Choreography by Jerome Robbins
Music by Benjamin Britten

Premiere: June 2, 1953 | New York City Ballet
City Center of Music and Drama

Staged by Robert LaFosse
Stuart Chafetz, Conductor
Shawn Stevens, Ballet Mistress
Christian Claessens, Principals’ Coach
Sasha Janes, Principals’ Coach

In 1945, Britten was asked to write for the British Ministry of Education’s documentary film, Instruments of the Orchestra (Op. 34).With text by Eric Crozier, the work consists of variations and a fugue on a rondeau from Henry Purcell’s incidental music for Adelazar, or The Moor’s Revenge, by Aphra Behn.Each variation is played by a different instrument or group of instruments comprising a contemporary symphonic orchestra.Consecutively, the four families of the band—strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion—are exploited in characteristic monologues and conversations.Finally, the piccolo initiates the great fugue, which recapitulates Purcell’s noble theme.

Choreography by George Balanchine*
©The George Balanchine Trust

Music by Georges Bizet (from Jeux d’Enfants)
Original lighting by Ronald Bates

Premiere: July 30, 1975 | New York City Ballet
Sarasota Performing Arts Center

Staged by Daniel Duell
Stuart Chafetz, Conductor
Shawn Stevens, Ballet Mistress
Christian Claessens, Ballet Master

Imani Sailers and Tyler Dowdy

The performance of The Steadfast Tin Soldier, a Balanchine® Ballet, is presented by arrangement with The George Balanchine Trust and has been produced in accordance with the Balanchine Style® and Balanchine Technique®.

Service standards established and provided by the Trust.

*©The George Balanchine Trust

Choreography by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot
Music by Adolphe Adam

Premiere: Théâtre de l’Académie Royale de Musique, Paris

Staged by Eve Lawson
Stuart Chafetz, Conductor
Shawn Stevens, Ballet Mistress
Sasha Janes, Ballet Master
Michael Vernon, Principals’ Coach

Act I

In Act I, Giselle, a frail peasant girl, has fallen in love with Prince Albrecht, who has disguised himself as Loys, a fellow peasant. This relationship is closely watched by Hilarion, a gamekeeper who is also in love with Giselle. Giselle’s mother warns her to stop dancing—because of her frail heart she is liable to die. If she dies before she is married she will become one of the Wilis. (In German mythology, a Wili is a girl who dies before her wedding day and is doomed to dance all night in the forest after death). Hilarion exposes Loys to be the Prince Albrecht, already betrothed. Giselle is heartbroken, and goes mad, finally killing herself with the Prince’s sword.

Act II

It is close to midnight, in a forest glade. Giselle’s grave is nearby. Hunters are playing dice, and Hilarion is despondently wandering about. Frightened by the arrival of the Wilis, they all flee, while Myrtha, the merciless Queen of the Wilis makes her entrance. She summons up the other Wilis, who haunt the forest at night to seek revenge on any man they encounter, forcing their victims to dance until they die of exhaustion.

Myrtha raises Giselle’s spirit from her grave, and Giselle is then inducted into their midst. Albrecht arrives to lay flowers on her grave, guilt ridden at having caused her death. She feels sorrow at his plight and forgives him. Meanwhile, Hilarion has been trapped by the Wilis, who force him to dance until he is exhausted and then throw him into a nearby lake. Albrecht is about to follow the same fate, even though Giselle begs Myrtha to spare his life. He dances nearly to exhaustion, but dawn breaks, ending the power of the Wilis for that night. He is saved, and Giselle returns to her grave to rest in peace. Through her forgiveness, she is no longer in the power of the curse of the Wilis.

Historical Notes

Choreographed in 1841, Giselle is considered the quintessential nineteenth-century romantic ballet. It is also the oldest ballet in the repertoire, having a history of continuous performance since its inception.French poet Theophile Gautier (with Jules Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges) developed the scenario to honor Italian ballerina Carlotta Grisi. Married to choreographer Jules Perrot, she first performed it in 1841 at the Paris Opera. Perrot himself choreographed most of Grisi’s steps as Giselle, while the senior ballet master of the Paris Opéra, Jean Coralli, choreographed the rest of the ballet.

Giselle is one of the most coveted roles for any ballerina. The very difficult role has been likened to ballet as Hamlet has to acting. Famous Giselles have included Anna Pavlova, Margot Fonteyn, Yvette Chauvire, the Jacobs School of Music’s own Violette Verdy, Alicia Alonso, Galina Ulanova, and, more recently, Julie Kent, Alessandra Ferris, Susan Jaffe, Amanda McKerrow, and Natalia Makarova.

Choreography by Jerome Robbins
Music by Benjamin Britten

Premiere: June 2, 1953 | New York City Ballet
City Center of Music and Drama

Staged by Robert LaFosse
Stuart Chafetz, Conductor
Shawn Stevens, Ballet Mistress
Christian Claessens, Principals’ Coach
Sasha Janes, Principals’ Coach

In 1945, Britten was asked to write for the British Ministry of Education’s documentary film, Instruments of the Orchestra (Op. 34). With text by Eric Crozier, the work consists of variations and a fugue on a rondeau from Henry Purcell’s incidental music for Adelazar, or The Moor’s Revenge, by Aphra Behn.Each variation is played by a different instrument or group of instruments comprising a contemporary symphonic orchestra. Consecutively, the four families of the band—strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion—are exploited in characteristic monologues and conversations.

Finally, the piccolo initiates the great fugue, which recapitulates Purcell’s noble theme.

Choreography by George Balanchine*
©The George Balanchine Trust

Music by Georges Bizet (from Jeux d’Enfants)
Original lighting by Ronald Bates

Premiere: July 30, 1975 | New York City Ballet
Sarasota Performing Arts Center

Staged by Daniel Duell
Stuart Chafetz, Conductor
Shawn Stevens, Ballet Mistress
Christian Claessens, Ballet Master

Haley Baker and Darren Hsu

The performance of The Steadfast Tin Soldier, a Balanchine® Ballet, is presented by arrangement with The George Balanchine Trust and has been produced in accordance with the Balanchine Style® and Balanchine Technique®.

Service standards established and provided by the Trust.

*©The George Balanchine Trust

Choreography by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot
Music by Adolphe Adam

Premiere: Théâtre de l’Académie Royale de Musique, Paris

Staged by Eve Lawson
Stuart Chafetz, Conductor
Shawn Stevens, Ballet Mistress
Sasha Janes, Ballet Master
Michael Vernon, Principals’ Coach

Act I

In Act I, Giselle, a frail peasant girl, has fallen in love with Prince Albrecht, who has disguised himself as Loys, a fellow peasant. This relationship is closely watched by Hilarion, a gamekeeper who is also in love with Giselle. Giselle’s mother warns her to stop dancing—because of her frail heart she is liable to die. If she dies before she is married she will become one of the Wilis. (In German mythology, a Wili is a girl who dies before her wedding day and is doomed to dance all night in the forest after death). Hilarion exposes Loys to be the Prince Albrecht, already betrothed. Giselle is heartbroken, and goes mad, finally killing herself with the Prince’s sword.

Act II

It is close to midnight, in a forest glade. Giselle’s grave is nearby. Hunters are playing dice, and Hilarion is despondently wandering about. Frightened by the arrival of the Wilis, they all flee, while Myrtha, the merciless Queen of the Wilis makes her entrance. She summons up the other Wilis, who haunt the forest at night to seek revenge on any man they encounter, forcing their victims to dance until they die of exhaustion.

Myrtha raises Giselle’s spirit from her grave, and Giselle is then inducted into their midst. Albrecht arrives to lay flowers on her grave, guilt ridden at having caused her death. She feels sorrow at his plight and forgives him. Meanwhile, Hilarion has been trapped by the Wilis, who force him to dance until he is exhausted and then throw him into a nearby lake. Albrecht is about to follow the same fate, even though Giselle begs Myrtha to spare his life. He dances nearly to exhaustion, but dawn breaks, ending the power of the Wilis for that night. He is saved, and Giselle returns to her grave to rest in peace. Through her forgiveness, she is no longer in the power of the curse of the Wilis.

Historical Notes

Choreographed in 1841, Giselle is considered the quintessential nineteenth-century romantic ballet. It is also the oldest ballet in the repertoire, having a history of continuous performance since its inception.French poet Theophile Gautier (with Jules Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges) developed the scenario to honor Italian ballerina Carlotta Grisi. Married to choreographer Jules Perrot, she first performed it in 1841 at the Paris Opera. Perrot himself choreographed most of Grisi’s steps as Giselle, while the senior ballet master of the Paris Opéra, Jean Coralli, choreographed the rest of the ballet.

Giselle is one of the most coveted roles for any ballerina. The very difficult role has been likened to ballet as Hamlet has to acting. Famous Giselles have included Anna Pavlova, Margot Fonteyn, Yvette Chauvire, the Jacobs School of Music’s own Violette Verdy, Alicia Alonso, Galina Ulanova, and, more recently, Julie Kent, Alessandra Ferris, Susan Jaffe, Amanda McKerrow, and Natalia Makarova.

Choreography by Jerome Robbins
Music by Benjamin Britten

Premiere: June 2, 1953 | New York City Ballet
City Center of Music and Drama

Staged by Robert LaFosse
Stuart Chafetz, Conductor
Shawn Stevens, Ballet Mistress
Christian Claessens, Principals’ Coach
Sasha Janes, Principals’ Coach

In 1945, Britten was asked to write for the British Ministry of Education’s documentary film, Instruments of the Orchestra (Op. 34). With text by Eric Crozier, the work consists of variations and a fugue on a rondeau from Henry Purcell’s incidental music for Adelazar, or The Moor’s Revenge, by Aphra Behn. Each variation is played by a different instrument or group of instruments comprising a contemporary symphonic orchestra.Consecutively, the four families of the band—strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion—are exploited in characteristic monologues and conversations.Finally, the piccolo initiates the great fugue, which recapitulates Purcell’s noble theme.

Choreography by George Balanchine*
©The George Balanchine Trust

Music by Georges Bizet (from Jeux d’Enfants)
Original lighting by Ronald Bates

Premiere: July 30, 1975 | New York City Ballet
Sarasota Performing Arts Center

Staged by Daniel Duell
Stuart Chafetz, Conductor
Shawn Stevens, Ballet Mistress
Christian Claessens, Ballet Master

Margaret Andriani and Sterling Manka

The performance of The Steadfast Tin Soldier, a Balanchine® Ballet, is presented by arrangement with The George Balanchine Trust and has been produced in accordance with the Balanchine Style® and Balanchine Technique®.

Service standards established and provided by the Trust.

*©The George Balanchine Trust

Choreography by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot
Music by Adolphe Adam

Premiere: Théâtre de l’Académie Royale de Musique, Paris

Staged by Eve Lawson
Stuart Chafetz, Conductor
Shawn Stevens, Ballet Mistress
Sasha Janes, Ballet Master
Michael Vernon, Principals’ Coach

Act I

In Act I, Giselle, a frail peasant girl, has fallen in love with Prince Albrecht, who has disguised himself as Loys, a fellow peasant. This relationship is closely watched by Hilarion, a gamekeeper who is also in love with Giselle. Giselle’s mother warns her to stop dancing—because of her frail heart she is liable to die. If she dies before she is married she will become one of the Wilis. (In German mythology, a Wili is a girl who dies before her wedding day and is doomed to dance all night in the forest after death). Hilarion exposes Loys to be the Prince Albrecht, already betrothed. Giselle is heartbroken, and goes mad, finally killing herself with the Prince’s sword.

Act II

It is close to midnight, in a forest glade. Giselle’s grave is nearby. Hunters are playing dice, and Hilarion is despondently wandering about. Frightened by the arrival of the Wilis, they all flee, while Myrtha, the merciless Queen of the Wilis makes her entrance. She summons up the other Wilis, who haunt the forest at night to seek revenge on any man they encounter, forcing their victims to dance until they die of exhaustion.

Myrtha raises Giselle’s spirit from her grave, and Giselle is then inducted into their midst. Albrecht arrives to lay flowers on her grave, guilt ridden at having caused her death. She feels sorrow at his plight and forgives him. Meanwhile, Hilarion has been trapped by the Wilis, who force him to dance until he is exhausted and then throw him into a nearby lake. Albrecht is about to follow the same fate, even though Giselle begs Myrtha to spare his life. He dances nearly to exhaustion, but dawn breaks, ending the power of the Wilis for that night. He is saved, and Giselle returns to her grave to rest in peace. Through her forgiveness, she is no longer in the power of the curse of the Wilis.

Historical Notes

Choreographed in 1841, Giselle is considered the quintessential nineteenth-century romantic ballet. It is also the oldest ballet in the repertoire, having a history of continuous performance since its inception.French poet Theophile Gautier (with Jules Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges) developed the scenario to honor Italian ballerina Carlotta Grisi. Married to choreographer Jules Perrot, she first performed it in 1841 at the Paris Opera. Perrot himself choreographed most of Grisi’s steps as Giselle, while the senior ballet master of the Paris Opéra, Jean Coralli, choreographed the rest of the ballet.

Giselle is one of the most coveted roles for any ballerina. The very difficult role has been likened to ballet as Hamlet has to acting. Famous Giselles have included Anna Pavlova, Margot Fonteyn, Yvette Chauvire, the Jacobs School of Music’s own Violette Verdy, Alicia Alonso, Galina Ulanova, and, more recently, Julie Kent, Alessandra Ferris, Susan Jaffe, Amanda McKerrow, and Natalia Makarova.

Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, George Balanchine is regarded as the foremost contemporary choreographer in the world of ballet. He came to the United States in late 1933, at the age of 29, accepting the invitation of the young American arts patron Lincoln Kirstein (1907-96), whose great passions included the dream of creating a ballet company in America.At Balanchine’s behest, Kirstein was also prepared to support the formation of an American academy of ballet that would eventually rival the long-established schools of Europe.

This was the School of American Ballet, founded in 1934, the first product of the Balanchine-Kirstein collaboration. Several ballet companies directed by the two were created and dissolved in the years that followed, while Balanchine found other outlets for his choreography. Eventually, with a performance on October 11, 1948, New York City Ballet was born. Balanchine served as its ballet master and principal choreographer from 1948 until his death in 1983.

Balanchine’s more than 400 dance works include Serenade (1934), Concerto Barocco (1941), Le Palais de Cristal, later renamed Symphony in C (1947), Orpheus (1948), The Nutcracker (1954), Agon (1957), Symphony in Three Movements (1972), Stravinsky Violin Concerto (1972), Vienna Waltzes (1977), Ballo della Regina (1978), and Mozartiana (1981). His final ballet, a new version of Stravinsky’s Variations for Orchestra, was created in 1982.

He also choreographed for films, operas, revues, and musicals. Among his best-known dances for the stage is “Slaughter on Tenth Avenue,” originally created for Broadway’s On Your Toes (1936). The musical was later made into a movie.

A major artistic figure of the twentieth century, Balanchine revolutionized the look of classical ballet. Taking classicism as his base, he heightened, quickened, expanded, streamlined, and even inverted the fundamentals of the 400-year-old language of academic dance. This had an inestimable influence on the growth of dance in America. Although at first his style seemed particularly suited to the energy and speed of American dancers, especially those he trained, his ballets are now performed by all the major classical ballet companies throughout the world.

Jean Coralli, born Giovanni Coralli Peracini was a French dancer and choreographer who was ballet master of the Paris Opéra and, with Jules Perrot, created the Romantic ballet Giselle.

Coralli made his debut at the Paris Opéra in 1802. In 1806–07 he produced five ballets at the Court Opera in Vienna, and, in 1808, he was appointed principal dancer at La Scala in Milan. He remained there as principal dancer until 1815, appearing in ballets by the most celebrated Italian choreographers of the time: Salvatore Viganò, Gaetano Gioja, and Pietro Angiolini. He danced in Lisbon in 1820, and, in 1824-25, he returned briefly to Milan, where he staged four ballets.

Coralli spent the rest of his career in Paris. In 1825, he became ballet master at the Porte-Saint-Martin Theatre, a commercially run house with a reputation as an alternative arena for dance. There, until 1829, he produced 10 ballets as well as incidental dances for dramas. Notable among his ballets were Monsieur de Pourceaugnac (1826), based on Molière‘s comedy; Gulliver, an adaptation of Jonathan Swift’s satire; La Visite à Bedlam (1826), in which the comic dancer Charles-François Mazurier played a dancing master who took every part in an interpolated ballet; La Neige (1827), which featured a novel ice-skating scene that made use of roller skates; and Léocadie (1828), which gave Parisians their first sight of the virtuoso dancer Jules Perrot. In 1829 Coralli left Paris for a brief engagement in Vienna, where in 1830 he produced an ambitious ballet, Childerich, King of the Franks.

In 1831, following the privatization of the Paris Opéra after the Revolution of 1830, Coralli succeeded Jean-Louis Aumer as ballet master, a post he was to hold until 1850. His appointment coincided with the most brilliant phase of the Romantic ballet, and, while he never composed for the renowned Marie Taglioni (who danced exclusively in her father’s ballets), four of the nine ballets he produced during his engagement were created for her great rival, Fanny Elssler, and another two were created for Carlotta Grisi.For Elssler, he produced the ballet La Tempête (1834), in which, on her Paris debut, her sensual appeal and intricate footwork established her as the antithesis of the ethereal Taglioni. This production was followed by Le Diable boiteux (1836), a brilliantly staged version of Alain-René Lesage’s novel, in which she introduced her celebrated character dance, the cachucha. In a lighter vein, La Tarentule (1839) gave her scope for her comedic gift.

In 1841, when both Taglioni and Elssler had left Paris, Coralli began to work with Grisi in a ballet now universally regarded as a classic, Giselle. Although attributed solely to Coralli, who in his official capacity oversaw the production, most of its principal action was arranged by Jules Perrot, whose contribution could not be officially recognized because he was not on the payroll of the Paris Opéra. However, the choreography of La Péri (1843), which gave Grisi a second triumph, was entirely Coralli’s. In addition to these ballets, Coralli also staged divertissements for many operas, including the impressive opera-ballet La Tentation (1832). (By courtesy of Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc., copyright 2017; used with permission.) (Engraving by Charles Vogt, c.1852)

Born in France, Jules Perrot was a key choreographer of the Romantic movement. His choreography was innovative in its extensive use of the corps de ballet. He studied with Auguste Vestris, who himself was famous for training August Bournonville, Marius Petipa, and Marie Taglioni. Following a brief but successful career as the leading male dancer of the Paris Opéra, he toured Europe as a dancer and choreographer. It was during this time in Naples, Italy, that he was to meet and fall in love with the young ballerina, Carlotta Grisi. It was Grisi who later created the title role of Giselle.

Perrot followed Grisi to Paris, where Grisi had accepted a position with the Paris Opéra. Perrot was denied a position with the Opéra on account of professional jealously held by ballet master Jean Coralli. Coralli had been assigned by the Opéra to create the choreography for Giselle. Coralli was content to have Perrot create the solos for Grisi but allowed Perrot no credit for the work. Sadly for Perrot, during the creation of Giselle, Grisi was wooed by Giselle’s librettist, French poet Théophile Gautier.

Perrot went on to create many works for Her Majesty’s Theater in London, including the famous “Pas de Quatre,” which he created for Grisi, Taglioni, Fanny Cerrito, and Lucile Grahn, the foremost ballerinas of the day. In 1848, to find stable employment, Perrot moved to Saint Petersburg, Russia, where he became a leading dancer and choreographer. For political reasons within the Imperial Theater, he returned to Paris in 1860 and continued to teach classes for the Paris Opéra, where he was immortalized in paintings by Impressionist painter Edgar Degas. (Courtesy of Eve Lawson)

Born on October 11, 1918, in New York City, Jerome Robbins is world renowned for his work as a choreographer of ballets as well as his work as a director and choreographer in theater, movies, and television. His Broadway shows include On the Town, Billion Dollar Baby, High Button Shoes, West Side Story, The King and I, Gypsy, Peter Pan, Miss Liberty, Call Me Madam, and Fiddler on the Roof. His last Broadway production, Jerome Robbins’ Broadway in 1989, won six Tony Awards, including best musical and best director.

Among the more than 60 ballets he created are Fancy Free, Afternoon of a Faun, The Concert, Dances at a Gathering, In the Night, In G Major, Other Dances, Glass Pieces, and Ives, Songs, which are in the repertories of New York City Ballet and other major dance companies throughout the world. His last ballets include A Suite of Dances created for Mikhail Baryshnikov (1994), 2 & 3 Part Inventions (1994), West Side Story Suite (1995), and Brandenburg (1996).

In addition to two Academy Awards for the film West Side Story, Robbins received four Tony Awards, five Donaldson Awards, two Emmy Awards, the Screen Directors’ Guild Award, and the New York Drama Critics Circle Award. He was a 1981 Kennedy Center Honors Recipient and was awarded the French Chevalier dans l’Ordre National de la Legion d’Honneur.

Michael Vernon started dancing at the Nesta Brooking School of Ballet in London before going on to study at the Royal Ballet School in London with such legendary teachers as Dame Ninette de Valois and Leonide Massine. He performed with the Royal Ballet, Royal Opera Ballet, and London Festival Ballet before coming to New York in 1976 to join the Eglevsky Ballet as ballet master and resident choreographer. He became artistic director of the Long Island-based company in 1989 and remained in that position until 1996.

Vernon choreographed numerous ballets for the Eglevsky Ballet, in addition to ballets for many other professional companies in the United States and worldwide, such as BalletMet of Columbus, Ohio, and North Carolina Dance Theatre. Mikhail Baryshnikov commissioned him to choreograph the successful pas de deux In a Country Garden for American Ballet Theatre (ABT). His solo S’Wonderful was danced by ABT principal Cynthia Harvey in the presence of President and Mrs.Reagan and shown nationwide on CBS television. He served as assistant choreographer on Ken Russell’s movie Valentino, starring Rudolph Nureyev and Leslie Caron.

Vernon taught at Steps on Broadway in New York City for many years, working with dancers from New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and many other high-profile companies. He is an integral part of the Manhattan Dance Project, which brings New York-style master classes to all regions of the United States. He has been involved with the Ballet Program of the Chautauqua Institution since 1996 and is the artistic advisor for the Ballet School of Stamford. He is permanent guest teacher at the Manhattan Youth Ballet and has a long association with Ballet Hawaii.

Vernon has been a company teacher for American Ballet Theatre, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Metropolitan Opera Ballet, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He has guest taught in companies all over the world, including West Australian Ballet, National Ballet of China, Hong Kong Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Berlin Ballet, Royal Swedish Ballet, and the Norwegian National Ballet. He has been a guest teacher for The Juilliard School and taught for many years at The Ailey School. He has served on the panel of judges for the Youth of America Grand Prix regional semifinals. For Indiana University, Vernon has choreographed Endless Night, Jeux, Spectre de la Rose, and Cathedral, and has staged and provided additional choreography for the full-length classics Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty. He has choreographed for many IU Opera Theater productions, such as Faust and the world premiere of Vincent. His production of The Nutcracker has become one of the best attended events at the Jacobs School of Music.

Stuart Chafetz is a conductor with a dynamic podium demeanor and a refined sense of audience engagement. Increasingly in demand with orchestras across the continent, this season finds him on the podium in Seattle, Detroit, Naples, Phoenix, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Vancouver, and many other cities.

He’s had the privilege to work with renowned artists such as Chris Botti, Michael Bolton, America, Roberta Flack, George Benson, Richard Chamberlain, The Chieftains, Jennifer Holliday, John Denver, Marvin Hamlisch, Thomas Hampson, Wynonna Judd, Jim Nabors, Randy Newman, Jon Kimura Parker, and Bernadette Peters.

He previously held posts as resident conductor of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and associate conductor of the Louisville Orchestra. As principal timpanist of the Honolulu Symphony for 20 years, Chafetz also conducted the annual Nutcracker performances with Ballet Hawaii and principals from American Ballet Theatre. It was during that time that he led numerous concerts with the Maui Pops Orchestra. He annually conducts the Spring Ballet at the Jacobs School of Music.

In the summers, Chafetz spends his time at the Chautauqua Institution, where he conducts the annual Fourth of July and Opera Pops concerts with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra in addition to his role as the orchestra’s timpanist.

When not on the podium, he makes his home near San Francisco, Calif., with his wife, Ann Krinitsky. He earned a bachelor’s degree in music performance from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati and a master’s degree from the Eastman School of Music.

Aaron Bowersox recently graduated from Indiana University with an M.F.A. in Lighting Design and currently works at the Musical Arts Center as assistant lighting supervisor and designer. Recent local lighting designs include Sweeney Todd (for Ivy Tech College); Row After Row, Billy Witch, Toast, and Mad Gravity (for Bloomington Playwrights Project); and Berserker (world premiere), Sweet Charity, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, In the Red and Brown Water, The Art of Bowing (world premiere), and Lacy and Ashley Live In A Trailer Now (world premiere) (for Indiana University).

Robert LaFosse was born in Beaumont, Texas, and received his ballet training at the Marsha Woody Academy of Dance. He continued his studies in New York with David Howard at Harkness House and Stanley Williams at the School of American Ballet. He joined American Ballet Theatre in 1977, where he danced as a principal dancer for nine years. In 1986, he was invited by Jerome Robbins to join New York City Ballet (NYCB) as a principal dancer.

Throughout his career, he has danced leading roles in many full-length ballets, including Albrecht and Hilarion in Giselle, James in La Sylphide, Franz and Dr.Coppelius in Coppelia, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake (Act II), Solor in La Bayadere, and the U.S.premiere of Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo And Juliet. His enormous repertory includes leading roles in works by world-renowned choreographers, including Eugene Loring’s Billy the Kid, Agnes de Mille’s Rodeo, Anthony Tudor’s Jardin Aux Lilas, Twyla Tharp’s Push Comes to Shove, The Little Ballet, Deuce Coup, The Golden Section, and Nine Sinatra Songs. With NYCB, LaFosse danced in George Balanchine’s Donizetti Variations, Ivesiana, Prodigal Son, Scotch Symphony, Slaughter on Tenth Avenue, Union Jack, Vienna Waltzes, and Who Cares?, Jerome Robbins’ Afternoon of a Faun, Brahms/Handel (choreographed with Twyla Tharp), The Concert, Dances at a Gathering, Fancy Free, Fanfare, The Four Seasons, Gershwin Concerto, The Goldberg Variations, I’m Old Fashioned, In G Major, Interplay, Ives, Songs, Other Dances, Piano Pieces, Opus 19/The Dreamer, and Watermill, and Peter Martins’ Concerto for Two Solo Pianos.

He originated roles in Jerome Robbins’ Quiet City, Piccolo Balletto, and West Side Story Suite; Twyla Tharp’s Bach Partita, Octet, and Sextet; Lynne Taylor-Corbett’s Great Galloping Gottschalk; and Peter Martins’ A Fool For You and Tea-Rose.

In addition to his work in classical ballet, La Fosse has also starred in Broadway productions of Bob Fosse’s Dancin’, and Jerome Robbins’ Broadway, for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor. In 1992, he was a guest artist with Twyla Tharp and Dancers at City Center. He also serves as artistic director of Stars of American Ballet, a small touring group of principals and soloists from American Ballet Theatre and New York City Ballet.

In addition to performing, LaFosse is also a choreographer. His first ballet, a pas de deux, choreographed in 1985, Rappacini’s Daughter, was created for Mikhail Baryshnikov and Company’s tour. For the School of American Ballet Workshop, LaFosse choreographed Yesterdays (1987). For the New York City Ballet’s American Music Festival, he choreographed Woodland Sketches (1988). In 1989, he was awarded a grant from the New York State Council of the Arts to choreograph a work to Joseph Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto in E-Flat Major. In 1990, at the invitation of Lincoln Kirstein, he created the ballet Puss in Boots to a commissioned score by Larry Spivack, for the School of American Ballet. That same year, he created Gretry Pas De Deux for the New York City Ballet. In 1991, he received the Mae L.Wien award for choreography and choreographed Waltz Trilogy for the New York City Ballet. He was then commissioned by the Guggenheim Museum’s “Works in Process” series to create new works Osiris and Four for 4. In 1992, he choreographed I Have My Own Room for NYCB’s Diamond Project. In 1993, he choreographed the pas de deux October as part of “A Demand Performance,” for the Design Industries Foundation for AIDS (DIFFA). The same year, he collaborated with John Kelly and Company in Light Shall Lift Them for Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Next Wave Festival. In 1994, he choreographed Adriana Lecouvrear for the MetropolitanOpera, Rags for the Bavarian State Opera Ballet, and Danses de Cour for NYCB’s Diamond Project. In 1995, he choreographed the musical Splendora at the American Place Theatre. In 1996, he choreographed Stars & Stripes Forever for Les Ballets Trocadero de Monte Carlo and the pas de deux The Duel. LaFosse choreographed Concerto in Five Movements for the company’s Diamond Project in 1997 and Tributary for the company’s 2000 Diamond Project.In 2001, he choreographed the dance sequences for Carousel at the Paper Mill Playhouse.

In 1987, LaFosse wrote his autobiography, Nothing to Hide, published by Donald I. Fine. He has made numerous television, as well as film, appearances.

Daniel Duell is a force in the development of American Classicism and is passionate about the advancement of ballet technique in its purest and most energetic form. As a dancer with the New York City Ballet from 1972 to 1987, he was taught and coached daily by George Balanchine. Quickly rising through the ranks, Duell was promoted to soloist in 1977 and then principal dancer in 1979. He performed a wide-ranging repertoire, dancing leading roles in the ballets of George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins, and Jacques d’Ambois, among others, including multiple works that were created for him. A Ford Foundation Scholarship recipient from the age of 13, he trained with the Dayton Civic Ballet then at the School of American Ballet, and, at the age of 19, he was invited to join New York City Ballet (NYCB). In addition to his 15 years at NYCB, he was a featured guest artist for numerous companies nationwide and performed for several PBS Dance in America public television programs. Duell has been choreographing since 1980 and has created works for Ballet Chicago, Ballet Hispanico of New York, Dayton Ballet, Harkness Dance Theatre, The Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, and the School of American Ballet. He also collaborated with WTTW Channel 11 in Chicago to design two programs: the first an Emmy Award-winning special (Outstanding Cultural Programming) on Ballet Chicago and the second, Love in Four Acts, showcasing four Chicago choreographers selected by Duell. He was also awarded the 2000 Ruth Page Award from the Chicago Dance Community for the Artistic Direction of The Ballet Chicago Studio Company.

Duell is a frequent lecturer on ballet, music, and the arts, serves on several not-for-profit and advisory boards, and has been an adjudicator for the National Endowment for the Arts and The Illinois Arts Council. He is a repetiteur for The George Balanchine Trust and stages ballets across the United States. He conducts master classes in both the United States and Europe, including teaching engagements at the School of American Ballet, Indiana University, the University of Iowa, and the Bulgarian National Dance Academy in Sophia, Bulgaria.In spring 2011, he worked with the Royal Danish Ballet, teaching and coaching the company in preparation for its New York season. He taught again for the Royal Danish Ballet in preparation for the company’s spring 2012 Copenhagen performances of major Balanchine/Stravinsky ballets.

Eve Lawson, was born in Washington, D.C., she received her training at the School of American Ballet. She became a principal dancer with the Kansas City Ballet and, in 1988, joined the Miami City Ballet under the artistic direction of Edward Villella. She was appointed ballet mistress of the Miami City Ballet in 1994 and principal ballet mistress in 1998. In 2003, Lawson was named ballet mistress of the Dance Theatre of Harlem and then ballet mistress of the Dutch National Ballet in 2005. She is currently a repetiteur for the George Balanchine Trust, having staged Balanchine works internationally, including Duo Concertant for The Royal Ballet, Jewels for the Dutch National Ballet, and Seranade for the Dance Theatre of Harlem. She joined The Australian Ballet in 2012.She has staged George Balanchine’s Tschaikovsky Pas de deux and The Four Temperaments (2013), Ballet Imperial (2014), Symphony in Three Movements (2015), and Symphony in C (2016) for the company. In 2014, she staged Allegro Brillante for Royal New Zealand Ballet.

Christian Claessens was born in Brussels, Belgium, and began his ballet training with the renowned Dolores Laga and the legendary pedagogue Nora Kiss at the Conservatoire de Danse de la Monnaie. When he was 11, his family moved to Cannes, France, where he continued studies under Rosella Hightower and Jose Ferran. In 1978, Claessens came to New York as a scholarship student at the School of American Ballet and the American Ballet Theatre School, studying with Stanley Williams, Andre Kramarevsky, and Richard Rapp. After graduating, Claessens performed with the Kansas City Ballet under the direction of Todd Bolender and with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater under Patricia Wilde. Returning to Europe in 1984, he began his association with Dutch National Ballet. There he had the great opportunity to expand his classical repertoire in works by Fokine, Petipa, Ashton, Tudor, Nijinska, Nureyev, and Balanchine, while working closely with contemporary choreographers such as Rudy Van Danzig, Hans Van Manen, Rudolf Nureyev, Maguy Marin, William Forsythe, Frederick Ashton, Carolyn Carlson, and Ohad Naharan, and was soon established as soloist.

Claessens toured internationally in ballet troupes such as Stars of the American Ballet, Stars of the New York City Ballet, Stars of the Hong Kong Ballet, and Kozlov and friends, among others. He has appeared on television and in film and has taught at major ballet schools throughout the United States and Canada. In 1991, he co-founded the Scarsdale Ballet Studio with Diana White of New York City Ballet (NYCB). During his 15-year run as director and master teacher, he trained dancers of all levels. In 1999, he founded the International Ballet Project with Valentina Kozlova of NYCB. In 1998, he was asked to take over the directorship of the Purchase Youth Ballet, a division of the Conservatory of Dance at The State University of New York under the directorship of Carol Walker, dean of dance. In 2011, Claessens joined the faculty at Ballet Tech, official public school for dance in New York City, under the direction of Eliot Feld. An important and critical interest of Claessens’ has been the development of programs which have been therapeutic for special needs and challenged young people. He designed and taught curriculums for this at New Rochelle High School, Steffi Nossen School of Dance, and Scarsdale Ballet Studio.

His students trained from childhood to professional status are now prominent in major companies, such as New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and others.

Currently, Claessens teaches at the Jacobs School of Music as a lecturer as well as principal teacher and curriculum advisor for the Pre-College Ballet Program and Summer Intensive. He has choreographed for both IU Opera Theater and IU Ballet Theater. He is also on the faculty of the IU Department of Theatre, Drama, and Contemporary Dance under the direction of Elizabeth Shea, teaching courses on the somatic approach to classical ballet.

Sasha Janes joined Charlotte Ballet in 2003 at the invitation of Jean Pierre Bonnefoux. There Janes performed principal roles in ballets by Twyla Tharp, Alonzo King, Nacho Duato, George Balanchine, Dwight Rhoden, Nicolo Fonte, Septime Webre, Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Alvin Ailey, and Mark Godden.

He was appointed rehearsal director/ballet master in 2006, becoming responsible for daily scheduling, coaching, teaching company class, and the staging of ballets in the company’s repertoire. He also assisted guest repetiteurs in staging works by William Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Alvin Ailey, Nicolo Fonte, Jiří Bubeníček, and many others. He produced his first choreographic work for Charlotte Ballet in 2006, Lascia la Spina, Cogli la Rosa.

Janes has choreographed over 25 ballets for Charlotte Ballet, including the highly successful Rhapsodic Dances, performed at the Kennedy Center as part of its Ballet Across America series to outstanding reviews in The Washington Post. Other works for Charlotte include Carmen, a new twist on the classic tale, set in the textile mills of North Carolina during the mill strikes of 1934, and Dangerous Liaisons, set to an original score by internationally acclaimed singer-songwriter-cellist Ben Sollee.

Shawn Stevens is originally from Houston, Texas. At age 14, she attended Walnut Hill School of Performing Arts under the direction of Sydelle Gomberg. She continued her training at the School of American Ballet. In 1982, she was chosen by George Balanchine to join New York City Ballet (NYCB). During her time with the company, she performed principal roles in Balanchine’s ballets, including Symphony in Three Movements, The Four Temperaments, and Symphony in C. She also danced in the original cast and performed principal roles in Brahms/Handel, choreographed by Twyla Tharp and Jerome Robbins. Stevens has worked with many other choreographers, such as Peter Martins, William Forsythe, Edward Villella, Ib Andersen, and Joseph Duell. During the 10 years she performed with NYCB, she danced in the TV programs Live from Lincoln Center with NYCB and Dance in America. She has also appeared as a principal dancer with the New York City Opera, in Cinderella. In 1991, Stevens joined Twyla Tharp Dance, where she performed for five years. With Tharp’s company, she performed repertoire works as well as new works as a principal. She was asked to dance in the Cutting Up tour with Tharp and Mikhail Baryshnikov. Stevens’ film credits include I’ll Do Anything and In the Upper Room, both choreographed by Tharp. Stevens was personally invited to perform in Tharp’s hit Broadway musical Movin’ Out. She has been teaching ballet at several schools, universities, and companies throughout the United States. She is approved by The George Balanchine Trust to restage George Balanchine works and also stages works by Tharp through the Twyla Tharp Dance Foundation.

Irina Ter-Grigoryan earned her degrees of piano performance, pedagogy, and accompanist in the former Soviet Union. She was fortunate to start studying piano with L. Egorova, the author of the one of the best tutorial books for piano beginners. Among her teachers, she also studied with R. Atakishiev, the student of C. Igumnoff. She also studied many years with E. Kulesh, student of Henrich Neuhaus. In addition, Ter-Grigoryan is a successful piano teacher. Several of her students have won international competitions. In 2013, she received an award from the University of Chicago as Outstanding Educator. She served as a faculty member at the Baku State Conservatory and as an accompanist for the Azerbaijan State Theater Opera and Ballet. She was selected from a small pool of musicians to accompany international and regional competitions representing the Soviet Union. During her time in the United States, Ter-Grigor’yan has continued her work as an accompanist with the Temple Square Concert Series Recitals in Salt Lake City, Utah; the University of Utah; and Ballet West Co.; and as a collaborative pianist at DePauw University. She has been on the faculty of the Jacobs School of Music Ballet Department since 2000.

Anastasia Kniess earned both her Bachelor of Music Performance and her Performance Diploma from the Jacobs School of Music. A native of New Jersey, she has studied piano and violin intensely since the age of four and received training at Temple Music Prep and the Settlement Music School. She has attended the Aspen Music Festival and School, and the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, and played in the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra. She is a current member of the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic and the Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra. This is her third season with IUBT.

Margaret Andriani began her training at Kansas City Ballet at the age of eight. Throughout her time there, she performed alongside the company as a corps member in Todd Bolender’s The Nutcracker, George Balanchine’s Serenade, and Victoria Morgan’s Cinderella. For the 2013-14 season, she was the company’s student apprentice, under the direction of Devon Carney. Currently, Andriani is a junior at IU pursuing a major in ballet and an outside field in arts management. She has performed featured roles in George Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15 and Raymonda Variations, Michael Vernon’s The Nutcracker, Twyla Tharp’s As Time Goes By, and Merce Cunningham’s Duets. She is a recipient of the Jacobs School of Music Young Artist merit award and the Jacobs School of Music Faculty Award.

Haley Baker is a freshman from Enola, Pa. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance with an Outside Field in English. Baker has been dancing since the age of three, beginning her ballet training at Pennsylvania Regional Ballet in 2010 under the direction of Sandra Carlino. While there she also studied under Victoria Silva, Laszlo Berdo, and Erin Stiefel-Inch. She also attended Ribbon Mill Ballet in Carlisle, Pa., with individual coaching from Leslie Hench. Baker has performed leading roles with Pennsylvania Regional Ballet and has most recently performed in Indiana University Ballet Theater’s production of The Nutcracker. She has attended summer programs at Pennsylvania Ballet, Miami City Ballet, the USA International Ballet Competition Dance School, and Joffrey Ballet Chicago. She has received scholarships from Pennsylvania Regional Ballet and Regional Dance America and is a recipient of the Premiere Young Artist Award through the Jacobs School of Music.

Mary Elizabeth Bastian is a senior from Rochester, N.Y., pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet and a Bachelor of Exercise Science in Kinesiology. She began her training at the Draper Center for Dance Education School and Rochester City Ballet under artistic director Jamey Leverett from the age of 7 through 18. She continued her training at Boston Ballet and San Francisco Ballet Summer Intensives as well as the Summer Intensives at Draper Center. She was a recipient of the Scholastic Arts Spotlight through WROC and Fox Rochester, Harry Karpinksi Scholarship through BOCES United Professionals, Premier Young Artist Award Scholarship, and the Ken C.Whitener Jr. Fund for Ballet Excellence. Bastian also competed in Youth American Grand Prix, placing in the top 12 in both Contemporary and Classical categories. She was awarded Regional Outstanding Dancer from New York City Dance Alliance and was invited to compete at Nationals on Scholarship in New York City, where she won a dance education scholarship. She has performed with the Rochester City Ballet in Cinderella, The Firebird, The Nutcracker, The Blood Countess, and George Balanchine’s Serenade. At the Jacobs School of Music, she has performed in Michael Vernon’s The Nutcracker, Marius Petipa’s La Bayadère, George Balanchine’s Emeralds, Rubies, Swan Lake, Concerto Barocco, Raymonda, and Divertimento, and Twyla Tharp’s As Time Goes By.

Andrew Copeland began studying ballet in 2001. He trained at the Rowland/Ballard School of Ballet and Gymnastics in Kingwood, Texas, under Sheryl Rowland and at the Akiko Ballet Studio in Japan. He has attended the summer intensives of Ballet West for two years, Oklahoma City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, and Portland Festival Ballet on full scholarship. He is a recipient of the Premier Young Artist Scholarship from the Jacobs School of Music as well as the United Airlines Scholarship. At IU, Copeland is a Founders Scholar and a member of the Hutton Honors College and the Phi Eta Sigma and Alpha Lambda Delta honor societies. With IU Ballet Theater, he has performed in Michael Vernon’s The Nutcracker (Cavalier, Snow Cavalier, Arabian), Paul Taylor’s Airs, Antony Tudor’s Dark Elegies, David Parsons’s The Envelope, and George Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15, Swan Lake (Prince Siegfried), and Raymonda Variations. He is currently a senior pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance and Biochemistry.

Tyler Dowdy is a senior at the Jacobs School of Music. Originally from Tampa, Fla., Dowdy began formal training at Next Generation Ballet under the direction of Peter Stark, where he performed in Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, and Cinderella. Since arriving at Indiana University, Dowdy has performed in George Balanchine’s Tarantella, Rubies, Donizetti Variations, and Divertimento No. 15, Merce Cunningham’s Duets, David Parson’s The Envelope, Twyla Tharp’s Surfer at the River Styx and As Time Goes By, Antony Tudor’s Dark Elegies, and Michael Vernon’s The Nutcracker.

Anna Grunewald was born in Pittsburgh, Pa. She began her training at a small performing arts school and after guidance from the director, moved to the Ballet Academy of Pittsburgh. She danced with the Ballet Academy of Pittsburgh under the instruction of Steven and Lindsay Piper and Lindy Mandradjieff from fourth grade through her senior year of high school. In previous summers, she has studied at the Saratoga Summer Dance Intensive, Boston Ballet, Texas Ballet Theater, Ballet West, and Chautauqua. Grunewald is currently a sophomore at the Jacobs School pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance with an Outside Field in Arts Management. During her time at Indiana University, she has performed in George Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, Serenade, and Divertimento No. 15.

Glenn Kelich is a junior from Arcadia, Ind. He began studying ballet as a sophomore in high school with Indiana Ballet Conservatory under the direction of Alyona Yakovleva-Randall. He has attended summer intensive programs with Ballet West Academy, Joffrey Chicago, and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, all on full scholarship. In 2014, he was awarded the gold medal for classical variations at the Youth American Grand Prix regional and qualified for the finals in New York City. Thus far with Indiana University Ballet Theater, Kelich has performed in Anthony Tudor’s Dark Elegies, Michael Vernon’s The Nutcracker, and Balanchine’s Rubies, Elégie, and Divertimento No. 15. A recipient of the Premier Young Artist Award and the William and Emma Horn Scholarship at the Jacobs School of Music, he is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance with an Outside Field in Sports Marketing and Management.

Mark Lambert is a freshman at Indiana University pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance with an Outside Field in Arts Administration. He began studying ballet at age 14 at Interlochen Arts Academy in Interlochen, Mich., under Cameron Basden and Joseph Morrissey. There he performed principal roles in The Nutcracker, La Bayadère, and Peter and the Wolf, and numerous roles in Coppelia, The Sleeping Beauty, and New Works pieces. With Indiana University Ballet Theater, he has performed in Michael Vernon’s Nutcracker as Snow Cavalier, Arabian, and Flowers, George Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15, Sasha Jane’s Saudade, and Twyla Tharp’s As Time Goes By. He is a recipient of the Premier Young Artists Scholarship at the Jacobs School of Music.

Sterling Manka is a sophomore from Fishers, Ind., pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance with an Outside Field in Biochemistry. He began dancing at the age of eight at Jordan Academy of Dance at Butler University and graduated from Indiana Ballet Conservatory, where he trained with Sergey Sergiev. Manka also trained privately under Marek Chowela and Rosanna Ruffo, professors of dance at Butler University. He placed in the top 12 in the Ensembles category at the Youth America Grand Prix finals in New York City for his performance in Sergey Sergiev’s Amélie. Manka attended the 2015 Bolshoi Ballet Academy Summer Intensive in New York City, where he won a scholarship to spend a month training at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow, Russia, and an invitation to train at the academy year-round. Recently, he choreographed the contemporary solo Wake for his twin sister, Hanna Manka, for the 2016 Varna International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria. While at IU, he has performed in George Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15, Twyla Tharp’s As Time Goes By, Michael Vernon’s The Nutcracker, and IU Opera and Ballet Theater’s collaborative production of Oklahoma! Manka is a member of the Hutton Honors College.

Ryan McCreary, a junior from Mason, Ohio, fell in love with dance as a young girl at the Mason Dance Center. Continuing her studies at the Northern Cincinnati Youth Ballet (NCYB) under the direction of Oliver Arana, she performed lead roles in The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, and Paquita. She has learned and performed principal roles in works by George Balanchine and Paul Taylor. McCreary attended summer programs at the Art of Classical Ballet, NCYB, and the School of American Ballet, and has studied with such distinguished instructors as Devon Carney, Mariaelena Ruiz, Stephanie Roig, Magaly Suarez, and Susie Payne. McCreary placed in the top 12 at the Youth America Grand Prix in New York City and placed fourth at the World Ballet Competition in Orlando, Fla. In 2013, she was a silver-award winner at YoungArts in Miami, Fla., and a finalist for the Presidential Scholar in the Arts through that program. She is a recipient of scholarships from the Jacobs School of Music.

Imani Idell Sailers is a native of Chicago, Ill. At age three, she began her dance training at the Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center (CMDC) under the direction of Homer Hans Bryant. Some of Sailer’s dance highlights include dancing at the White House for First Lady Michelle Obama’s 2010 Inaugural White House Dance Series, performing in Memoria (1979) with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and competing in several dance competitions, including the Youth America Grand Prix and the Carey Rose Winski Dance Scholarship Competition. While at IU, she has won first prize in the 2014 ballet competition for the National Society of Arts and Letters-Bloomington Chapter and performed many roles with IU Ballet Theater, including in Merce Cunningham’s Duets, Paul Taylor’s Airs, George Balanchine’s Serenade, and Antony Tudor’s Dark Elegies. She has spent her summers attending workshops and dance intensive programs at her home studio as well as at The School at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Hartt School, English National Ballet USA, José Carreño Dance Festival, North Carolina Dance Theatre, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Giordano Jazz Dance World Congress. As a senior at IU, Sailers is a Hudson and Hollands Scholar and a member of the Hutton Honors College. She is also a National Achievement Scholar through the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. This May, she will complete a Bachelor of Science in Ballet Performance with an Outside Field in Political Science as well as a minor in Philosophy.

Raffaella Stroik, from South Bend, Ind., is a senior at the Jacobs School of Music. She trained at Southold Dance Theater under the direction of Erica Fischbach. There she danced featured roles such as Swanhilde in Coppelia and the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. She competed as a soloist in the New York City finals of the Youth America Grand Prix. While at IU, Stroik has danced principal roles in Antony Tudor’s Dark Elegies and George Balanchine’s Emeralds and Divertimento No. 15 as well as dancing the Swan Queen in Balanchine’s Swan Lake, First Violin in Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, the Sugar Plum Fairy in Michael Vernon’s The Nutcracker, and the Waltz Girl in Balanchine’s Serenade. She has participated in American Ballet Theatre’s summer intensive in New York City, Boston Ballet’s summer dance program, and Ballet West’s summer intensive on full scholarship. She has also studied with Fabrice Herrault and Sofiane Sylve. Stroik performed as a company dancer with the American Contemporary Ballet for its fifth season.