NOW: Premieres

Dominika Afanasenkov

Eli Alford

Eli Alford (Dancer) received his BFA in dance from the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance under the direction of Jodie Gates and William Forsythe where he learned and performed the works of Ohad Naharin, Jiri Kylian, Justin Peck, Merce Cunningham, and Dwight Rhoden to name a few. Eli joined BalletX in 2022.

Itzkan Barbosa

Itzkan Barbosa (Dancer) danced with Miami City Ballet and NY Theater Ballet, where she performed works by Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Antony Tudor, and more. She also performs contemporary and aerial dance with Dzul Dance and is a Principal Artist with Verzola Ballet. Itzkan joined BalletX in 2023.

Olivia Bell

Olivia Bell is a corps de ballet member with New York City Ballet. Born in Fort Worth, Texas, she trained locally before being accepted to the School of American Ballet in 2018. While a student, Olivia originated a featured role in Gianna Reisen’s Signs. In 2022 Olivia became an apprentice with New York City Ballet and was then promoted to corps de ballet in 2023. As a corps member Olivia has performed featured roles in Kyle Abraham’s Love Letter on Shuffle, George Balanchine’s Swan Lake, Tiler Peck’s Concerto for Two Pianos, and Jerome Robbins Interplay.

India Bradley

India Bradley is a member of New York City Ballet’s Corps de Ballet. She was born in Detroit, Michigan and began her dance training at the age of four at The Link School of the Arts in Troy, Michigan. At the age of eleven, she attended the Academy of Russian Classical Ballet in Novi, Michigan, under the direction of Sergey Rayevitskey.

Ms. Bradley attended the summer program at Dance Theatre of Harlem in 2012, and entered DTH’s Professional Training Program under the direction of Andrea Long that fall.

She attended the 2014 summer session at the School of American Ballet, NYCB’s official school, and enrolled as a full-time student later that year.

Ms. Bradley was named an apprentice in August 2017 and joined the Company as a member of the Corps de Ballet in August 2018.

Isabella Boylston

Lil Buck

Chun Wai Chan

Mr. Chan was born in Guangdong, China, in 1992 and trained at the Guangzhou Art School from 2004 to 2010. In 2010 he was finalist at the Prix de Lausanne, Switzerland, which earned him a full scholarship to study with Houston Ballet Academy. Chan joined the corps de ballet of Houston Ballet in 2012 and was promoted to principal dancer in 2017. In 2020, Chan was among the finalists of Hunan TV’s “Dance Smash”. 

Chan joined NYCB as a soloist in 2021 and was promoted to principal dancer the following year, making him the company’s first Chinese principle since its founding in 1948. Most recently, Forbes China included Chan in their “30 under 30” list and he was featured on the cover of Dance magazine for May 2023. (@chunner)

Jayla Chee

Jayla Chee is a New York based bass player and composer originally from the Bay Area in California.  

 While earning her bachelor’s degree at the Juilliard school Jayla was mentored by Gerald Cannon. Since then she has also studied privately with Rufus Reid.  

 Jayla has performed with Joshua Redman, Billy Drummond, John Faddis, Kandace Springs, Darren Criss, Wynton Marsalis, among many others. On top of her major musical influences, like Herbie Hancock and Elis Regina, Jayla derives immense inspiration from Nature. Her passion for natural gardening, hiking, and studying plants and forests is apparent in her art and personality.  

 Originally a trumpet player, Jayla took up the bass in high school and soon started performing around at venues around the bay, notably as the house bass player at the old Cafe Stritch session. She also was in bands such as the Carnegie Hall NYO jazz band, and Monterey Jazz Festival’s Next Generation jazz orchestra.  

 Now in New York, Jayla maintains a busy performance schedule with regular appearances at venues throughout the city such as Smalls, Birdland, and Dizzy’s. 

Youba Cissokho

Nicholas Cords

Kate Davis

Kate Davis is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. She studied at the Manhattan School of Music and has spent over a decade performing various musical styles at a wide range of venues across New York City, from rock clubs to Lincoln Center. In 2023, she released an album titled “Fish Bowl” through Anti Records. Recently, she relocated to her hometown of Portland, Oregon, to work as a music-thanatologist.

Luca De-Poli

Luca De-Poli (Dancer) attended the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and began his career with the Cincinnati Ballet Second Company. He’s performed works by Ma Cong, Ohad Naharin, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Nicolo Fonte, Justin Peck, and others. Luca joined BalletX in 2024.

Michelle Dorrance

Michelle Dorrance

Robbie Fairchild

ROBBIE FAIRCHILD made his Tony nominated Broadway debut in 2015 as Jerry Mulligan in the Tony Award-winning musical An American in Paris, which he reprised in London’s West End in 2017. He was awarded the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Theater World, National Dance and Astaire Award for this performance and was nominated for the Evening Standard and Drama League Awards. From 2009 to 2017, Fairchild performed as a Principal Dancer with the New York City Ballet. His other theater credits include Monster in Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein (Signature Theater, Chita Rivera Award), Harry Beaton in Brigadoon (New York City Center), Will Parker in Oklahoma! (Royal Albert Hall, London), Mike Costa in A Chorus Line(Hollywood Bowl), and Bill Calhoun in Kiss Me Kate (Roundabout Theater Company’s 2017 Gala). Television: Étoile (Prime Video), Soundtrack (Netflix), Mixtape (FOX Pilot), Julie’s Greenroom (Netflix), Oklahoma! (BBC Proms), Romeo in Romeo and Juliet and Carousel Boy in NY Philharmonic’s Carousel (PBS’s Live from Lincoln Center), Dancing With The Stars, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Live with Kelly and Michael, CBS Sunday Morning, and 60 Minutes. Film: Tom Hooper’s Cats, An American in Paris Live (West End Production), The Chaperone and NY Export: Opus Jazz. Represented by CAA. @robbiefairchild

Francesca Forcella

Francesca Forcella (Dancer) danced with the Washington Ballet Studio Company, Los Angeles American Contemporary Ballet, and Houston Ballet II, where she toured internationally, representing Houston Ballet at the International Youth Dance Festival in Budapest, Hungary. Francesca joined BalletX in 2013.

Zack Gonder

Zack Gonder grew up near Chicago and trained at the Chicago Academy for the Arts, under the tutelage of Randy Duncan. He graduated from the Juilliard School in 2018 where he performed works by Austin McCormick, Aszure Barton, Pam Tanowitz, Richard Alston, Gustavo Ramirez Sansano and Crystal Pite. In 2024, he was in the Broadway show Illinoise, choreographed by Justin Peck, at the St. James Theater, as well as its Off Broadway runs at the Park Avenue Armory and the Chicago Shakespeare Theater. He has performed with Pam Tanowitz Dance, Brian Brooks Moving Company, PARA.MAR Dance, Zvi Dance and, most recently, toured with Twyla Tharp Dance for her Diamond Jubilee.

Elijah Geolina // Scholar-In-Residence

Geolina joined ABT Studio Company in September 2023 under the artistic direction of Sascha Radetsky. In ABT Studio Company, he has created roles in ballets by Amy Hall Garner and James Whiteside and performed in new ballets by Jamar Roberts, Houston Thomas, Hope Boykin, Brady Farrar, and Lauren Lovette. Geolina’s repertoire with ABT Studio Company also includes the Tarantella by George Balanchine, Neapolitan dance from Swan Lake and Alexei Ratmansky’s The Seasons pas de deux. He has performed in Alexei Ratmansky’s The Nutcracker with the main Company of American Ballet Theatre. 

Joseph Gordon

Joseph Gordon was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and began his dance training at the age of five at The Phoenix Dance Academy.

Mr. Gordon began studying at the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet, during the 2006 summer course and enrolled as a full-time student that fall.

In August of 2011, Mr. Gordon became an apprentice with NYCB, and in July of 2012, he joined the Company as a member of the corps de ballet.

In February 2017, Mr. Gordon was promoted to soloist and in October 2018, he was promoted to principal dancer.

Photo by Mark Mann.

Savannah Green

Savannah Green (Dancer) studied at Manhattan Youth Ballet and LaGuardia High School for the Performing Arts. She graduated with a BFA from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2017, performing works by Jose Limon, Andrea Miller, and Anna Halprin. Savannah joined BalletX in 2020.

Daniel Guzman // Scholar-In-Residence

Daniel Guzman began his training in Margarita Island, Venezuela under the direction of Martha Gomez, Artistic Director of Ballet de la Mar. He won numerous competitions in Venezuela and after graduation from Ballet de la Mar, he moved to train in the USA. He was the gold medalist at the Youth America Grand Prix 2023 Finals for his performance in Flames of Paris, winning a contract with the prestigious American Ballet Theatre Studio Company along with many scholarships nationally. He is also the 2023 Grand Prix winner at the Universal Ballet Competiton. He currently is a member of the ABT Studio Company under the direction of Sascha Radetsky.

Daisy Kate Jacobson

Lanie Jackson

Lanie Jackson (Dancer) danced with Ballet Virginia after graduating from The Juilliard School where she performed works by Gentian Doda, Andrea Miller, James B. Whiteside, and Matthew Neenan, and participated in residencies with Ohad Naharin of Batsheva Dance Company. Lanie joined BalletX in 2023.

Mathis Joubert

Mathis Joubert (Dancer) is a former member of Visceral Dance Chicago, ‘Verb’ Ohio Contemporary Ballet, and Bad Boys of Ballet. He also performed at the Concert of Paris, Riyadh Season Festival, and Paris Fashion Week. He has been featured as a dancer model with Adidas, Reebok & Asus. Mathis joined BalletX in 2024.

Eileen Kim

Eileen Kim (Dancer) received her BFA in dance from the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance and danced with the Universal Ballet in Seoul, South Korea, and Cincinnati Ballet. Eileen performed featured roles by George Balanchine, Justin Peck, Jiří Kylián, and Kyle Abraham, among others. Eileen joined BalletX in 2024.

Jared Kelly

Jared Kelly (Dancer) trained at The Washington School of Ballet, Baltimore School for the Arts, and Indiana University Ballet Theatre, where he graduated with a BS in Ballet. Jared has performed works by George Balanchine, Martha Graham, Jerome Robbins, Twyla Tharp, and Paul Taylor, among others. Jared joined BalletX in 2022.

Brooks Landegger

Spencer Lenain

Born in San Diego, California, Spencer Lenain began his dance training at age 7 at Ballet Arte where he was instructed by Erlends Zieminch and Sara Viale. He also attended nine summer intensives at American Ballet Theater, earning the National Training Scholar scholarship three times. He graduated from the California Institute of the Arts in 2024 with a BFA in dance. He has performed at the Vail Dance Festival each of the last two years, and in the fall of 2024, he performed as Tybalt in LA Dance Project’s Romeo and Juliet. Spencer is also very active on social media where his ballet videos are featured on TikTok @spencerdancerrr and Instagram @spencerdancer. 

Rachel Lockhart

Rachel Lockhart (she/her) is a Birmingham, Alabama native who began her dance training at the J. Lockhart Performing Arts Institute under the guidance of her mother. She is an alumna of The Alabama School of Fine Arts and a recent graduate of The Juilliard School in New York, where she earned her BFA in Dance.

Rachel’s versatility as a dancer has led her to notable appearances on both stage and screen. She premiered on So You Think You Can Dance Season 17 and appeared in CBS’s series East New York. Following her graduation from Juilliard, Rachel performed in the MET Opera’s production of The Life and Times of Malcolm X and appeared at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards alongside singer Doja Cat. She went on to make her Broadway debut in the Sufjan Stevens musical Illinoise, directed and choreographed by Justin Peck. Rachel also showcased her talents on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and was nominated for a Chita Rivera Award for ‘Outstanding Dancer In A Broadway Show’ . Most recently, Rachel was selected for Dance Magazine’s 2025 “Top 25 to Watch” list and chosen for the cover. Currently, Rachel is on the MJ the Musical National Tour, choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon.

Grateful for the continuous support she receives, Rachel is committed to inspiring others to pursue their dreams with passion and perseverance, believing that anything is possible with dedication and faith.

Skyler Lubin

Skyler Lubin (Dancer) danced as a member of the Corps de Ballet with Miami City Ballet from 2010-2014. She has performed featured roles including Flower Festival pas de deux, Swan Lake pas de trios, and Jerome Robbins’ Afternoon of a Faun, and has premiered pieces by Alexei Ratmansky and Liam Scarlett. Skyler joined BalletX in 2015.

Jerard Palazo

Jerard Palazo (Dancer) studied at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School Professional Division, Toronto Dance Theatre, Ailey School, Jacob’s Pillow Contemporary Program, and Nederlands Dans Theatre. He has worked with Nai Ni Chen Dance Company, Peridance Company, and Lavagnino Dance. Jerard joined BalletX in 2022.

Kayla Mak

Kayla Mak (she/her) grew up in Rye Brook, NY and studied at Westchester Dance Academy and Ballet Academy East. As a BFA student at The Juilliard School under the direction of Alicia Graf Mack and Mario Alberto Zambrano, she performed works by Justin Peck, Caili Quan, Sidra Bell, Shen Wei, and Jamar Roberts, amongst others. Kayla is also currently a member of ABT Studio Company under the direction of Sascha Radetsky and is performing works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Houston Thomas, Yannick Lebrun, Kevin McKenzie and more. Kayla participated in NBC’s World of Dance and has had other professional performance opportunities with choreographer Juliano Nunes in Switzerland and Mexico. Mak is incredibly grateful for all who have supported her along the way and looks forward to her future in dance.

Chloe Misseldine

Chloe Misseldine began her classical training at Orlando Ballet School.  She attended ABT Summer Intensives in Orange County, California, and New York City as a National Training Scholar from 2016–2018.  In 2016, she performed a traditional Chinese fan dance called Mo Li Hua in the CCTV New Year’s Gala known as the Beijing Spring Festival Gala (Chunwan), broadcast to over 700 million viewers.  At age 15, Misseldine earned second place in the 2017 Youth America Grand Prix New York City Finals and performed at the YAGP “Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow” Gala.  In 2018, she was named a finalist at the Prix de Lausanne and joined American Ballet Theatre Studio Company.

Misseldine became an apprentice with American Ballet Theatre in December 2019 and joined the corps de ballet in September 2021. She was promoted to Soloist in September 2022 and to Principal Dancer in July 2024. Her repertoire includes a Flower Girl in Don Quixote, Myrta in Giselle, Rosaura in Like Water for Chocolate, Night Falls, Clara, the Princess, one of the Nutcracker’s Sisters, and the Spanish dance in Alexei Ratmansky’s The Nutcracker, Queen of Babylon in Of Love and Rage, Tatiana in Onegin, Rosaline and Lady Montague in Romeo and Juliet, Ice in The Seasons, Odette/Odile, the pas de trois, and a big swan in Swan Lake, “Becomings” in Woolf Works, leading roles in Ballet Imperial, La Boutique, and Sylvia Pas de Deux, and featured roles in Bernstein in a Bubble, La Follia Variations, Petite Mort, and Songs of Bukovina.

Takumi Miyake

Courtesy of American Ballet Theatre

Takumi Miyake was born in Kagawa, Japan, and began his training under his grandmother and mother at the age of three. He has won first place in many major national competitions in Japan. In 2017, he took part in Youth American Grand Prix where he won first place and received a full scholarship to The Royal Ballet School. He studied at The Royal Ballet School from September 2017 to July 2022, having received The London Ballet Circle Dame Ninette Award for the most outstanding male graduate of The Royal Ballet School that year.  

Miyake joined ABT Studio Company in September 2022. In 2023, he performed the Flames of Paris pas de deux as part of Natalia Osipova’s Force of Nature Gala at New York City Center and partnered Maria Khoreva in the Le Corsaire pas de trois at the Nervi International Dance Festival in Italy.  

Miyake became an apprentice with the main Company in November 2023 and joined the corps de ballet in July 2024. His repetoire includes Principal role in Études, Chinese dance in Nutcracker and the Neapolitan Dance in Swan Lake and roles in all the Company’s full-length ballets.

Jonathan Montepara

Jonathan Montepara (Dancer), from Orsogna (Italy), graduated from the Balletto di Roma. He danced for American Repertory Ballet, and has worked with Ethan Stiefel, Amy Hall Garner, Loughlan Prior, Jennifer Archibald, Matthew Neenan, Jamar Roberts, Caili Quan, and other international artists. Jonathan joined BalletX in 2022.

Mayfield Myers

Sara Mearns

SARA MEARNS, Columbia, SC, principal dancer New York City Ballet since 2008. Originated roles with choreographers Justin Peck, Kyle Abraham, Alexei Ratmansky, Pam Tanowitz, Bobbi Jene Smith, Christopher Wheeldon, Guillaume Cote, Beth Gill, among others. Guest Performer: Paul Taylor Dance Company, The Cunningham Centennial Celebration, Jodi Melnick Dance, Bill T Jones/Lee Ming Wei, and Wang Ramirez. At NYCC, she starred in Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes, Encores! I Married An Angel, and Twyla Now as well as multiple Fall for Dances, and performed Dances of Isadora Duncan at Lincoln Center. At The Joyce in 2022, Sara performed a full evening with five world premier pieces, titled “A piece of Work”, awarded the Bessie Award for outstanding performer in 2018, awarded the Dance Magazine Award in 2019, and an Honorary Doctorate University of South Carolina in 2019. 

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.

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. 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 and principal in February 2023.

Ms. Nadon has danced as a guest at the Vail Dance Festival and Nantucket Atheneum Dance Festival and has performed as a member of Ballet Collective. She is also a part-time student at Fordham University. She is the recipient of the 2021 Clive Barnes Award for dance and is a 2022 Princess Grace Award winner.

Dario Natarelli

Dario Natarelli is a performer, choreographer, and dance educator specializing in tap dance based in New York City. He is honored to be a part of the Vail Dance family since 2016. Some of his credits include: Illinoise (Justin Peck), The Tap Dance Kid (New York City Center Encores!), Oliver! (Encores!), Tappin’ Thru Life (Off-Broadway), Ayodele Casel’s Artists At The Center (performer and co-choreographer with Michelle Dorrance), Assistant choreographer to Michelle Dorrance at Vail Dance, Maestro (Bradley Cooper and Justin Peck), The Kennedy Center (soloist, choreographer), Saturday Night Live, Amazon, national commercials, and more. He is grateful to his family, friends, and mentors for their unconditional love and support. Respect the dance; go in rhythm. @dario_natarelli

Michael Nicholas

A “long-admired figure on the New York scene” (New Yorker), cellist Michael Nicolas enjoys a diverse career as chamber musician, soloist, recording artist, and improvisor. His eclectic tastes and adventurous spirit have led him to forge a musical path of uncommon breadth, where his activities range from performing the masterpieces of the past in the world’s most prestigious concert halls, to free improvisation in downtown New York experimental venues, to working with contemporary composers of all styles, pushing the boundaries of musical expression and meaning.

The ensembles Michael plays in illustrate his commitment to diversity. He is the cellist of the intrepid and genre-defying string quartet Brooklyn Rider, which has drawn praise from classical, world music, and rock critics alike. As a member of the acclaimed International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), he has worked with countless composers from around the world, premiering and recording dozens of new works. Another group, Third Sound, which Michael helped found, made its debut with an historic residency at the 2015 Havana Contemporary Music Festival, in Cuba.

As a soloist, Michael performs recitals and concertos across the globe. His album Transitions, available on the Sono Luminus label, was named Q2 Music Album of the Week at WQXR upon release, and it has since garnered critical acclaim across North America. His chamber music playing can also be found on the Naxos, Tzadik, and Universal Korea labels.

Of mixed French-Canadian and Taiwanese heritage, Michael was born in Canada, and currently resides in New York City. He is a graduate of the Juilliard School.

Unity Phelan

Unity Phelan was born in Princeton, New Jersey where she studied at the Princeton Ballet School. After attending summer courses at the School of American Ballet, Phelan was invited to attend the school full time and remained at the school for three years. Phelan was invited to join the New York City Ballet in the winter of 2012 as an apprentice and joined the company as a Corps de Ballet member in 2013. In the Winter of 2017, Phelan was promoted to Soloist dancer and in the Fall of 2021, she was promoted to Principal dancer. In her time at New York City Ballet, Phelan has danced numerous ballets by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Alexei Ratmansky, Justin Peck, Christopher Wheeldon and other choreographers. Phelan has been featured in Dance Magazine, Elle Magazine, and People Style Magazine. In the last couple years, Phelan has been found on the silver screen acting in “John Wick 3: Parabellum” and “I’m Thinking of Ending Things”. In 2019, Phelan was awarded the Lincoln Center Emerging Artist Award for her work at New York City Ballet.

Brooklyn Rider

Johnny Gandelsman, violin
Colin Jacobsen, violin
Nicholas Cords, viola
Michael Nicolas, cello

“A string quartet of boundless imagination.”—NPR

Celebrating twenty years of shared musical exploration, Brooklyn Rider originated in a living room, four friends in search of an outlet for their curiosities. Inspired by the probing spirit of Germany’s pre-WW1 artistic collective Der Blaue Reiter, they recognized parallels with their creative community in Brooklyn at the time and began to build projects. In the following two decades, Brooklyn Rider has undertaken a staggering amount of work, carving a singular space in the world of string quartets. Through thoughtful programmatic framing, deep-rooted collaborations, and innovative commissioning projects, Brooklyn Rider has used the medium at every point in their adventurous journey as a vehicle for exploration and discovery. Inspired equally by the rich repertoire of the past and the limitless canvas of new creation, Brooklyn Rider seeks to create meaningful and memorable experiences for their audiences.

To mark the twenty year milestone, a wide range of projects are on the horizon for 2025 and beyond that celebrate the key elements of their work. Honoring a long-standing relationship with the string quartets of Philip Glass (String Quartet # 3, Mishima was on Brooklyn Rider’s first public program), Brooklyn Rider has embarked on the first ever retrospective of the composer’s complete works for the medium. Initially presented by the Yale Schwarzman Center this past fall, the retrospective is next happening in May 2025 at the Met Cloisters in NYC before heading further afield. A major commission by Gabriela Lena Frank, Frida’s Dreams is due for the 2025-26 season. A forthcoming recording, The Four Elements (slated for May 2025) servesas a dual metaphor for the complex inner world of the string quartet and the future of planet Earth, the latest example of the kind of programmatic concept long associated with Brooklyn Rider. The quartet expands their reach into the orchestral world in future seasons with a new work for quartet and orchestra by Nico Muhly, to be presented by a wide ranging consortium of orchestras across Europe and North America. Lastly, a special concert at Tanglewood this August will feature the Schubert Cello Quintet as the centerpiece alongside the quartet’s friend and mentor Yo-Yo Ma.

The beginning days of Brooklyn Rider’s history included numerous self-produced concerts events, and the quartet has since cherished the live performance experience in its many guises. In more recent years, the quartet has made regular appearances in many of the major musical centers of North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia – from Zurich’s Tonhalle, Carnegie Hall, the Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin, the Sydney Opera House, the National Centre for Performing Arts in Beijing, and London’s Wigmore Hall. Comfortable in a wide range of performance outlets, they have also appeared on the main stage of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, at Austin’s South By Southwest Music Festival, and in two NPR Tiny Desk Concerts. Brooklyn Rider has been the long-standing resident string quartet of the Vail Dance Festival, collaborating with many of the finest dancers and choreographers of our time. They have also been privileged to use the balming powers of music at deeply challenging moments along the way. The quartet made a special appearance at a Buddhist Temple in the decimated fishing village of Kesennuma, Japan in the months following the devastating 2011 tsunami. Most recently, Brooklyn Rider played an all Glass concert at the Wallis Annenberg Center in Beverly Hills in the midst of the 2025 Los Angeles area fires.

Brooklyn Rider has remained steadfast in their commitment to generate new music for string quartet at every phase of their history. Through commissioning, collaborative exploration, and the inimitable works of BR’s own Colin Jacobsen, the quartet has left a lasting contribution tothe repertoire. Shared at the height of the US lockdown, the Grammy®- nominated recording and commissioning project Healing Modes (In A Circle Records) was described by The New Yorker as a project which “…could not possibly be more relevant or necessary than it is currently.” The upcoming season will unveil a new program called Citizenship Notes with commissioned works by Don Byron, Ted Hearne, and Angélica Negrón.

Brooklyn Rider has had a voracious appetite for collaboration since their inception, encapsulating their wide-ranging projects and programmatic frames and giving rise to NPR Music’s observation that Brooklyn Rider is “recreating the 300-year-old form of string quartet as a vital and creative 21st-century ensemble.” The Butterfly (In A Circle Records), an album which the Irish Times described as “a masterclass in risk-taking,” explored a collaboration with the legendary Irish fiddler Martin Hayes. The 2021-22 season boasted two unique partnerships: one with Israeli mandolin virtuoso Avi Avital, and the other a new chapter of work with Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter (following So Many Things on Naïve Records, 2016). 2022’s The Stranger (Avie Records) with tenor Nicholas Phan was nominated for a 2023 Grammy® award and made numerous best-of lists, including The New Yorker. In fall 2018, Brooklyn Rider released Dreamers on Sony Music Masterworks with Mexican jazz vocalist Magos Herrera which topped charts and garnered a Grammy® nomination for best arrangement (Gonzalo Grau’s “Niña”). Other collaborators include former NYC Ballet prima ballerina Wendy Whelan, banjo icon Béla Fleck, jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman, Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, and the Iranian kemancheh virtuoso Kayhan Kalhor.

Calvin Royal III

Calvin Royal III is an acclaimed internationally recognized Principal Dancer with American Ballet Theatre. After starting ballet at age 14, he gained recognition as a finalist in the Youth America Grand Prix in New York City, which led to a scholarship at ABT’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. Within two years, he was promoted to ABT II, and his subsequent growth earned him a position with ABT Main Company in 2010, nominations for the Clive Barnes Award and the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship. Calvin has performed star turns throughout his tours with ABT worldwide including the ABT seasons at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City – as the title role in George Balanchine’s Apollo, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, The Prince in Alexei Ratmansky’s The Nutcracker, Count Albrecht in Giselle, and has worked with notable choreographers such as Twyla Tharp, Justin Peck, Helen Pickett, Benjamin Millepied, Alonzo King, Mark Morris, Wayne McGreggor, Kyle Abraham, Michelle Dorrance, Jamar Roberts, and many more. In 2017, he was promoted to Soloist, and in 2020, Calvin made history as the third African-American to become Principal Dancer in ABT’s 81-year history. Calvin was the 2020/21 Artist-in-Residence at Vail Dance Festival, and in 2024, he curated and co-produced the Joyce Theater’s Ballet Festival program UNITE. His journey reflects resilience, mentorship, and the transformative power of dance. For more visit calvinroyaliii.com and follow Calvin on all social media platforms @calvinroyaliii

Minori Sakita

Minori Sakita (Dancer) trained at the Maryland Youth Ballet and Houston Ballet Academy. She danced with Tulsa Ballet and Cincinnati Ballet, and has performed principal roles in works by Victoria Morgan, John Cranko, André Prokovsky, Derek Dean, Balanchine, and Septime Weber, among others. Minori joined BalletX in 2024.

Eliza Salem

Eliza Salem is an in-demand drummer, educator and composer currently based in Brooklyn, New York. As a multi-faceted musician, Eliza strives to explore and reach across the many domains of creative music. Eliza has played in acclaimed performance spaces locally and nationally such as Lincoln Center, The Stone, Mezzrow, Smalls, Birdland Jazz Club, the Vail Dance Festival, the Detroit Jazz Festival, the Newport Jazz Festival, SFJAZZ, PDX Jazz Festival, and DC Jazz Festival, among others. Eliza has taken part in multiple national and international tours including Caroline Davis’s Alulathroughout the United States and Australia. Eliza has toured with the Marta Sánchez trio across the U.S. and in India, with performances at the Spanish Embassy in New Delhi and multiple venues across and outside of the city. Eliza has also toured across the U.S. and Europe with bassist Max Johnson. In 2024, Eliza was a finalist and awardee for Next Jazz Legacy, a transformative program that creates a more inclusive future for those most underrepresented across the different contexts of jazz and improvised music. Through this program Eliza has had the opportunity to work closely alongside mentors Cindy Blackman Santana, Ambrose Akinmusire, and Terri Lyne Carrington.

Michael Scales

Michael Scales is a musician for dance in New York City, where he serves as pianist at New York City Ballet, the School of American Ballet, and formerly at American Ballet Theatre and New York Theatre Ballet. Michael is pianist for Vail Dance Festival, and has collaborated with Martha Graham Dance Company and Limón Dance Company. Michael has performed at numerous venues around New York City including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, NY City Center, the 92nd Street Y, Rockefeller Center, and in halls across the country and internationally. Michael holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, where he studied with Dr. Maria Asteriadou, and a Masters of Music degree from James Madison University, where he studied with Dr. Lori Piitz.

Ben Schwarz

Ben Schwarz (Dancer) trained at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and The School of American Ballet. He has originated roles in works by Alysa Spires, Norbert De La Cruz III, Silas Farley, and Preston Chamblee, and performed in Balanchine classics such as Western Symphony and Bourée Fantasque. Ben joined BalletX in 2022.

Caroline Shaw // Composer-In-Residence

Caroline Shaw is a musician who moves among roles, genres, and mediums, trying to imagine a world of sound that has never been heard before but has always existed. She works often in collaboration with others, as producer, composer, violinist, and vocalist. Caroline is the recipient of the 2013 Pulitzer Prize in Music, several Grammy awards, an honorary doctorate from Yale, and a Thomas J. Watson Fellowship. This year’s projects include the score to “Fleishman is in Trouble” (FX/Hulu), vocal work with Rosalía (MOTOMAMI), the score to Josephine Decker’s “The Sky Is Everywhere” (A24/Apple), music for the National Theatre’s production of “The Crucible” (dir. Lyndsey Turner), Justin Peck’s “Partita” with NY City Ballet, a new stage work “LIFE” (Gandini Juggling/Merce Cunningham Trust), the premiere of “Microfictions Vol. 3” for NY Philharmonic and Roomful of Teeth, a live orchestral score for Wu Tsang’s silent film “Moby Dick” co-composed with Andrew Yee, two albums on Nonesuch (“Evergreen” and “The Blue Hour”), the score for Helen Simoneau’s dance work “Delicate Power”, tours of Graveyards & Gardens (co-created immersive theatrical work with Vanessa Goodman), and tours with So Percussion featuring songs from “Let The Soil Play Its Simple Part” (Nonesuch), amid occasional chamber music appearances as violist (Chamber Music Society of Minnesota, La Jolla Music Society). Caroline has written over 100 works in the last decade, for Anne Sofie von Otter, Davóne Tines, Yo Yo Ma, Renée Fleming, Dawn Upshaw, LA Phil, Philharmonia Baroque, Seattle Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Aizuri Quartet, The Crossing, Dover Quartet, Calidore Quartet, Brooklyn Rider, Miro Quartet, I Giardini, Ars Nova Copenhagen, Ariadne Greif, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, Britt Festival, and the Vail Dance Festival. She has contributed production to albums by Rosalía, Woodkid, and Nas. Her work as vocalist or composer has appeared in several films, tv series, and podcasts including The Humans, Bombshell, Yellowjackets, Maid, Dark, Beyonce’s Homecoming, Tár, Dolly Parton’s America, and More Perfect. Her favorite color is yellow, and her favorite smell is rosemary. 

Ashley Simpson

Ashley Simpson (Dancer) studied at W. Dreyfoos High School of the Arts and Ailey/Fordham, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude and as a Denise Jefferson Scholar. She is a Princess Grace Honoraria winner and has been featured in Dance Magazine and Pointe Magazine. Ashley joined BalletX in 2020.

Bobbi Jene Smith

Choreographer Bobbi Jene Smith was born in Centerville, Iowa. From 2005-2014 she was a member of the Batsheva Dance Company under the artistic direction of Ohad Naharin.She is an alumnus of the Juilliard School, North Carolina School of the Arts, and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. Her choreography has been presented by The Batsheva Dance Company, CORPUS – The Dance Laboratory of the Royal Danish Ballet, The Martha Graham Dance Company, The Juilliard School, PS122 COIL Festival, A.R.T, The Israel Museum, Luminato Festival, LaMama, Sacramento Ballet, and UNC Chapel Hill. In 2017 she became a founding member of the American Modern Opera Company (AMOC).

KJ Takahashi

Stephanie Terasaki

Davóne Tines

Davóne Tines is a pathbreaking artist whose work encompasses a diverse repertoire, ranging from early music to new commissions by leading composers, while exploring the social issues of today. A creator, curator, and performer at the intersection of many histories, cultures, and aesthetics, he is engaged in work that blends opera, art song, spirituals, contemporary classical, gospel, and protest songs as a means to tell a deeply personal story of perseverance connecting to all of humanity.

Tines is an artist who takes full agency of his work, often devising new programs and pieces from conception to performance. He has premiered numerous operas by today’s leading composers, including John Adams, Terence Blanchard, and Matthew Aucoin; and his concert appearances include performances of works ranging from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony to Kaija Saariaho’s True Fire. He recently made his Metropolitan Opera debut performing in John Adams’ El Niño. His first studio album, ROBESOИ, released on Nonesuch Records on September 13, 2024, explores his connection to legendary American baritone Paul Robeson, reimagining some of the music Robeson famously sang.

Tines is Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Artist-in-Residence and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale’s first-ever Creative Partner. He is Musical America’s 2022 Vocalist of the Year, a winner of the 2020 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, a recipient of the 2018 Emerging Artists Award from Lincoln Center, and a recipient of the 2024 Chanel Next Prize. He is a graduate of The Juilliard School and Harvard University. 

Melissa Toogood // Artist-In-Residence

Melissa Toogood has appeared on the Vail stage since 2015. She is a New York Dance and Performance Award (Bessie) winning, internationally recognized dancer and master teacher celebrated for her work most notably with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company, where she was one of the last dancers to work directly with Cunningham himself. A 2013 and 2015 Merce Cunningham Fellow and official stager for the Merce Cunningham Trust, Melissa has taught his technique worldwide since 2007 and continues to stage his work for renowned companies including the Stephen Petronio Company and the Washington Ballet. As a longtime dancer with choreographer Pam Tanowitz, she has served as Rehearsal Director and Artistic Associate for Tanowitz’s company, assisting on new works for major institutions such as The Australian Ballet, Martha Graham Dance Company, and The Royal Ballet. Melissa’s freelance career spans performances with leading artists including Tanowitz, Kyle Abraham, Kimberly Bartosik, Rosie Herrera Dance Theater, Sally Silvers, and the Petronio Company, alongside her own choreographic commissions for Boston Ballet, New York Theater Ballet, and the Vail Dance Festival. She teaches Cunningham Technique at Sydney Dance Company and continues to mentor the next generation of dancers. A prominent voice in the dance community, Melissa has lectured, written for publications like Dance Magazine, and appeared in several films and exhibitions, including the acclaimed Cunningham 3D film.

Derek Wang

With virtuosity and “enviable idiomatic rigor” (The Wall Street Journal) at the service of “pure poetry” (Seen and Heard International), pianist Derek Wang is drawing increasing acclaim in the roles of soloist, collaborator, curator, and communicator. A proponent of the music of Franz Liszt, Derek was awarded second prize at the 12th International Liszt Competition (Liszt Utrecht) in the Netherlands in 2022, which followed on the heels of first prize at the inaugural New York Liszt Competition in 2021. He held a three-summer-long fellowship position as pianist of the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble at the Aspen Music Festival under conductors Donald Crockett and Timothy Weiss, performing a total of over fifty works of the 20th and 21st centuries. In 2025, Derek began a role as Creative Enterprise Fellow at Juilliard, curating a range of programs including sesquicentennial celebrations of composer Charles Ives and poet Rainer Maria Rilke, an interdisciplinary program interweaving ecological texts with George Crumb’s Vox Balaenae (Voice of the Whale), and an all-Philip Glass marathon concert on the composer’s 88th birthday. Derek holds degrees from Juilliard and from the Yale School of Music. His principal teachers have included Stephen Hough, Yoheved Kaplinsky, Matti Raekallio, and Boris Slutsky. He continues his studies at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien in Hannover, Germany in the studio of Arie Vardi. Derek returns to the Vail Dance Festival in 2025 after last summer’s performances in premiere works by Lauren Lovette, with music by Caroline Shaw, and by Tiler Peck, with music by Meredith Monk. The latter work, danced by Aran Bell, was reprised to critical acclaim at the Fall for Dance Festival at New York City Center. For more information and the latest concert schedule, please visit www.derek-wang.com.

Peter Weil

Peter Weil (Dancer) trained at The Metropolitan Ballet Academy, Boston Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, and Orlando Ballet. He danced with Philadelphia Ballet, where he performed world premieres by Matthew Neenan, Helen Pickett, and Garrett Smith. Peter joined BalletX in 2023.

Joel Wenhardt

New York based Joel Wenhardt is a jazz pianist, and collaborator. While completing his studies at Juilliard (BM ‘18, MM ‘23) he has become a regular presence on the Jazz scene, as well an active participant in multi-medium productions. He has played or recorded with Paul Simon, Wynton Marsalis, Veronica Swift, Caroline Shaw, Claire Chase, and Brooklyn Rider as well as dancers from Juilliard, NYC Ballet, ABT, Alvin Ailey and more. Currently, he is Musical Directing at the McKittrick Hotel, where he can be found in the Manderley Bar leading The Nightingales. This will be Joel’s 4th time in Vail for the dance festival, and is grateful to call this community his artistic family.

Tony Siqi Yun

The Canadian-born pianist Tony Siqi Yun, Gold Medalist at the inaugural China International Music Competition (2019) and recipient of the Rheingau Music Festival’s 2023 Lotto-Förderpreis, is rapidly establishing himself as a sought-after soloist and recitalist. Praised as a “poet of the keyboard” (Pianist Magazine), his performances have drawn acclaim for their thrilling artistry and “interpretive flashes that point to an emergent big personality: moments of grandness or deep expressivity” (The Philadelphia Inquirer).

Upcoming recital highlights include debut performances at Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Wigmore Hall London, Koerner Hall Toronto, the Ravinia Festival, and Davies Symphony Hall at the San Francisco Symphony. He will also return to the Vancouver Recital Society and Muziekcentrum Ghent in Belgium. Orchestral engagements feature his debut with the Louisville Orchestra under Robert Spano performing Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 3, and a return to the Orchestre Métropolitain with Glass Marcano playing Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3. Recent appearances include performances with the Nashville Symphony, Shanghai Symphony, and New Jersey Symphony, collaborating with conductors Giancarlo Guerrero, Daniel Harding, Jacek Kaspszyk, and Christoph König, among others.

In the 2023–24 season, Mr. Yun made his Carnegie Hall debut with the Orchestre Métropolitain under Yannick Nézet-Séguin, following his 2022–23 debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra. He has also appeared with the Toronto Symphony, Baltimore Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, Buffalo Philharmonic, Hamilton Philharmonic, and Rhode Island Philharmonic. Past recital engagements in North America include Stanford Live, La Jolla Music Society, the Gilmore Rising Stars Series, 92nd Street Y (New York), the Vancouver Recital Society, and Friends of Chamber Music Denver. In Europe, he has performed at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Muziekcentrum Ghent, among others.

Mr. Yun graduated from The Juilliard School in 2025 and will return as an Artist Diploma candidate. He is a recipient of the Jerome L. Greene Fellowship and studies with Professors Yoheved Kaplinsky and Matti Raekallio.