MEET THE DANCERS

CHARLOTTE BALLET

The artists of the Charlotte Ballet are known for their high energy, precision and speed, as well as their ability to perform a versatile repertoire ranging from full-length classical ballets to innovative contemporary works. Charlotte Ballet’s breathtaking beauty, boundless energy and amazing athleticism have dazzled audiences and critics the world over.

2nd Season UTAH

Isaac Aoki

Isaac Aoki made his debut at three as a frog in Thumbelina at the University of Utah. He does not remember a time he didn’t love dance…

10th Season NEW YORK

Raven Barkley

Raven, from Bronx, NY, began dancing at age 10 at Ballet Tech, the New York City Public School for Dance. She furthered her training at the Fiorello H…

3rd Season PENNSYLVANIA

Luke Csordas

Luke Csordas grew up outside of Allentown, Pennsylvania where he was drawn to dance due to its ability to tell stories and ignite joy. He studied at the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance…

2nd Season CALIFORNIA

Lorenzo Dunton

Growing up in La Verne, California, Lorenzo started his training at Inland Pacific Ballet Academy in Montclair at the age of four. While at IPBA he attended summer programs with…

4th Season CALIFORNIA

Isabella Franco

Isabella, born in Los Angeles, CA, began dancing at the age of three at the Marat Daukayev School of Ballet. She attended summer intensives on a merit scholarship at…

2nd Season NEW YORK

Mario Gonzalez

Mario started dancing at the Marya Kennett School of Dance in Goshen, NY. He received his pre-professional training at Walnut Hill School for the Arts and…

6th Season IDAHO

Rees Launer

Rees began his dance training with Ballet Idaho and Idaho Regional Ballet at age 12. He attended Walnut Hill School for the Arts for three years and graduated cum laude in 2016…

3rd Season TENNESSEE

Anna Mains

Anna Mains grew up in Nashville, Tennessee, and began her training at age 8 with Centennial Youth Ballet. From 2016-2018, she danced as a Trainee with…

9th Season MARYLAND

Maurice Mouzon Jr.

Maurice, a Baltimore native, was first introduced to dance at age 14 and started his formal training at Baltimore School for the Arts. After graduating…

1st Season VIRGINIA

Stephen Myers

Stephen Myers, from Chesterfield Virginia, began dance training at the age of 5, and in a few years he was competing in all genres. At 16, he decided to focus on ballet and…

3rd Season NEW YORK

Oliver Oguma

Oliver Oguma was born and raised in New York City. He grew up as a hip-hop dancer and Ford model before he began dancing ballet at the age of 8. He trained at The School of…

2nd Season JAPAN

Remi Okamoto

Remi Okamoto is a professionally trained dancer who has been dancing worldwide for over 7 years. She is from Kyoto, Japan and started ballet at the age of five in Keiko Honda Ballet School…

2nd Season GEORGIA

Anna Owen

Originally from metro Atlanta, Anna first discovered her passion for dance at Perimeter Ballet. She also received coaching and mentorship from former Atlanta Ballet principal…

2nd Season INDIANA

Samantha Riester

Samantha is from Greenwood, Indiana. She started training with Indianapolis Ballet and was invited on scholarship to attend The School of American Ballet at age 15. She attended…

1st Season MICHIGAN

David Senti

David Senti began dancing when he was six years old in his hometown of Holland, Michigan, studying at a local studio until his junior year of high school; to further his training…

1st Season JAPAN

Fuki Takahashi

Fuki Takahashi was born in Yokohama, Japan and began her training at the age of 4. She studied at Yuzue Ballet Studio in Japan until her move to the US in 2010 where she…

1st Season ILLINOIS

Adriana Wagenveld

Adriana is originally from Puerto Rico, and started her training at the age of 3. She studied many styles of dance before joining the Grand Rapids Ballet Company as a trainee…

9th Season NEW JERSEY

Shaina Wire

Shaina, from Sussex County, NJ, began dancing at Branchville Dance Centre. At age 13, Shaina was invited by Ethan Stiefel to attend the University of North Carolina School of the Arts…

Emerging Artists

1st Season NORTH CAROLINA

Karsen Gresham

Karsen is from Charlotte, NC and grew up dancing at Charlotte Ballet Academy and Havilah Dance Company. As an Academy student, Karsen performed in eight seasons of Jean Pierre Bonnefoux’s Nutcracker…

1st Season CALIFORNIA

Maia Lee

Maia was born in Roseville, California, and began dancing at the age of six. She trained at various local and Bay Area studios under the instruction of many teachers, including…

CHARLOTTE BALLET II

Charlotte Ballet II is a group of young professional artists affiliated with Charlotte Ballet. These dancers offer public presentations of their own repertoire as well as appear in performances with the main company. Charlotte Ballet II dancers perform an eclectic mix of choreography including some of their own work. They also appear in lecture demonstrations and residencies at public and private schools.

1st Season MISSOURI

Aysia Bates

Aysia Bates began her formal dance training at the Kansas City Ballet at the age of twelve where she began in the school. During this time, she attended several summer programs…

2nd Season MINNESOTA

Liam Colclough

Liam is from Duluth, Minnesota, where he started his ballet training at the age of four with the School of the Minnesota Ballet. He has attended summer intensives at….

2nd Season CONNECTICUT

Elaina da Fonte

After her early training under Kerry Gallagher and Elizabeth Parkinson at Fineline Theater Arts, Elaina moved to North Carolina at age 16 to attend the University of…

2nd Season ILLINOIS

Bridget Fox

Bridget Fox began her dance training at the Academy of Movement and Music in Oak Park, Illinois. At age 15 she joined A&A Ballet in Chicago where she performed in various…

2nd Season NORTH CAROLINA

Clay Houston

Clay Houston, a Charlotte native, began competing in dance at four years old. He has trained at Charlotte Ballet Academy and spent a year dancing as a Trainee in the Pre-Professional…

1st Season VIRGINIA

Hart Isaacoff

Hart Isaacoff began his training in the 4th grade through Richmond Ballet’s outreach program ‘Minds in Motion.’ Shortly after, Hart started training at the School of Richmond…

1st Season ILLINOIS

Serafina Wagenveld

Serafina began dancing at age 3 near Chicago, Illinois. At age 10, she moved with her family to Michigan where she enrolled at Grand Rapids…

2nd Season CALIFORNIA

Roan Zaragoza

Roan, born and raised in Southern California, started his dance Journey with Anaheim Ballet School at 15 years old and graduated from…