Dance Series 1 – Digital Program 2022

BRANDON ALEXANDER, originally from Houston, Texas, received his training with Lori Amare and Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy. He has danced with the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, Rochester City Ballet, Teater Vanemuine Ballet in Estonia, and Ballet Hagen in Germany. During his career he has danced works by Cayetano Soto, Itzik Galili, Riccardo De Nigris, Sir Frederick Ashton, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Giorgio Madia, Jamey Leverett, and Silas Stubbs among others. Alexander joined Smuin in 2020.

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TESSA BARBOUR, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, trained at Alwin School of the Dance before studying abroad in Warrington, England on a scholarship awarded to her at the Cecchetti International Competition. She has danced with New Mexico Ballet, Connecticut Ballet, and San Diego Ballet. Her favorite past performances include Man in Black by James Kudelka and Indigo by Stanton Welch. Since joining Smuin in 2016, Barbour has performed works by Val Caniparoli, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Trey McIntyre, Helen Pickett, and Amy Seiwert.

Meet The Artist

IAN BUCHANAN hails from Fairfax, California, where he trained with Dance Theatre Seven. He has danced with Houston Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre, Tulsa Ballet, Rochester City Ballet, and Alberta Ballet. Buchanan has performed works by Jiří Kylián, Stanton Welch, Ma Cong, Ben Stevenson, Wen Wei Wang, Aszure Barton, Jean Grand-Maître, Julia Adam, Denise Clarke, and Leiland Charles. Buchanan joined Smuin in 2018.

Meet The Artist

CLAIRE BUEHLER is from Milwaukee, WI and trained at the Milwaukee Ballet School & Academy. She danced with Oklahoma City Ballet’s Studio Company, Nashville Ballet II, and Minnesota Ballet before joining Smuin. Her favorite past performances include Cygnets in Swan Lake and Dew Drop in The Nutcracker, as well as contemporary works by Paul Vasterling, Gina Patterson, and Chris Stuart. Since joining Smuin in 2021, Claire has been featured in Excelsis, a new work for Christmas Ballet by Rex Wheeler and in Amy Seiwert’s Been Through Diamonds.

MAGGIE CAREY, of Dayton, Ohio, received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance Performance from Butler University, where she performed works by choreographers including George Balanchine, Nacho Duato, and Paul Taylor. Upon graduating, Carey performed as a guest artist with the Dayton Ballet. She spent two years with the Cincinnati Ballet Second Company, performing works by Victoria Morgan, George Balanchine, Ohad Naharin, and working with choreographers such as Garrett Smith, Nicolo Fonte, and Jennifer Archibald. Carey joined Smuin in 2018.

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MENGJUN CHEN, a native of Wenzhou, China, trained at the Beijing Dance Academy and Joffrey Ballet Academy of Dance. After receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts from Beijing Dance Academy, he joined Milwaukee Ballet where he performed major roles in Giselle, Swan Lake, Romeo & Juliet, The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, Cinderella, Dracula and La Boheme. Chen also performed contemporary works by Matthew Neenan, Gabrielle Lamb, Ma Cong, Amy Seiwert and Val Caniparoli. In 2014, he was a finalist in the USA International Ballet Competition. Chen joined Smuin in 2015.

Meet The Artist

RICARDO DYER is a native of Panama based out of New York City. In 2011, he graduated from the dance department at The Governors School for the Arts in Norfolk, Virginia. He earned a degree in Dance Performance from Butler University where he performed extensively with Butler Ballet. After graduation, Dyer danced with Elements Contemporary Ballet, Charlottesville Ballet, and Ballet Memphis. Some of his favorite works performed include Balanchine’s Valse Fantaisie and Square Dance, as well as Trey McIntyre’s Memphis. Dyer joined Smuin in 2019.

CASSIDY ISAACSON, originally from Redmond, Washington, trained at Pacific Northwest Ballet before joining Grand Rapids Ballet Company at age 16. Some favorite works performed during her eight years at Grand Rapids Ballet include Trey McIntyre’s Wild Sweet Love, Alejandro Cerrudo’s Extremely Close, Penny Saunders’ In Frame and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Written and Forgotten. Isaacson joined Smuin in 2019.

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TESS LANE trained at South Bay Ballet in Torrance, CA, performing Robert Kelly’s Summertime at the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, MI. While apprenticing with Sacramento Ballet, she performed works by George Balanchine, Ron Cunningham, and Lila York. Lane joined California Ballet Company in 2013 and was featured in Swan Lake, Giselle, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream as well as Septime Webre’s Peter Pan, The Great Gatsby, and Fluctuating Hemlines. She also danced in the National Choreographers’ Initiative in 2017 and 2018. Lane joined Smuin in 2018.

Meet The Artist

MARC LAPIERRE began his early training at Ballet Etudes in Norwalk CT under the direction of Nanette Vallas. While at Ballet Etudes he trained closely with Christina Fagundes. He then attended Ballet Academy East in New York City under the direction of Darla Hoover and at age 16, Marc furthered his training at The School of American Ballet. He then went on to dance with Los Angeles Ballet, where he had the pleasure of dancing works by August Bournonville, George Balanchine, Aszure Barton and Alejandro Cerrudo. Two years later he joined Oregon Ballet Theatre as an apprentice and was promoted to the Company corps de ballet in his second season. During his time with OBT, he danced works by Alvin Ailey, Ben Stevenson, Nicolo Fonte, Christopher Stowell, and Trey MyIntyre. LaPierre joined Smuin in 2021.

TEREZ DEAN ORR, originally from Hudson Valley, New York, received her training at the prestigious School of American Ballet, the official school of the New York City Ballet. In 2005, she joined the State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara, dancing a wide range of contemporary and classical works. Dean Orr joined Smuin in 2008 and has been featured in works by Jiří Kylián, Trey McIntyre, Val Caniparoli, Helen Pickett, Amy Seiwert, Ma Cong, Adam Hougland, and Michael Smuin. While dancing full time, she received her BA through the Saint Mary’s College LEAP program.

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LAUREN PSCHIRRER graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and apprenticed at Rochester City Ballet and the Joffrey Ballet. While with the Joffrey, she danced works by Sir Frederick Ashton, Michael Pink, and George Balanchine. With Ballet Memphis, Pschirrer performed works by Matthew Neenan and Gabrielle Lamb. She also originated roles during the National Choreographers Initiative in 2015, 2017, and 2018. Pschirrer joined Smuin in 2016, and has performed in works by Val Caniparoli and Helen Pickett, and featured roles in Amy Seiwert’s Broken Open and Falling Up.

Meet The Artist

Alison Ramoran trained at South Bay Ballet (now known as Ballet California) in Torrance, CA, under the instruction of Diane Lauridsen. In 2017 she received the Daily Breeze “Making a Difference Award for Outstanding Achievements in the Arts” by the California Legislature Assembly at the Torrance Performing Arts Consortium. Upon graduating in 2018, she was given a contract with Oklahoma City Ballet’s second company. She was then promoted to apprentice in 2020, and corps de ballet in 2021. While there, she performed works by August Bournonville & Michael Pink, and was featured in ballets by Septime Webre, Robert Mills, Ryan Nye, Nicolo Fonte, Jerome Robbins, and Jessica Lang. Ramoran joined Smuin in 2022.

Portrait by Shevaun Williams

Photos by Jana Carson and Kate Luber

YURI ROGERS began his training with the Academy of Ballet San Francisco under the direction of Richard Gibson and Zory Karah. He then had the opportunity to continue his training and perform with the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, the Grand Rapids Ballet, and BalletMet in Columbus, Ohio. Rogers has performed works by Lar Lubovitch, Leiland Charles, and Edwaard Liang. Rogers joined Smuin in 2021.

JOÃO SAMPAIO trained in classical ballet in his hometown of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil under Ana Palmieri and Romulo Ramos. He has won national and international dance competitions, including the Youth America Grand Prix and the World Ballet Competition. Sampaio joined Tulsa Ballet in 2014, where he performed featured roles in Jiří Kylián’s Petite Mort, Wayne McGregor’s Infra, Nacho Duato’s Remanso, Kurt Jooss’ The Green Table, Yuri Possokhov’s Classical Symphony, and Edwaard Liang’s Romeo and Juliet and Age of Innocence. In 2018, he joined Festival Ballet Providence, performing lead roles in George Balanchine’s Serenade, Swan Lake, and The Nutcracker. Sampaio joined Smuin in 2019.

Portrait by Maggie Carey

Photos by Chris Hardy

Brennan Wall, originally from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, studied at Los Angeles Ballet Academy. She danced with Silicon Valley Ballet (previously Ballet San Jose) as a trainee before joining The New Ballet’s Studio Company. In 2017, Wall joined Ballet de Monterrey under director José Manuel Carreño. She performed in Luis Serrano’s La Bayadere, Swan Lake, and Don Quijote, and danced soloist roles in The Nutcracker, Alberto Méndez’s Phantom of the Opera, and Diego Landin’s Shorthand of Emotion. Wall joined Smuin in 2019.

Meet The Artist

Osnel Delgado is Founder, Artistic Director, Dancer, and Choreographer of Malpaso Dance Company. He danced with Danza Contemporanea de Cuba from 2003 to 2011. In 2012 he founded Malpaso Dance Company with Fernando Sáez, and Daileidys Carrazana. Malpaso Dance Company has become one of the most sought after Cuban dance companies with a growing international profile. Emphasizing a collaborative creative process, Malpaso works with top international choreographers while nurturing new voices in Cuban choreography. An Associate Company of Joyce Theater Productions, Malpaso — together with The Joyce— has commissioned original works from prominent North American choreographers and tours with 11 dancers.

Delgado has worked with choreographers Mats Ek, Rafael Bonachela, Kenneth Kvarnström, Ja Linkens, Itzik Galili, Samir Akika, Pedro Ruiz, Isidro Rolando and George Cespedes, among others. He has created works for DCC, Rakatan and Ebony Dance of Cuba. Delgado is a 2003 graduate of the National Dance School of Havana, where he is also a professor of dance studies.

Photo by Todd Rosenberg

The Belgian-Colombian Annabelle Lopez Ochoa is an award-winning and sought-after choreographer that has created new works for more than 70 dance companies around the world such as the Dutch National Ballet, English National Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, West Australian Ballet, Ballet Nacional de Cuba, San Francisco Ballet, New York City Ballet, Ballet Hispanico, among many others.

After a 12-years long dance career, where she danced in various European companies such as the Scapino Ballet, she decides in 2003 to focus her energies solely on choreography. In that same year she is hailed “rising star of the Dutch dance scene” (NRC newspaper) and only 7 years later the Temecula Performing Arts Examiner wrote; ”Ochoa is truly a masterful choreographer with an edge for what dance can and should be in this constantly changing industry”.

A versatile choreographer, Lopez Ochoa creates within the dance field but also for theatre, opera, musical theatre. Her wide-ranging body of work includes short conceptual pieces, full-length narrative ballets, and dance films.

In 2019, Annabelle became the recipient of the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Award as well as the program director of the Jacob’s Pillow Contemporary Ballet Summer Course.

This season Annabelle will create her 10th narrative ballet “Coco Chanel, the life of a fashion icon” for the Hong Kong Ballet.

Photo by Julio Cesar Herrera

AKA Lady Camden, is originally from London, England, and trained at the Royal Ballet School and Elmhurst School for Dance. After dancing with Birmingham Royal Ballet as a student, he performed with Slovak National Ballet and Sacramento Ballet before dancing with Smuin from 2015-2018. A San Francisco-based choreographer and a founding member of Capital Dance Project, Wheeler has created works for many organizations across the country including Sacramento Ballet, Richmond Ballet, the New York Choreographic Institute, and Smuin Contemporary Ballet.

Photo by Maximillian Tortoriello