. Additionally, Ashley joined ‘XY Dance Project,’ a project-based company directed by Nijawwon Matthews, performed with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, and was a trainee/apprentice for Complexions Contemporary Ballet, performing with the company during their Joyce season. Most recently she was a part of the dance ensemble for the movie production of Lin Manuel Miranda’s In The Heights, which comes out in 2021. To supplement her training, Ashley attended Jacob’s Pillow Contemporary Program, Arts Umbrella, Alonzo King Lines, Juilliard, Orlando Ballet, BalletX, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Joffrey Chicago and Next Generation Ballet summer intensives. During her senior year at Ailey/Fordham, Ashley joined ‘Collage Dance Collective’ and was able to work professionally and tour internationally while finishing her last year of college. While at CDC, Ashley performed the works of Kevin Iega Jeff, Amy Hall Garner, Darrell Moultrie, Joshua Manculich, and Kevin Thomas. Ashley is thrilled to be joining BalletX and is excited to experience the City of Philadelphia.

Pete Leo Walker

From Jacksonville, Florida, Pete Leo Walker began his training at The Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts. In 2010 Pete joined Charlotte Ballet under the direction of Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride, performing a diverse repertoire including works by George Balanchine, William Forsythe, Twyla Tharp, Jiri Kylian, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Dwight Rhoden, Sasha Janes, and Jiri Bubenicek. In 2011 Pete received the prestigious Princess Grace Dance Fellowship Award and in 2012 was promoted to Principal Artist with the Charlotte Ballet. The following year he was listed in Dance Magazine’s “Top 25 to Watch” and in December 2014, performed Who Cares at the Kennedy Center Honors Awards, as tribute to Patricia McBride. Following his tenure with the Charlotte Ballet, Pete joined Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, touring nationally and internationally and performing works by artists such as Gerald Arpino, Jorma Elo, Cayetano Soto, Alejandro Cerrudo, Alexander Ekman, Nicolo Fonte, and Cherice Barton. While a company member with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, Pete had the privilege of performing Gerlad Arpino’s Light Rain pas de duex at the Jacob’s Pillow 2016 Season Opening Gala. Pete has been fortunate to return annually as a guest artist at Chautauqua Institution’s Alumni All-Star Ballet Gala. Pete joined BalletX in 2021.

Andrea Yorita

Andrea Yorita is from Irvine California, where she received her classical ballet training at Academy of Dance, under the direction of Merle Sepel, Rebecca Tsivkin, and Mignon Furman. In 2012, she graduated as a Gillespie Scholar with a BFA in Dance Performance from the University of California, Irvine, where she studied under Jodie Gates, Molly Lynch, and Donald McKayle. Originally trained under the R.A.D. syllabus, Andrea has completed all Vocational R.A.D. exams with Distinction, as well as received the Solo Seal Award. In 2008, Andrea competed as a finalist in the Genée International Ballet Competition in Toronto, Canada. She has participated in the National Choreographers Initiative, as an apprentice, and the Traverse City Dance Project. Andrea was a 2016 Dance Finalist for the Clive Barnes Award. She joined BalletX in 2012.

Cleo Parker Robinson Dance

Currently celebrating its 51st Season, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance is an international, cross-cultural, dance-arts and educational institution rooted in African-American traditions and the Diaspora, dedicated to excellence in performance, instruction, and community programming. The renowned Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble holds the works of some of the most iconic choreographers of American modern dance in its repertoire, including Katherine Dunham, Donald McKayle, Eleo Pomare, and Alvin Ailey. Cleo Parker Robinson Dance views dance as a universal language of movement which transforms the world and transcends boundaries of culture, class, and age. Cleo Parker Robinson Dance is committed to honoring diversity and inclusiveness throughout the global community.