Company Dancers 2009-2010
PRINCIPALS Tanya Strautmann Pamela Swaney Mana Takada Elliott Geolat Milan Valko	SOLOISTS Meghan West Stephen Lawrence Jason Martin	FIRST ARTISTS Michelle De Villar Jacob Garrett Erin King Lauren Lane Michelle Seymour Lori Wilson	CORPS DE BALLET Lauren Beasley Kaori Higashiyama Justin Hogan Tiffany Mori Alberto Rodriguez Kate Rouzer Leonora Voigtlander

Headshot Photos by Gigi Weaver

PRINCIPALS

Tanya Strautmann is a native of St. Louis and began her training with Berkely Evans continuing on to St. Louis Ballet School. She spent summers on scholarship training with Kansas City Ballet, Gus Giordano and the Joffrey Ballet Trainee Program in NY. Since joining SLB in 1996 Tanya has been featured as Odette/Odile in SWAN LAKE, Sugar Plum Fairy in THE NUTCRACKER, the title roles in GISELLE and CINDERELLA, Balanchine's SERENADE and ALLEGRO BRILLANTE, as the lead in Christopher d'Amboise's CIRCLE OF FIFTHS as well as those in Francis Patrelle's RHAPSODY IN BLUE, BLACK FORREST CAROUSEL, Dennis Nahat's BRAHMS QUINTET and Gen Horiuchi's BOLLING SUITE, WAKE UP, ONCE IN A BLUE MOON, RETOURNER ENCORE and LE REVE. In 2000, she was a guest artist in Osaka, Japan performing Horiuchi's TWO OF A KIND and was also a guest for Toledo Ballet in 2007 performing as Sugar Plum Fairy.

Pamela Swaney is a native of Pittsburgh, PA where she trained with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School and participated in the PBT Schenley Program. She also trained with the Pittsburgh Youth Ballet and attended various summer programs including Chautauqua, BalletMet, the Joffrey Ballet, and the School of American Ballet. Prior to joining the Saint Louis Ballet, Pamela danced professionally with the Lake Erie Ballet. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Dance and a minor in Arts Administration. Since joining the company in 2006, she has performed Balanchine's SERENADE and ALLEGRO BRILLANTE, Horiuchi's MORE MORRA and ELLIPTIQUE, Christopher D'Amboise's CIRCLE OF FIFTHS, as well as Dennis Nahat's BRAHMS QUINTET. She has been featured as the Snow Queen, Arabian, and Marzipan in THE NUTCRACKER, Moyna in GISELLE, Aurora in THE SLEEPING BEAUTY, and the title role in CINDERELLA. In the spring of 2007, Pamela was a guest artist with Daniel Duell's Ballet Chicago. Pamela was promoted to Soloist in 2008 and Principal in 2009.

Mana Takada is from Tokyo, Japan where she graduated from the Tachibana Ballet School going on to perform with Asami Maki Ballet Company, New National Theater in Tokyo and Colorado Ballet Company in Denver. She won third place in the Saitama Dance Competition and was awarded a scholarship from the Agency for Cultural Affairs in Japan. Mana has been featured since joining Saint Louis Ballet in 2004 as the lead in Jessica Lang's CONFESSIONS, Dew Drop Fairy, Snow Queen and Sugar Plum Fairy in THE NUTCRACKER, Italian Princess in SWAN LAKE, Peasant Pas de Deux in GISELLE, Russian Girl in SERENADE, Bluebird in SLEEPING BEAUTY, CINDERELLA, Dennis Nahat's BRAHMS QUINTET, Uthoff's '"in g major" and Horiuchi's BOLLING SUTIE, RETOURNER ENCORE and LE REVE. Ms. Takada was promoted to Principal in 2010.

Elliott Geolat began his training at the Ballet Conservatory in St. Louis under the direction of Nathalie LeVine. He also studied at the American Ballet Theater Summer Intensive and Houston Ballet Academy both on full scholarship. He was a two-time winner of the National Society of Arts and Letters dance competition and has danced principal roles as a guest artist for Peoria Ballet. In the fall of 2000 he joined Saint Louis Ballet where he has been featured as Snow King and Cavalier in THE NUTCRACKER, Prince Siegfried in SWAN LAKE, Prince Albrecht in GISELLE, Prince Charming in CINDERELLA, in Christopher d'Amboise's CIRCLE OF FIFTHS , Prince Desire in SLEEPING BEAUTY, in Balanchine's SERENADE and ALLEGRO BRILLANTE, Dennis Nahat's BRAHMS QUINTET, Francis Patrelle's RHAPSODY IN BLUE, Jessica Lang's CONFESSIONS and Horiuchi's BOLLING SUITE and RETOURNER ENCORE. Elliot was also a guest artist for Toledo Ballet performing as Cavalier and Snow King in 2007.

Milan Valko was born in Kosice, Slovakia, Mr. Valko began dancing with Dance Studio "S" and continued training with the Dance Conservatory in Kosice, Slovakia. He spent his junior and senior years with Idyllwild Arts Academy after receiving a full scholarship from Foundation for Civil Society and went on to become a semifinalist in the 9th Annual Spotlights Awards in Los Angeles, CA. He began his professional career in 1997 with Louisville Ballet where he danced many roles within their extensive repertoire. Milan made his debut with Saint Louis Ballet in 2005 when he performed Italian in SWAN LAKE and since has been featured in Balanchine's SERENADE, in GISELLE as Prince Albrecht, the Cavalier in THE NUTCRACKER, in Christopher d'Amboise's CIRCLE OF FIFTHS, as Prince Desire in SLEEPING BEAUTY and in Dennis Nahat's BRAHMS QUINTET. Mr. Valko joined Saint Louis Ballet in 2004.

SOLOISTS

Meghan West is a native of Kansas City, MO. She trained with Kansas City Ballet, under the direction of Karen Brown, and went on to study at the University of Missouri-Kansas City with Paula Weber. Ms. West spent summers studying with Ballet Austin, Virginia School of the Arts, and Ballet Oklahoma. She performed with Kansas City Ballet in THE NUTCRACKER, RAYMONDA VARIATIONS and COPPELIA. She began her professional career with Saint Louis Ballet in 2003 dancing in "Ballet Under the Stars" in which she performed roles in SWAN LAKE and Francis Patrelle's ASTAIRE: A TRIBUTE. Since joining SLB, Ms. West has been featured as Columbine and the Spanish lead in THE NUTCRACKER, as the White Cat and Canary Fairy in SLEEPING BEAUTY, and Spring Fairy in CINDERELLA. Her contemporary works include Jessica Lang's CONFESSIONS, Dennis Nahat's BRAHMS QUINTET, Christopher D'Amboise's CIRCLE OF FIFTHS, and Gen Horiuchi's BOLLING SUITE and ELLIPTIQUE. Other notable roles include those in George Balanchine's VALSE FANTAISIE, SERENADE, DIVERTIMENTO NO. 15, and ALLEGRO BRILLANTE. Ms. West was a guest artist with Daniel Duell's Ballet Chicago in 2007. She was promoted to soloist with SLB in 2009.

Stephen Lawrence is from Lamoine, Maine and received his ballet training from Bossov Ballet Theatre and Houston Ballet Academy. Prior to joining Saint Louis Ballet, he was an Arpino Apprentice with the Joffrey Ballet Company. With the Joffrey Ballet Stephen performed ROMEO AND JULIET, MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM and performed at the Kenndy Center in DC with select Balanchine pieces. Since joining the Saint Louis Ballet Company in 2006, Stephen has performed Snow King and Arabian in THE NUTCRACKER, in Horiuchi's MORE MORA, the Peasant Pas de Deux in GISELLE, and the Prince in CINDERELLA. Stephen was promoted to Soloist in 2009.

Jason Martin began his training under the tutelage of his parents, Bj and Keith J. Martin and continues to train with them when he is home. Jason was a scholarship student at San Francisco Ballet and then continued to dance professionally with Sacramento Ballet, Columbia Classical Ballet and State Street Ballet. He has had the opportunity of taking classes with Alexandra Danilova, Edward Villella, Dame Sonia Arova and Wes Chapman. Since joining Saint Louis Ballet in 2006 Jason has been featured as Candy Cane and Spanish in THE NUTCRACKER, in Dennis Nahat's BRAHMS QUINTET, Blue Bird Pas de Deux in SLEEPING BEAUTY, Jester in CINDERELLA and in the Peasant Pas de Deux in GISELLE. Jason has also guest performed the Cavalier in THE NUTCRACKER with Evansville Dance Theatre. Jason was promoted to Soloist in 2007.

FIRST ARTISTS

Michelle De Villar spent most of her life moving about the U.S. with her family. She attended various training programs including Pittsburgh Youth Ballet, Houston Ballet Ben Stevenson's Academy and Peoria Ballet. She attended summer intensive programs at American Ballet Theatre and Houston Ballet. In 2007 she graduated from Butler University with a B.F.A in Dance Performance. While there, Michelle danced under renowned teachers and choreographers including James Kudelka, and performed in Indianapolis Opera's productions of THE PEARL FISHERS, THE MERRY WIDOW, TURANDOT, and CARMEN. Following her graduation, Michelle spent a year as an apprentice with Continental Ballet Company in Minnesota performing in THE NUTCRACKER, SWAN LAKE, PAQUITA, and COPPELIA. Since joining Saint Louis Ballet Company in 2008, Michelle has performed in THE NUTCRACKER and Horiuchi's MORE MORRA, LE REVE, and CINDERELLA.

Jacob Garrett, originally from Rogers, Arkansas, began his training with Midwest Regional Ballet then moved to Houston to attend the Houston Ballet Ben Stevenson Academy. After his first year he was invited to join Houston Ballet 2. In New York City he extended his ballet performance studies with the Joffrey Ballet School where he performed in the NUTCRACKER as well as in THE SLEEPING BEAUTY. Jacob has also performed with Colorado Ballet in GISELLE, DRACULA, NUTCRACKER and WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE. Since joining Saint Louis Ballet in 2007 Jacob has been featured in Jewels in SLEEPING BEAUTY and as Spanish and Arabian in THE NUTCRACKER.

Erin King is from Albuquerque, New Mexico. There she trained with Randall Graham, Suzanne Johnston, and Patricia Dickinson. As a student, she performed with the New Mexico Ballet Company. Erin attended summer intensive programs at the Joffrey Ballet, and the School of American Ballet, and went on to train year-round in New York at the School of American Ballet. Erin has her B.A. in Mass Communications. Since joining the company in 2008, Erin has performed as Arabian in THE NUTCRACKER, as Summer Fairy in CINDERELLA, in Balanchine's SERENADE and ALLEGRO BRILLANTE, and in Horiuchi's MORE MORRA, LA REVE, and SLEEPING BEAUTY.

Lauren Lane is a native of Santa Monica, CA. She began her training with The Portland Ballet under the direction of Nancy Davis. While at TPB, she performed principle roles in ballets such as PAQUITA, Balanchine's WHO CARES?, and John Clifford's FIREBIRD, SONATA and LA BOUTIQUE FANTASQUE. Lauren also studied for two years at the Miami City Ballet School with Edward Villella and Carter Alexander and performed in Balanchine's DIVERTIMENTO NO. 15 and ALLEGRO BRILLIANTE. During her time at the school she performed with the Miami City Ballet company in LOUNGE 2200. Since joining the Saint Louis Ballet in 2008 she has danced in THE NUTCRACKER, ALLEGRO BRILLIANTE and Horiuchi's LA REVE, MORE MORRA, and CINDERELLA.

Michelle Radin Seymour began her ballet studies with Antoni Zalewski and Ludmila Dokoudovsky at The Ballet Center of St. Louis. She also trained at the Joffrey Ballet School. In 1994, she joined The St. Louis Ballet with whom she performed roles in various ballets including CINDERELLA, RAYMONDA, A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, PAQUITA, and LES SYLPHIDES. Since her return in 2003, Michelle has danced in THE NUTCRACKER, SWAN LAKE, GISELLE and Balanchine's VALSE FANTASIE, SERENADE and SLEEPING BEAUTY.

Lori Wilson began her training at Ballet Lubbock under the direction of Yvonne Racz, and finished her training at The Rock School for Dance Education with Christopher Fleming, Mariaelena Ruiz and Servy Gallardo. She competed in Youth America Grand Prix and was a top twelve finalist. She studied at the Chautauqua Institute with Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Patricia McBride and Mark Diamond. She has performed with the North Carolina Dance Theatre and as a guest artist with the Evansville Dance Theatre. She joined Saint Louis Ballet in 2008 where she has performed in THE NUTCRACKER, ALLEGRO BRILLANTE, Gen Horiuchi's LA REVE, MORE MORRA, and CINDERALLA.

CORPS DE BALLET

Lauren Beasley is a native of St. Louis where she trained with the St. Louis Ballet School. She also attended summer programs with Pacific Northwest Ballet School, and School of North Carolina Dance Theatre. She was the 2008 Dance Council Fred Kelly Scholarship recipient. As a trainee with St. Louis Ballet, Lauren performed with the company in ballets such as Gen Horiuchi's MORE MORRA, ROMANTIQUE, and LE REVE and in Balanchine's SERENADE as well as in THE NUTCRACKER, SWAN LAKE, GISELLE, SLEEPING BEAUTY, and CINDERELLA. Lauren has also performed ballet roles with the St. Louis MUNY. This is Lauren's first season with the company.

Kaori Higashiyama was born in Shiga, Japan and trained at the Kitamura Ballet Studio. She trained for a year on scholarship at The Royal Ballet School in England and was also a 3rd place prize winner at the Japan Grand Prix 2004 in Sapporo. In 2005 Kaori performed for two years with Colorado Ballet Studio Company in ballets such as GISELLE, NUTCRACKER, SLEEPING BEAUTY, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, and CINDERELLA. This is Kaori's first season with StLB

Justin Hogan is a native of Cincinnati, OH where he trained at the School for the Creative and Performing Arts. He also attended various summer programs including the Cincinnati, Boston and Houston Ballets and the Chautauqua Institute. In 2009, Justin graduated from Mercyhurst College in Erie, PA with a B.A. in Dance. Prior to joining St. Louis Ballet, Justin danced professionally for Lake Erie Ballet, Ballet Concerto and North Carolina Dance Theatre II, having the opportunity to work with Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux, Patricia McBride, Dwight Rhoden, Bruce Marks and many others. Justin is also an aspiring choreographer. His duet, Behind Closed Doors, was a gala selection at the 2009 American College Dance Festival.

Tiffany Mori was born in Osaka, Japan, where she trained with Shizuko Soda at the Soda Ballet School. She continued her training with the Miami City Ballet School where she performed Balanchine's DIVERTIMENTO NO.15. She spent the summers attending the San Francisco Ballet School and the School of American Ballet. She joined Tulsa Ballet II and continued on to dance with BalletMet Columbus. Her repertoire includes, PAQUITA, SWAN LAKE, DON QUIXOTE, NUTCRACKER, Gerard Charles' ALICE IN WONDERLAND, and more. In 2006, she won 2nd place at the National Ballet Competition in Tokyo. This is her first season with Saint Louis Ballet.

Kate Rouzer is from Sugar Land, TX. There she began her training with BalletForte, a Regional Dance America company, where she was able to perform principal roles in ballets such as Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, and others. She continued her training with Orlando Ballet II and Tulsa Ballet II, performing in ballets such as Lyla York's Celts, Christopher Wheeldon's Carnival of the Animals, Val Caniparoli's Going for Baroque, and Ivan Pulinkala's new Succubus. This is Kate's first year with Saint Louis Ballet.

Alberto Rodriguez was born in Mexico City and began his ballet training at La Escuela Nacional de Danza Clasica y Contemporanea as well as La Compania Nacional de Danza. He later got a full scholarship to study with the Miami City Ballet School for three years studying under Edward Villela, Carter Alexander, Geta Constantinescu and Rafael Maldonado. With Miami City Ballet School his repertoire includes Divertimento No.15, Square Dance, Carnival of the Animals, Allegro Brilliant, Who Cares?, Raymonda Variations and Napoli. He also got the great opportunity to perform with the Miami City Ballet Company in the program that included SLEEPING BEAUTY. In 2007, he was one of the recipients of the Fondo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes scholarship that is awarded to talented dancers that are dancing in overseas countries. This is Alberto’s first season.

Leonora Voigtlander is originally from Santa Fe, NM.  She began her training with Santa Fe Aspen Ballet Company. In 2004, she moved to Chicago and studied at the School of Ballet Chicago under the direction of Daniel Duell and Patricia Blair. After two years, she was invited to attend Miami City Ballet School and studied with Edward Villela, Carter Alexander, and Geta Constantinescu on full scholarship. While she was there she performed various principal roles in ballets such as Balanchine's DIVERTIMENTO #15, ALLEGRO BRILLIANTE, RAYMONDA VARIATIONS, and as the sugar plum fairy in Balanchine's NUTCRACKER. Leonora was also given the opportunity to learn Balanchine's SWAN LAKE and SYMPHANY IN C with Miami City Ballet Company. She also performed Balanchines NUTCRACKER and LOUNGE 2200 with Miami City Ballet Company. This will be her first year with Saint Louis Ballet Company.