Anastasia Babayeva trained at the Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow, Russia. She is a former Soloist of the Bolshoi Ballet Theatre, and was a Principal Dancer with both Chicago Ballet and Richmond Ballet. Work with the Bolshoi included appearances throughout Europe, Japan, Egypt, Australia, and the United States.
Ms. Babayeva studied under N. Zolotova, M. Lavrovskiy, S. Golovkina, M. Kondratieva, and N. Korelskaya, revered artists and instructors of the Bolshoi Ballet, as well as under U.S. Artists M. Burn, M. Youskevich, and Kirk Peterson of American Ballet Theater. Ms. Babayeva joined the MBA faculty in 2006.
Caroline Broullan began her training in Doylestown, PA at Budzynski Studios. She continued her studies at North Carolina School of the Arts, City Ballet School in San Francisco, both the pre-professional year program and Summer Session, Steps on Broadway - Summer Session, and the Centre De Dance Choreart in Brussels, Belgium. Ms. Broullan performs with Dance Theatre of PA in both soloist and principal roles. She has also performed with Philadelphia Civic Ballet and Choreart. Ms. Broullan has been a member of the MBA faculty since 1997. back to top
Christine Cox began her ballet training with the Pennsylvania Ballet School and continued at the Philadelphia High School for the Performing Arts, spending summer sessions at the Joffrey and San Francisco Ballet schools. After high school, she danced with Balletmet in Columbus, Ohio for five years before moving to New York. There, Christine danced as a guest artist with Ballet Hispanico and performed for President George H.W. Bush at the Ford Theatre. She then spent one year with America Repertory Ballet Theatre before joining Pennsylvania Ballet in 1993. in June 2006 she left the Pennsylvania Ballet after 13 year career to focus her energy on BalletX, teaching, and choreography.
Christine has premiered works by a number of gifted choreographers, including Ib Anderson, Rennie Harris, James Kudelka, John McFall, Trey McIntyre, Matthew Neenan, Kevin O'Day, David Parsons, Kirk Peterson, and Christopher Wheeldon. Some of her featured roles include Rum and Coca-Cola in Paul Taylor’s Company B; Vortex in Alvin Ailey’s The River; Choleric in George Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments; Eve in Margo Sappington’s Rodin, Mis En Vie; the Cowgirl in Agnus DeMille’s Rodeo; and one of the principal females in Jerome Robbins’ Fancy Free and The Concert.
Christine co-founded Phrenic New Ballet in 2000 and choreographed several works for the company as well as for Shut Up and Dance, an annual AIDS benefit presented by the Dancers of Pennsylvania Ballet. She has been awarded fellowship grants from the Independence Foundation and The Pennsylvania Council on the Arts for her choreography.
In 2004 Christine co-founded BalletX with her long time collaborator Matthew Neenan. They have received critical acclaim and most recently were invited to perform at the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival. In May of 2006, she staged Mr. Neenan’s 11:11 on Pennsylvania Ballet and rehearsed the company for the New York premiere at The City Center. She has received two Rocky Awards for outstanding achievement in the arts and has worked for 7 years as Assistant Rehearsal Director for the children in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker.
She currently choreographs and teaches at The University of the Arts and Swarthmore College. Ms. Cox joined the MBA faculty in 2006. back to top
Tim Craskey, originally from Philadelphia, began his professional career as a dancer with Jean Anne Hughes and the JazzWorks dance company in Center City at the age of 15. Tim has most recently appeared on the first national tour of “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels”. Tim’s Broadway credits include “Sweet Charity” with Christina Applegate and Elton John and Tim Rice’s “Aida” where Tim was a featured dancer. Other film and television credits include Whitney Houston’s “Cinderella” and “Anastasia” in which Tim acted as live reference for the animators of the feature film… as well as numerous national commercial appearances. Tim has also performed as a principal singer and dancer in “Enter the Night” at the Stardust hotel on the Las Vegas strip and has appeared in numerous corporate industrial shows all over the world. Tim was a scholarship student at the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet and has studied with Charles Kelly, Frank Hatchett, Gus Giordano and Joe Lanteri to name a few. Mr. Craskey joined the MBA faculty in 2008. back to top
Denise Somrack D’Angelo, originally from Cleveland, Ohio, trained at the Willoughby School of Fine Arts with Janice and Raymond Smith. After graduation, she came to Philadelphia on full scholarship to study with Lupe Serrano at the School of Pennsylvania Ballet. Ms. D'Angelo served as an apprentice for one year, then went on to dance professionally with Pennsylvania Ballet from 1980-88, rising to the rank of soloist. Her favorite roles were from the classic ballets, Swan Lake, Giselle, Coppelia, and The Nutcracker and also the Balanchine ballets, Jewels, Western Symphony, Who Cares, Serenade, and Theme and Variations. Ms. D'Angelo has been married since 1982 to Drew D'Angelo. They have two children. She has been teaching at the Metropolitan Ballet Academy since 1997. back to top
William DeGregory, a native of New Hampshire, began to study ballet at the age of 10. When he was 13 he went to the National Academy of Dance in Champaign, Illinois, where he studied for 4 years. In 1974 he performed as one of a select group of dancers from the Academy at the International Festival of Young Performing Artists in Scotland. Mr. DeGregory joined Pennsylvania Ballet in 1975, at the age of 18. He was promoted to Principal Dancer in 1979. Mr. DeGregory has danced most of the great classical male roles in such productions as Swan Lake, La Sylphide, Coppelia and Giselle, as well as many of the Balanchine ballets. He has also originated roles in many new works including the role of Nicholas for Robert Weiss’ full-length ballet Winter Dreams. He was featured in the legendary modern dance choreographer Merce Cunningham’s world premiere of his acclaimed Arcade. Mr. DeGregory is currently Artistic Director of Pennsylvania Ballet 2. He resides in New Jersey with his wife, former Pennsylvania Ballet Principal Dancer and current Ballet Mistress, Tamara Hadley. Mr. DeGregory has led the Boys' Scholarship Program at the Metropolitan Ballet Academy since its inception in 1999. back to top
Alexander Iziliaev was born and raised in Sterlitamak, Russia, and began his ballet training at age 11 at The Perm Ballet School. Upon graduating in 1992, he won the Moscow International Competition and the Perm Competition. That same year he traveled to the United States and joined the Hartford Ballet. Immediately cast in principal roles, Mr. Iziliaev also originated many roles in Kirk Peterson ballets, and he continued his training with Truman Finney. In 1995, he was invited by Peter Martins to join the New York City Ballet. There his extensive repertoire of featured roles included George Balanchine’s Tarantella, Allegro Brillante and The Four Temperaments; and Peter Martins’ Fearful Symmetries. Mr. Iziliaev also originated roles in Kevin O’Day’s Badchonim and Richard Tanner’s Schoenberg/Wuorinen Variations.
Mr. Iziliaev joined Pennsylvania Ballet in September 2000 as a Principal Dancer. His roles with the company have included Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Prince Desire in The Sleeping Beauty, Franz in Coppélia, Prince Charming in Cinderella, Lucentio in The Taming of the Shrew, Prince Ivan in The Firebird and Frederick in Dracula. He has also danced principal roles in George Balanchine’s Prodigal Son, Raymonda Variations, Agon, Serenade, The Nutcracker and Western Symphony. Mr. Iziliaev has also performed in Paul Taylor’s Arden Court, and Lynne Taylor-Corbett’s Great Galloping Gottschalk; and has made numerous international appearances in London, Paris, Scotland, Brazil and throughout South America. Mr. Iziliaev will join the MBA faculty in September 2009.
Andrew Pap has been involved in every aspect of dance, as a dancer, teacher, choreographer and company director. For 14 years he was a soloist with the Romanian State Ballet. After leaving Romania he performed and taught in Switzerland and Italy. In 1970, Mr. Pap came to the United States and after teaching for a year in New York, moved to Philadelphia. Currently he is a professor and chairman of the Ballet department at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. Mr. Pap’s teaching experience is extensive and includes Harlem School of the Arts, Saratoga Ballet Center, Pennsylvania Ballet, and Alvin Ailey School, where he was the recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts award as artist in residence. From 1985 to 1995 Mr. Pap held the title of artistic director for the Voloshky Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, where he was the recipient of awards from both the National Endowment for the Arts and the Pennsylvania Council for the Arts. He has choreographed for Pennsylvania Ballet, NBC-TV, Philadelphia Opera Co., Philadelphia Orchestra, University of the Arts, Voloshky Ukrainian Dance Ensemble, Mantua Opera Co. of Italy, Walnut Street Theatre Co. and the Arden Theater Co. Mr. Pap has served on the faculty at Metropolitan Ballet Academy since 1997.
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Elizabeth Seader has been a member of the Metropolitan Ballet Academy faculty since 2001. Ms. Seader trained at Budzinski Studios, North Carolina School of the Arts, Pacific Northwest Ballet, the Rock School, and the New York State Summer Program at Saratoga Springs with New York City Ballet and Nashville Ballet. She performed regionally as a principal dancer with Dance Theater of Pennsylvania. back to top
Natalya Zeiger is a graduate of the Moscow Academy of the Bolshoi Theater and a former soloist with the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet Company. As a member of the Bolshoi, Ms. Zeiger worked with such European masters as Roland Petit, Maurice Bejart, Alberto Alonso and Yuri Grigorovitch. Her many leading roles include Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, Raymonda, and La Bayadere. Ms. Zeiger served as part of the MBA faculty from 2001-2006. She currently visits Metropolitan Ballet Company as a guest teacher, repetiteur and coach. back to top
Guest Faculty and Choreographers:
Jessica Lang is a graduate of The Juilliard School with a BFA (’97) in dance. Prior to graduating, Ms. Lang became a member of Twyla Tharp’s company “THARP!” where she performed in major dance festivals around the world. She also worked with Ms. Tharp in her Diabelli Project that premiered in Palermo, Italy in 1998. A noted choreographer, Jessica Lang’s choreography has been performed around the U.S. and toured abroad including Japan, Mexico, and South Africa. She has created work on companies including American Ballet Theatre’s Studio Company, New York City Ballet’s Choreographic Institute, Colorado Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Richmond Ballet, Washington Ballet, Saint Louis Ballet, Connecticut Ballet, Hubbard Street 2, Dallas Black Dance Theater, Phrenic New Ballet, and Ballet de Monterey in Mexico. She has also choreographed on The Juilliard Dance Ensemble, The Ailey School / Fordham BFA Program, Princeton University, Texas Christian University and commercially for BMW International Industrials. Ms. Lang has been a visiting instructor in modern since 2001. Four of Ms. Lang’s beautiful works are in the Metropolitan Ballet Company repertoire. back to top
Mary LeGere (Choreographer, Fancy Nancy: Bonjour, Butterfly) began her dance training at age nine. At 17 she was awarded a scholarship to study at the School of the Pennsylvania Ballet. In 1982 she joined the Pennsylvania Ballet, and became a soloist in 1986. Her studies included work with Benjamin Harkarvy and Lupe Serrano. Working under the Artistic Direction of Benjamin Harkarvy and later Robert Weiss her roles included soloist and principle roles in many Balanchine ballets including Symphony In C, Tarantella, Steadfast Tin Soldier, and Concerto Barocco, as well as Sugar Plum Fairy and Dew Drop in The Nutcracker. Additionally she worked with choreographers Lynn Taylor Corbett, Merce Cunningham, Peter Martins and Paul Taylor. In 1990 she retired with an acclaimed performance of Myrta in Giselle. Ms. LeGere joined the faculty of Raleigh School of Ballet in 1990, and served as Artistic Director of Carolina Ballet during its transition to a professional company. Choosing to no longer direct Carolina Ballet, Ms. LeGere is once again directing the reestablished Raleigh Dance Theatre, where she continues to uphold the tradition of high standards and excellence.
Ms. LeGere has choreographed several works for Raleigh Dance Theatre that have been chosen to be performed at the RDA/SERBA annual festival. She recently was honored with the 2006–2007 North Carolina Dance Alliance Annual Award. This prestigious award honors individuals who have made significant life time contributions to the growth and development of dance in NC. Ms. LeGere is also co-director of The Raleigh School of Ballet and lives in Durham with her husband and two children. back to top
Robin Preiss Glasser (Special Guest and Illustrator, Fancy Nancy: Bonjour, Butterfly) has had two successful careers, the first as a ballet dancer and the second as an award-winning children’s book illustrator. After an 11-year career as soloist with the Pennsylvania Ballet, Robin returned to school at age 30 to receive her BFA from Parsons The New School for Design. Among the noted authors and personalities for whom Robin has illustrated best-selling children’s books are Judith Viorst, radio star Garrison Keillor, poet Elizabeth Garton Scanlon, and Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York. Robin received an ALA Notable Book Award for You Can’t Take a Balloon into the Metropolitan Museum with author Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman, and collaborated on three books with the former vice president’s wife, Lynne Cheney (America, A Patriotic Primer; A is for Abigail; and Our 50 States), which together sold more than 1 million copies. In 2006 Robin was paired with author Jane O’Connor for the now classic Fancy Nancy, which stayed on the New York Times Bestseller List for 99 weeks and has been translated into 17 languages, including Hungarian and Hebrew. More than 20 Fancy Nancy titles are now in print with over 6 million copies sold. The Fancy Nancy ™ brand includes more than 30 licenses for dolls, toys, accessories, bed linens, clothes, and more. Robin lives in Irvine, California, with husband, attorney Robert Berman, children Sasha and Benjamin, and dog Boo. back to top
Kanji Segawa (Choreographer, Hansel & Gretel) is originally from Kanagawa, Japan. He began his modern dance training with his mother, Erika Akoh and studied ballet with Kan Horiuchi and Jyu Horiuchi at Unique Ballet Theatre in Tokyo. In 1997, Mr. Segawa came to the U.S. under the Japanese Government Artist Fellowship to train at The Ailey School. Mr. Segawa is a member of Battleworks Dance Company (Artistic Director Robert Battle) since 2002. Mr. Segawa has also been performing with Mark Morris Dance Group since 2004, appearing in five full evening productions including Mr. Morris’ new Romeo & Juliet as an original cast member. He has appeared in several opera productions at the Metropolitan Opera and English National Opera in UK. He is a former member of Ailey II and has performed for choreographers Aszure Barton and Jessica Lang.
He has taught and choreographed throughout Japan, Singapore and in the US, including American Ballet Theater’s Summer Intensive, Make a Ballet Program and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School programs and for the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation. He is a recipient of the Outstanding Choreography Award for Youth America Grand Prix in Philadelphia in 2009.
Hansel & Gretel is Mr. Segawa’s fifth original work choreographed for MBC since he began visiting in 2002, and his second narrative work. His other ballets include last season’s beautiful Sakamoto Suite (2009), Eternal Space (2007), Peter Pan (2007) and Toward the Light (2006). back to top
Elena Comendador (Costume Designer, Hansel & Gretel) has an extensive background in dance as a performer and teacher. After retiring from the stage she turned to costume design for dance companies. Her costumes can be seen in Ailey II’s repertoire, which includes Francesca Harper’s Sensory Feast, Troy Powell’s How Small a Thought, Nathan Trice’s Prayer in Discord, Jessica Lang’s Splendid Isolation II, Darrell Moultrie’s Aspects of a Vibe and Celestial Landscapes and Stephane Boko’s Fragile. She was also commissioned to design ABT II’s Veiled Calling, and Colorado Ballet’s From Foreign Lands and People and De Profundis, all choreographed by Jessica Lang. Most recently she worked with Montgomery Ballet’s Carmen/Lost and How Far is 2 Far, both by director, Elie Lazar; and for Philadanco’s From Dawn ‘til Dusk by Christopher Huggins (2008). Her classical ballet designs include The Nutcracker, Coppelia, and Giselle for Connecticut Ballet. In addition, her whimsical designs for young dancers can be seen in MBC’s productions of Graduation Ball and Kanji Segawa’s Peter Pan as well as Connecticut Ballet’s Babar, choreographed by Jessica Lang. Other companies she has designed for are New Jersey Dance Theater Ensemble, ZigZag Ballet, Nathan Trice Rituals, Kevin Wynn Collective, Footprints and Genesis, among others. Currently her costumes can be seen in galas around the world in Jessica Lang’s Splendid Isolation III performed by American Ballet Theater principal dancers, Irina Dvorovenko and Maxim Beloserkovsky.
Besides costume design, Ms. Comendador is pursuing her MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts at Goddard College, where she is satisfying her insatiable appetite to explore all artistic mediums aside from costumes and soft sculptural forms. She is currently on the ballet faculty of both The Ailey School and Marymount Manhattan College’s Dance Department. back to top
Adam Riggar (Scenic Design, Hansel & Gretel) is proud to be working with Metropolitan Ballet Company on this production. A native Philadelphian, his designs have been seen on stages at 1812 Productions, Arden Theatre, Theatre Exile, Walnut St. Theatre, Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre, Act II Playhouse, and many others locally and regionally. He also serves as the Production Manager at 1812 Productions. Love to his wife Courtney and their dogs Molly and Luna. Visit: www.adamriggar.com. back to top
Patricia Ramaciotti (Stage Manager, Family Concert Series) recently completed the Professional Internship Program in Stage Management at The Juilliard School and worked as a Production Assistant for the American Ballet Theatre and Spoleto Festival USA. She previously lived in Boston where she worked at World Music/CRASHarts for several years, and stage managed for such companies as Snappy Dance Theater and Lorraine Chapman The Company. back to top
Katarzyna Skarpetowska (Guest Choreographer, Take Me) is a native of Warsaw, Poland. She is an alumna of the NYC High School of Performing Arts and received a BFA from The Juilliard School in May 1999 under Artistic Director Benjamin Harkarvy. In 1992 she performed on Broadway in the musical Metro, directed and choreographed by Janusz Jozefowicz. She was a member of The Parsons Dance Company from 1999 until 2006. Currently, Kate is working for The Lar Lubovitch Dance Company and appears as a guest artist with The Battleworks Dance Company and The Buglisi Dance Theater. She has had the privilege of setting the works of David Parsons and Robert Battle in The United States and abroad. In addition, her own choreography has been performed by various universities, Houston Metropolitan Dance Company, Hubbard Street 2 and The Parsons Dance Company. In 2007, she was one of two featured dancers during the Glimmerglass Opera Festival. In 2008, Kate completed an Italian tour of WHY BE EXTRAORDINARY IF YOU CAN BE YOURSELF, a show by Daniel Ezralow. In 2009, she co-conceived, designed, directed and choreographed Romeo and Juliet for the Gunter Theater in Greenville, SC. Ms. Skarpetowska is also a freelance teacher holding workshops throughout the world. She resides in New York City. Take Me is the second of Ms. Skarpetowska’s ballets to enter the MBC repertoire. Her first work, Folk Tales, entered the Metropolitan Ballet Company repertoire in October 2006. back to top
Spring Showcase: June 19 & 20, 2010
Jessica Gattinella (Repetiteur for the George Balanchine Trust, Serenade)
Born in San Rafael, California and raised in Philadelphia, Jessica Gattinella began her dance training at the age of six with the School of the Pennsylvania Ballet. During her 13 years there, Ms. Gattinella had the privilege of studying under Nina Fedorova, Gloria Govrin, Olga Kostritsky, Adam Luders, and Yvonne Patterson. She furthered her training by attending summer programs at the School of American Ballet and New York State Summer School of the Arts in Saratoga Springs, New York.
As a Trainee with Pennsylvania Ballet, she performed such ballets as Paquita, Rubies, Stars and Stripes, The Four Temperaments, Christopher d’Amboise’s Just One of Those Things, as well as George Balanchine’s Swan Lake at The Kennedy Center in 1994. After graduating Cum Laude from Philadelphia’s Friends Select School in 1995, Ms. Gattinella joined Pennsylvania Ballet as an apprentice in 1996 and was promoted to Corps de Ballet in 1998. During her ten year career, she performed in over twenty of George Balanchine’s ballets, with featured roles in Agon, The Nutcracker, Raymonda Variations, Theme and Variations, and Who Cares? Ms. Gattinella also danced featured roles in Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, Christopher Wheeldon’s Swan Lake, Margo Sappington’s Rodin, Mis En Vie, Paul Taylor’s Arden Court, Kevin O’Day’s Quartet for IV, and Matthew Neenan’s Le Travail and 11:11.
In 2006, Ms. Gattinella retired from the stage to start a family and she and her husband are now the proud parents of a son, Taggart. She began staging ballets for the George Balanchine Trust in 2008 and has taught for Pennsylvania Ballet’s Outreach Program and Brandywine Ballet in West Chester, Pennsylvania. back to top