Introducing Ballet Austin II apprentices (2018–19 season): What being in THE UGLY DUCKLING means to them…
Written by Leilani Tian
Ballet Austin II is Ballet Austin’s apprentice program and second company. Handpicked by Ballet Austin’s artistic staff from across the country, these dancers have the opportunity to perform with the main company in larger productions as well as present their own roster of repertory in Austin and throughout Texas. Their upcoming performance of The Ugly Duckling will be toured in various schools in Texas and presented in Ballet Austin’s in-house AustinVentures StudioTheater Oct. 20–21 and 27–28. (See below for more show details.) Meet this season’s Ballet Austin II apprentices and learn about what being in The Ugly Duckling means to them!
Anabel Alpert
Joined Ballet Austin II in 2018
Originally from Delray Beach, Fla., Anabel trained with Boca Ballet Theatre for her early training where she was able to perform featured roles in Serenade, Sleeping Beauty and Giselle. She also attended the summer course at The School of American Ballet in 2014. At age 17, Anabel began training with Miami City Ballet’s pre-professional program. She had the opportunity to perform in George Balanchine’s Valse Fantaisie and A Midsummer Night’s Dream as well as more contemporary works, including Matthew Neenan’s Penumbra. In 2017, she spent the summer working with American Contemporary Ballet in Los Angeles. Following her time in Los Angeles, she began dancing with The Sarasota Ballet.
Anabel says:
“The Ugly Duckling is such a sweet story and it has been so much fun to dance! It is the perfect starter ballet with something for everyone. It is an entertaining, funny show that also teaches a lesson in acceptance and understanding.”
Maxim Bleeker
Butler Fellow 2017–18; Joined Ballet Austin II in 2018
Originally born in Stavropol, Russia, Maxim was raised in an orphanage until the age of 5, when he was adopted by two loving parents. He began his training at the Marin Dance Theater in 2008 under the direction of Margaret Swarthout. In 2014, Maxim began studying at the San Francisco Ballet School with a full scholarship under Patrick Armand, where he danced the lead roles in Balanchine’s Serenade and in John Neumeier’s Yondering. He also performed in San Francisco Ballet’s performance tour of Cinderella in Washington D.C., as well as character roles in Swan Lake, and The Nutcracker. Maxim is excited to join Ballet Austin II after dancing one season as a Butler Fellow.
Maxim says:
“I really enjoy watching everyone in The Ugly Duckling because it brings everyone’s character out. It’s a lot of fun to see everyone act in all the fun ways this ballet requires!”
Jasmine Getz
Joined Ballet Austin II in 2018
From Chicago, Ill., Jasmine began training at Judith Salvandar Ballet and continued at Faubourg Ballet under the instruction of Tatyana Mazur. She was a full scholarship recipient and attendee of summer programs such as Complexions, Bolshoi, Ballet Chicago, and the Joffrey. She was offered a full scholarship to attend Joffrey in New York City. She instead attended Joffrey in Chicago for professional training and had the opportunity to train with numerous talented choreographers, such as Shannon Alvis, Sean Aaron Carmon, Ronn Stewart, Aaron Rogers, and Preston Miller. She was the recipient of first-place gold medals in Milkolaji, Poland, for Classical and Contemporary Ballet. She performed demi-soloist and soloist roles at Faubourg, in Joffrey’s Swan Lake, Alexander Eckman’s Episode 31 and Viva Vivaldi.
Jasmine says:
“To be able to perform in a show such as The Ugly Duckling is quite the contrast from what you might assume a ballet is all about. It is entertaining and quirky while also maintaining a technique within each step, count, and character. The message portrayed throughout the ballet is universal and it leaves you with a lighthearted feeling.”
Dylan Hesser
Joined Ballet Austin II in 2018
Born in El Paso, Texas, Dylan Hesser began dancing at El Paso Performing Arts at the age of 8. After joining his high school dance team in 2012, he continued dancing on The University of Texas-El Paso’s dance team through his junior and senior year of high school. In 2014, Dylan started pursuing ballet seriously with Champion Dance Studio under Andree Harper and Ouisa Davis. In 2015, he had the privilege of performing the principal role in The Nutcracker with the El Paso Symphony Orchestra. After graduating high school, Dylan went on to continue his dance and academic training at the University of Arizona. His summer training includes Master Ballet Academy and Ballet Austin. Outside of ballet, Dylan is continuing his academic studies as a Biology major.
Dylan says:
“ The Ugly Duckling is a reminder of how ballet can tell a story through comedy and energetic movement. I am grateful to be a part of a piece that tells such a strong message about finding strength and inner beauty within yourself.”
Samantha Howe
Butler Fellow 2017–18; Joined Ballet Austin II in 2018
Samantha Howe, originally from Windsor, Conn., received her early dance training at Connecticut Concert Ballet under the direction of Wendy Fish-Lawrence and David Lawrence. She then trained at Walnut Hill School for the Arts under the direction of Michael Owen and Denise Lewis during high school, where she graduated in 2017 with a departmental award in dance. She has had the pleasure of performing in annual productions including The Nutcracker, La Bayadere, Debussy Suite, and Valse Presto, choreographed by Samuel Kurkjian. Samantha is thrilled to be promoted to Ballet Austin II after dancing one year as a Butler Fellow.
Samantha says:
“The Ugly Duckling is so much fun for me to dance and for me, it’s all about putting a smile on people’s faces. It’s such a fun way to introduce people, especially children, to the art of ballet.”
Elizabeth Kanning
Joined Ballet Austin II in 2017
Originally from Seattle, Wash., Elizabeth began her training with Jill Adomaitis before studying for three years at Pacific Northwest Ballet School under the direction of Marjorie Thompson and Abby Siegal. In 2015, Elizabeth joined the second company of Oregon Ballet Theatre under Lisa Sundstrom and Anthony Jones, where she performed George Balanchine’s Serenade and Kevin Irving’s adaptation of Swan Lake with the main company in addition to roles in company productions of Napoli, George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, and James Canfield’s Romeo and Juliet. Her notable OBTII roles include the soloist in George Balanchine’s Walpurgisnacht, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty wedding pas de deux, August Bournonville’s Flower Festival pas de deux, and Flames of Paris pas de deux.
Elizabeth says:
“To me, The Ugly Duckling is a great reminder that ballet doesn’t always feel serious or stressful, but sometimes it’s just for pure enjoyment for both the dancers and the audience. I love seeing everyone having so much fun with the choreography and I’m excited to see how the kids in the audience react.”
Kelsey Minzenmayer
Joined Ballet Austin II in 2018
Born in San Angelo, Texas, Kelsey received her early ballet training from the San Angelo Civic Ballet under Meghann Bridgeman and Suzanne Smith. In 2015, she was invited to attend Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Professional Division Program on scholarship where she danced in many roles, including George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker and Christopher Wheeldon’s Scene De Ballet. She spent the last year dancing as a trainee under the direction of Patricia Barker at the Grand Rapids Ballet. She has also worked with many notable choreographers including Gina Patterson and Penny Saunders and attended several summer intensives including Ballet Austin, School of American Ballet, Boston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and Kansas City Ballet.
Kelsey says:
“I love the meaning and story behind The Ugly Duckling! It depicts how our society views and outcasts people in a negative way. Instead of seeing unique qualities as something beautiful, we tend to follow the crowd and not stand up for ourselves and what we believe in.”
Elizabeth-Jane Moller
Joined Ballet Austin II in 2017
Elizabeth is originally from Staten Island, N.Y., where she began her training with Ellen Tharp and Staten Island Ballet. She went on to train with The Rock School for Dance Education on a full scholarship before moving to Houston to attend the Houston Ballet Academy. In 2014, she was invited to join Houston Ballet II. While there she had the opportunity to perform in ballets such as George Balanchine’s Serenade and Allegro Brillante, and Stanton Welch’s Brigade, A Time to Dance, and The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. Elizabeth-Jane moved on to join Texas Ballet Theater for two seasons where she was lucky to have performed in many incredible ballets such as Ben Stevenson’s Dracula and Cinderella, Harald Lander’s Etudes, Carlos Acosta’s Carmen, and Ohad Naharin’s Minus 16, as well as others.
Elizabeth-Jane says:
“Getting ready to perform The Ugly Duckling has been such a special time for Ballet Austin II. It really gives us the opportunity to focus on the art of storytelling in dance. I can’t wait for the audience to see us tell this story of celebrating everyone’s uniqueness and embracing individuality and acceptance.”
Isabella Phillips
Joined Ballet Austin II in 2018
Born in Fremont, Calif., Isabella Phillips trained at San Francisco Ballet for five years where she performed in Helgi Tommason’s The Nutcracker, Coppelia, and Don Quixote. At age 15, Isabella continued at Ballet San Jose under Jose Manuel Carreno where she performed as a Snowflake in The Nutcracker and a Wili in the U.S. premiere of Alicia Alonso’s Giselle. At 17, she joined The New Ballet Studio Company under Dalia Rawson Hughes, where she performed as Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Princess Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, and Black Swan in Swan Lake. In fall 2017, she was a trainee with Smuin Ballet. Her summer training includes Joffrey Ballet Chicago, the international program with Yoira Esquivel Brito and Amparo Brito, San Francisco Ballet, Ellison Ballet, and Ballet Austin.
Isabella says:
“The Ugly Duckling is such a fun, enjoyable ballet that I’m so grateful and excited to be a part of! For me, this ballet very much reflects the worldly internal struggle of wanting to and trying to fit in. It showed me that sometimes people bully others simply because they can’t comprehend why they are different and I’ve come to find that it’s really not about fitting in, but about finding your flock of people that you don’t have to change for; who accept you for you.”
Leilani Tian
Joined Ballet Austin II in 2018
Originally from Atlanta, Ga., Leilani trained at MorningStar Dance Academy of Atlanta where she performed principal roles in Swan Lake, Coppelia, Paquita, and The Sleeping Beauty. She spent her summers at Ballet Austin, Atlanta Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, and Kirov Academy of Ballet. In 2017, she attended Stanford and received training from dance faculty. She received several prestigious awards such as the “Legacy Award” at the Universal Ballet Competition, Prizewinner at the Beijing International Ballet & Choreography Competition, and First Place at the Atlanta Youth America Grand Prix. She performed in closing galas of World Ballet Competition, YAGP in Lincoln Center and the 2016 annual Chinese New Year’s Gala. With Stanford’s ballet company, she was thrilled to choreograph, perform work by Robert Dekkers, and help put on Stanford’s very first full-length production of The Nutcracker.
Leilani says:
“Being able to put myself in the shoes of both an excluder and includer in The Ugly Duckling has allowed me to further understand the conditions that create bullying. At the same time, it has been a joy to watch everyone make the characters their own. We hope you have as much fun watching it as we did putting it together!”
Performance Dates: Oct. 20–21, 27–28
Location: AustinVentures StudioTheater @ Ballet Austin (501 W. 3rd Street, downtown Austin)
Buy tickets here: https://balletaustin.org/performances/theuglyduckling2018
Parking information here:
https://balletaustin.org/parking
Individual bio photos by Anne Bloodgood.
