JENNIFER MARTIN, Principal Dancer
In her thirteenth season with the Eugene Ballet, Ms. Martin has performed the principal roles in the company’s classical repertory, as well as Toni Pimble’s Still Falls The Rain, Slipstream and The Rite of Spring. Jennifer has also performed with The Los Angeles Classical Ballet, Francisco Martinez Dance Theatre and Royal Winnipeg Ballet. Ms. Martin has trained with Patricia Stander in Los Angeles and the Royal Winnipeg Ballet. She is a recipient of the Boise Mayor’s Arts Award, the Canadian National Award of Excellence, and she successfully competed in the 1990 International Ballet Competition.
Yun-kyung Kim, Principal Dancer
Born in Seoul, Korea, Yun-Kyung began studying ballet at age eight and enrolled at prestigious Kaywon High School for the Arts. As a full student at Sejong University, she was awarded a bachelor’s degree in dance. Awards have included a Silver Medal at the 20th Annual Korean Ballet Association Competition, a Gold Medal at the Korean Society of Dance Competition and the Grand Prize at the prestigious Kobe International Dance Competition in Japan in 2004.Yun-Kyung has performed throughout Korea and internationally in the U.S., Italy, Japan and China, dancing a wide range of classical and contemporary ballets with both the Korean Ballet Theatre and the National Ballet of Korea. She has danced Kitri in Don Quixote, the Greek Slave in Le Corsaire and Arabian in Raymonda. This is Yun-kyung’s first season with the Eugene Ballet Company.
Hyuk-Ku Kwon, Principal Dancer
Hyuk-Ku studied ballet at Sejong University in Korea. He took Silver Medal in 1991 and Gold Medal in 1993 at the Korean Dance Association Competition. He also took Gold Medal in the First Kirov-Universal Ballet Competition. He joined Universal Ballet in 1992, was promoted to soloist in 1994 and to principal in 1996. He danced principal roles in Coppelia, La Bayadere, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Giselle and Don Quixote. In 2001, he participated as a guest in the World Stars at Opera International Ballet Gala in Budapest. Recently, he has danced Prince Desiré in The Sleeping Beauty, Prince Charming in Cinderella, Oberon in Toni Pimble’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, the Cavalier in The Nutcracker, Peter in Bruce Steivel’s Peter Pan, the Golden Slave in Dennis Spaight’s Scheherazade, and was featured in Melissa Nolen’s Incidents and Accidents. Last season, Hyuk-Ku was featured as Prince Albrecht in Giselle, the Prince in Daniel Pelzig’s The Princess and the Pea, in Melissa Nolen’s Idyll for Eight and in the Pink Martini performance in Amado Mio, Flying Squirrel and U Plavu.
PHYLLIS ROTHWELL-AFFRUNTI, Principal Dancer
Phyllis trained at Maryland Youth Ballet under Hortensia Fonseca. She became one of 20 dancers from the country to study at Chautauqua Institute with Jean Pierre Bonnefoux and Patricia McBride. While dancing with Pennsylvania Ballet, Southern Ballet Theater and as a Principal with Charleston Ballet Theater, she performed many lead roles, including the title role in Jill Bahr’s Carmen. Since joining the company, Phyllis has been featured as Giselle, Clara, the Sugar Plum, Bluebird and Lilac Fairy. She has also been featured in many of Toni Pimble’s contemporary works such as Slipstream, Divertimento and Eine Leben in the Pink Martini performance.
JUAN CARLOS AMY-CORDERO, Principal Dancer
Juan Carlos joined the Eugene Ballet Company in 2002 and was promoted to principal in 2007. He trained at the Boston Ballet School from 1993 until 2001, where he danced in many Boston Ballet productions under the direction of Anna-Marie Holmes. He also trained at the San Francisco Ballet School in 2002. His teachers include Tatiana Legat, Elena Solovieva, Luis Fuente, Jorge Esquival, and Peter Pawlyshyn. Juan Carlos has danced in many ballets by Toni Pimble, such as the title role in The Nutcracker as well as the Sugarplum Cavalier, the Blue Bird in The Sleeping Beauty, Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet, Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the title role in Tom Sawyer, the Son in The Gathering, in Still falls the Rain, Concerto for Seven Dancers, Divertimento, The Three Musketeers, and as The Jester in Daniel Pelzig’s The Princess and the Pea. Juan Carlos has been an instructor at Whitman College and Boise State University.
DUBRASKHA ARRIVILLAGA
Originally from Venezuela, Dubrashka has danced with many companies including National Ballet of Caracas under Vicente Nebrada. Since joining the Company she has danced the Fairy of Vivacity in Sleeping Beauty, Clara in The Nutcracker and the pas de quatre in Giselle, among others. Dubrashka has also been featured in the premier of Melissa Nolen’s Idyll for Eight, Toni Pimble’s Divertimento and the Pink Martini performance in Brazil and Flying Squirrel
DAVID BORACIO
David began his dance training in 1993 with jazz and tap in his hometown of La Habra, CA. Later, he received scholarships to train at San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, Los Angeles Classical Ballet, and American Ballet Theater. He has had the opportunity to train with some of the world’s best performers and teachers such as David Howard, Edward Villella, Gelsey Kirkland, Stephan Wenta and Clinton Luckett, among others. At age fifteen he was chosen from more than five hundred dancers to work with Academy Award winner Debbie Allen in the Kennedy Center’s production of Pepito’s Story. David has performed pieces by Ben Stevenson, George Balanchine, Michel Fokine, Marius Petipa, Bruce Wells, Gerald Arpino, and Agnes DeMille. He has also been in original works by Mary Margaret Holt, Steve Brule, Donn Edwards and Jeremy Lindberg. Last year he graduated from the University of Oklahoma and received a Bachelors of Fine Arts, in Ballet Performance. This is David’s first season with The Eugene Ballet Company.
ELIZABETH BELYEA
Elizabeth began her studies with York Dance Academy in Newmarket, Canada. She is a graduate of Quinte Ballet School of Canada, where she studied with Mercedes Bernadez, Kate McCabe and Brian Scott. In 2004 she was a trainee with BalletMet in Columbus, Ohio, where she studied with Kennet Oberly and performed in Cinderella, Diabelli Variations, The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. Last season Elizabeth performed in Giselle, The Nutcracker, Swing Kings, Princess and the Pea and the Pink Martini performance.
GILLMER DURAN
Originally from Venezuela, Gillmer has worked with such companies as National Ballet of Caracas and Tulsa Ballet During that period, he worked with Vicente Nebrada, Jacques Brocket, Mauricio Wainrot and Marcello Angelini, and he toured internationally. Since joining the company, he has been featured in Robert Battle’s Circle, Line and Square, and Toni Pimble’s Slipstream and Divertimento He has choreographed several pieces, including Bachianas Brasileiras for the Pink Martini performance. Gillmer was also selected as part of the Regional Dance Development Initiative by National Dance Project.
Suzanne Haag
Suzanne trained with Alla Osipenko and Franco De Vita at the School of the Hartford Ballet. She holds an arts management and dance degree from Butler University. Suzanne has performed with Hartford Ballet, Lexington Ballet and Nevada Ballet Theater. Now in her fourth season with Ballet Idaho, Suzanne has been featured as the Summer Fairy in Cinderella, the Chinese dancer in The Nutcracker, in Toni Pimble’s Slipstream and Pink Martini performance, as well as in Melissa Nolen’s premier of Idyll for Eight.
MATTHEW MCKINNEY
Matthew began his training with Carlos Agudelo at the age on nine, continuing at the Virginia School of the Arts with Petrus Bosman and David Keener, and then Butler University. He spent the past eight years with Charleston Ballet Theatre where he was noted for his versitility in roles varying from Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet, the Chosen Man in Jill Eathorne Bahr’s Rite of Spring and Lancelot in Camelot. This is Matthew’s first season with the company and looks forward to new and exciting opportunities here.
Ryan Nye
A graduate of the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School, Ryan was a recipient of the Arnold Spohr Scholarship. He is also an award-winning choreographer. In the summer of 2005, Ryan joined Banff Center for the Arts Company, followed by joining Festival Ballet Providence, Rhode Island, for the 2005-06 season. He has appeared in numerous productions, including Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Carmina Burana and The Nutcracker. This is Ryan’s first season with the Eugene Ballet Company.
Petr Orlov
Born in Russia, studied at the National Ballet Theater, Solnechie Blicki, under the artistic direction of Elena Orlova. Peter attended the Moscow Academy of Ballet and studied at Elmhurst Ballet School in England. Petr has appeared in the Oregon Bach Festival in Concerto for Seven Dancers. He has been featured as Jack in the Box, a Russian in The Nutcracker, in Swing Kings, in Melissa Nolen’s Incidents and Accidents, in Toni Pimble’s Divertimento, in The Princess and the Pea and in the Pink Martini performance.
LEOANNIS PUPO-GUILLEN
Leo was born in Cuba where he began his ballet training, graduating from the Camaguey Professional Ballet Academy in 2001. During his studies Leo was selected to participate in the Cancun International Dance Festival and performed the role of “Toreador” as a guest artist with the Costa Rican Youth Ballet. He was invited to compete in the prestigious International Havana Ballet Competition in Cuba. After his graduation he joined the Camaguey Ballet Company. In 2003 Leo became Principal Dancer performing such roles as Escamillo in Carmen, Frank in Coppelia, Paquita, Colin in La Fille Mal Gardee, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet, Espada and Basilio in Don Quixote, Albrecht in Giselle and Siegfried in Swan Lake. In 2004 Leo came to the United States with his family and joined the Roxey Ballet, where he expanded his repertoire to include the Jester in Cinderella, the Cavalier in The Nutcracker, the pas de deux of Le Corsaire, Flames of Paris, and Blue Bird, Drummer Boy, in Graduation Ball and Cassio in Othello. This is Leo’s first season with The Eugene Ballet Company.
Kristy Tancred
Originally from Australia, Kristy trained with Ballet Theater of Victoria. She spent three seasons with Charleston Ballet Theater, dancing the Snow Queen in The Nutcracker as well as principal roles in Jill Bahr’s Wing and Captured Angel. In 2003 she joined the Augusta Ballet appearing as Odette in Swan Lake, Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker and in My Funny Valentine by Lar Lubovitch. This is Kristy’s first season with the Eugene Ballet Company.
Rider D. Vierling
From Winter Park, Florida, Rider trained on scholarship with the School of Southern Ballet Theatre, Virginia School of the Arts and Boston Ballet. His professional career spans four seasons with the Charleston Ballet Theatre and three with the Augusta Ballet. Favorite roles include Lar Lubovitch’s My Funny Valentine, the title roles in Romeo and Juliet and Dracula, Don Everly in Thomas Shoemaker’s Foreverly, principal roles in Balanchine’s Tarantella, Serenade, and Allegro Brilliante and Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake. This is Rider’ssecond season with the Eugene Ballet Company.
HEATHER WALLACE
Heather began trained with Clarissa Boeriu in Ventura, California. She joined BalletMet as a trainee in 2004, where she studied under Kennet Oberly and Catherine Yoshimura. She performed with BalletMet in The Rite of Spring, Cinderella, The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. Last season Heather danced as an apprentice in such roles as a Wilis in Giselle, a Harlequinade in The Nutcracker and was featured in the Pink Martini performance in Gillmer Duran’s Bachianas Brasileiras. Heather was promoted to Company member this season.
JULIA LIMOGES, Apprentice
Julia is a native of Vancouver, Washington. She has studied with Maricar Drilon-Capps and Russell Capps at Washington State Ballet. There she has performed in The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty and modern ballets such as Glasshouse and Eye II Eye. She has attended various summer intensives including summer intensives at The Joffrey and American Ballet Theatre. This is her first season with the Eugene Ballet Company.
Maria Salo, Apprentice
Maria is a native of Helena, Montana, and a graduate of Carroll College. Maria has spent the last two seasons dancing with Artisan Dance Company under the artistic director Sallyann Mulcahy and guest Artistic Director Arnold Spohr. During the 2003-04 season, Maria danced with the Ballet Chicago Studio Dance Company under Daniel Duell. She attended Mercyhurst College, Interlochen Arts Festival, Banff Centre for the Arts and the Joffrey in San Antonio, Texas. This is Maria’s first season with the Eugene Ballet Company.
ALANNA SWOVELIN, Apprentice
Alanna studied with Cynthia Young, Laurence Blake, Leslie Carothers and Glen Edgerton at the Pasadena Dance Theatre Company. She has performed in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, La Bayadere and Balanchine’s Diamonds, and was featured as the Waltz Queen and the Doll in Pasadena Dance Theatre’s The Nutcracker. She received a merit scholarship from the Richmond Ballet and a Regional Dance America scholarship to study at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet Summer Intensive. This is Alanna’s first season with the Eugene Ballet Company.
Jessica Zisa, Apprentice
Jessica began her professional training in Portland, Oregon, at June Taylor’s School of Dance, where she completed her Royal Academy of Dance examinations with Distinction. She continued her training at Goh Ballet Academy in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, where she performed in Serenade, Napoli, Conservatory, Flower Festival pas de deux and Giselle. She toured with YBC to China in 2004. Last season, she joined Colorado Ballet as an apprentice, performing in Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and Cinderella. This is Jessica’s first season with the Eugene Ballet Company.