JENNIFER MARTIN, Principal Dancer
In her fourteenth season with The Eugene Ballet, Jennifer 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. Jennifer 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 International Ballet Competition. In addition to her performance career, Jennifer teaches throughout the Northwest in the summer and has helped stage various works in the company’s repertory. Last season Jennifer was featured in the title role of Carmen the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker and in George Balanchine’s Who Cares?
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 scholarship student at Sejong University she was awarded a Bachelor’s degree in Dance. Awards include a Silver Medal at the 20th Annual Korean Ballet Association Competition, Gold Medal at the Korean Society of Dance Competition, and the Grand Prize at the prestigious Kobe International Dance Competition in Japan in 2004. Professionally, 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. Last season Yun-Kyung was featured in Toni Pimble’s Carmen as Micaela, the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, the pas de deux First Meeting and in George Balanchine’s Who Cares?
HYUK-KU KWON Principal Dancer
Hyuk-Ku studied ballet at Sejong University in Korea. He took a Silver Medal in 1991, and a Gold Medal in 1993 in the Korean Dance Association Competition, and a 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 dancing 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. Hyuk-Ku danced principal roles with Ballet Arizona before joining Eugene Ballet. With the company he has danced Prince Desiré in The Sleeping Beauty, Prince Charming in Cinderella, Oberon in Toni Pimble’s, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the title role in Bruce Steivel’s Peter Pan and the Golden Slave in Dennis Spaight’s Scheherazade. Last season Hyuk-Ku was featured as Escamillo and Don José in Toni Pimble’s Carmen, the pas de deux First Meeting, May Dances and the Cavalier in The Nutcracker.
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. Some of his teachers include Tatiana Legat, Elena Solovieva, Luis Fuente, Jorge Esquivel, and Peter Pawlyshyn. Juan Carlos has danced in many ballets by Toni Pimble, some of which include Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. the title role in Tom Sawyer, the Son in The Gathering, and The Jester in Daniel Pelzig’s The Princess and the Pea. Also Juan Carlos has also been an instructor at Whitman College and Boise State University. Juan Carlos has also traveled all over North America, The Caribbean, and Europe, including Spain, France, Belgium, and Canada. Last season Juan Carlos was featured as Escamillo in Toni Pimble’s Carmen, the title role in The Nutcracker as well as the Sugarplum Cavalier and Toni Pimble’s May Dances.
DUBRASKHA ARRIVILLAGA
Dubraskha was born in Caracas-Venezuela. She received her early training with Nina Novak’s Ballet School for six years. When she was fourteen she joined the premiere company in her country, Ballet Nacional de Caracas with Teresa Carreno where she performed a number of important roles in ballets such as Swan Lake, Don Quixote, The Nutcracker and Coppelia by Vicente Nebrada the most important Venezuelan choreographer. In 2003 she moved to the United States and joined The Eugene Ballet Company, performing the Fairy of Vivacity in Sleeping Beauty, and the “Pas de Quatre” in Giselle, among others. She has also been featured in many of Toni Pimble’s contemporary works such as Still Falls the Rain, Pink Martini, Carmina Burana, Divertimento as well as the premieres of Melissa Nolen’s, Idyll for Eight and Give me Much and Many. In addition to her career as a ballerina Dubraskha has a Degree in Business Administration. Last season Dubraskha was featured as Clara in The Nutcracker Toni Pimble’s Carmen in the role of Mercedes and May Dances.
ELIZABETH BELYEA
Elizabeth began her studies with York Dance Academy in Newmarket, Canada. She is a graduate of Quinte Ballet School of Canada professional training division, where she studied with notable teachers Mercedes Bernadez, Kate McCabe and Brian Scott. She joined the BalletMet Professional Trainee Program in Columbus, Ohio in 2004, where she studied under notable teacher Kennet Oberly and performed with BalletMet in Cinderella, Diabelli Variations, The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. Elizabeth appeared in Eugene Ballet’s Giselle, Swing Kings, Daniel Pelzig’s The Princess and the Pea and Pink Martini, as well as Toni Pimble’s Carmina Burana, Carnival of the Animals, and American Spirit. Last season Elizabeth was featured as a Harlequinade in The Nutcracker and in Toni Pimble’s R
