2017 Season Company Dancers
Francisco EstevezFrancisco was born in Quito, Ecuador, and moved to the USA in 1995. He began his ballet training in Louisville, Kentucky and at the age of 16 was invited to finish his professional training at the School of American Ballet in New York where he graduated in 2008. In 2008, Francisco joined Boston Ballet under the direction of Mikko Nissinen where he was featured in many soloist roles. In 2010, Francisco joined the Barcelona Ballet (previously Corella Ballet) under the direction of Angel Corella. As a member of this company, he took part in the "Feria del Libro" in Guadalajara, Mexico, the Spoleto Festival in both Italy and Charleston, North Carolina and the Peralada festival, Catalonia. Francisco won 1st Place at the Premio Internacional de Danza Roseta Mauri, Spain in 2011 and has modeled for Intermezzo dancewear’s 2013 line. He has also performed soloist and principal roles with the New York City Ballet on various occasions. His featured roles include
George Balanchine’s 1st and 2nd themes from The Four Temperaments, Balanchine’s Tarantella and Valse Fantasie, Jorma Elo’s Carmen Illusions, Jerome Robbins’ Fancy Free and 2 & 3 Part Inventions, Peter Martin’s Les Gentilhommes, Christopher Wheeldon’s For Four, DGV, Polyphonia and VIII, Clark Tippet’s Bruch Violin Concerto, Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room, Stanton Welch’s Clear, the wedding pas de deux and jewels from Sleeping Beauty, Franz in Coppelia, the Ali variation from Le Corsaire, Benno and Neopolitan in Swan Lake, the peasant pas de deux from Giselle, and the pas de six from Napoli among others. Francisco joined Colorado Ballet in 2013 and was promoted to soloist in 2015. This is his 4th season as a guest artist with Zikr Dance Ensemble. Kindly Sponsored in 2016 By Naji Ghorayeb To support Francisco this 2017 season, please purchase a sponsorship today- |
Tracy Jones-EstevezBorn in Cork, Ireland, Tracy began to dance at the age of 5 with Ballet Theatre Ireland. Tracy trained professionally at The Royal Ballet School for 8 years. In 2006, Tracy was a winner of the Ursula Moreton choreographic competition and a finalist of the Young British Dancer of the Year.
During her graduate year, Tracy performed with the Royal Ballet in various ballets and joined them on their 2007 International tour to Mexico and the USA. Upon graduating, Tracy joined the English National Ballet as an Artist where she performed in the UK and toured to Beijing, China. From 2008 to 2012, Tracy was a member of the Barcelona Ballet under the direction of Angel Corella, where, she danced various soloist and principal roles. Tracy joined Colorado Ballet in 2013. In June 2013, she was named as one of 10 “Stars in the Corps” by Pointe Magazine. Her notable repertoire with Colorado Ballet has included Zulma in Giselle, the Arabian divertissement in The Nutcracker, Summer Fairy in Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella, Principal couple in Sandra Brown's The Last Beat, Hermia in Wheeldon’s A Midsummer Nights Dream, Pas De Deux Girl in Jerome Robbin’s Fancy Free, Effie in La Sylphide, Caterpillar in Septime Webre's Alice (in wonderland), the Muse in Dominic Walsh's Wolfgang (for Webb), Gerald Arpino's Light Rain Pas de Deux, Pas de Trois and Big Swans in Swan Lake, Dark Angel in Balanchine's Serenade and the 5th pas de deus in Kylian's Petite Mort. She was promoted to soloist in 2017. This is Tracy's 5th season as a guest artist with Zikr Dance Ensemble. She has danced in various of David Taylor's work and created the title role in "Lady of the Lake" in 2015. Kindly Sponsored in 2016 By Naji Ghorayeb To support Tracy this 2017 season, please purchase a sponsorship today- |
Gregory GonzalesGregory graduated from the University of Northern Colorado with a degree in Kinesiology/Dance. His teachers include Larry Boyette, James Clouser, Nadia Tikhanova, Milenko Banovic, Sandra Minton and Karen Genoff-Campbell. He received a scholarship in dance and Best Dancer Award while at UNC and was a full scholarship student at the American Dance Festival. Gregory spent the bulk of his career at Colorado Ballet where he was promoted to Principal in 1997 and danced leading roles as well as character roles in works by major choreographers such as Martha Graham, Agnes de Mille, George Balanchine, Eugene Loring, Christopher Wheeldon, Toru Shimazaki and Doug Varone. Gregory has also danced with Ballet Pacifica, Ballet Arizona, Nevada Dance Theater, David Taylor Dance Theatre, Kim Robards Dance and Les Ballets Grandiva, Opera Colorado, and four years with David Taylor’s Zikr Dance Ensemble. Gregory was a co-founder of On Edge Productions staging combat and comedy at numerous festivals. He was adjudicated by The Society of American Fight Directors and was recommended in rapier and dagger. He was a Choreographer in Residence for Colorado Ballet from 2003-2004 and created such works as Carmina Burana, Peter Pan (both co-choreographed), Broken Web, Incantation and Last Breath. Gregory has also set work for the David Taylor Dance Theatre, Ballet Ariel, University of Northern Colorado and the Denver Independent Choreographer’s Project. He plays guitar for the Natural Tango Oquesta Tipica and also has been cast in several independent film projects in the Denver area.
To support Gregory, please purchase a sponsorship today- |
Jennifer KuhnJennifer Kuhn is originally from the North Bay area of San Francisco. She is honored to be an original company member of Zikr Dance Ensemble, now in its eighth season. She began her formal training with the Marin Ballet, studied with Joffrey Ballet in New York, Richmond Ballet, Ballet West, and Alonzo King’s Lines Contemporary Ballet. She attended the University of Utah on scholarship, receiving her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and Master of Fine Arts degree with a teaching and choreography emphasis. Ms. Kuhn has performed with Utah Ballet, Montgomery Ballet, Boulder Ballet, 7 Dancers, Jayne Persch’s Briah Danse, Winifred R. Harris’s Between Lines Productions, and is a principal dancer with Ballet Ariel. Ms. Kuhn was a principal dancer for many years with Dawson/Wallace Dance Project, formerly David Taylor Dance Theatre where she also served as a Rehearsal Director and Répétiteur. Some of her favorite roles in working with David Taylor include the Invocation pas de duex, In Your Eyes first pas de deux, and Vespers. Ms. Kuhn enjoys working with David Taylor and the many talented artists he brings together each season.
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Ryan LeeRyan Lee was born in Durham, North Carolina and grew up in Denver. She began dancing at the age of 11 at Shelly True Dance Academy before training with Makhateli Ballet under Nikoloz Makhateli and Marina Loladze. At 14, Ryan decided to pursue ballet seriously and attended International Ballet School (Littleton, CO) where she studied under Slava Mesropov, Mark Carlson, and Sandra Carlson. While at International Ballet School, she danced a number of principal roles, including Aurora in the Sleeping Beauty and The Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker. During her time as a student, she attended summer intensives at American Ballet Theatre, Bolshoi Ballet Academy, and Palucca Hochschule Für Tanz in Dresden, Germany. In 2012, she competed in the Youth America Grand Prix Denver Regional and was awarded a special judge's invitation to the YAGP New York City Finals where she was given a scholarship to the Bolshoi Ballet Academy's summer program. Upon graduating high school, Ryan joined Colorado Ballet's studio company where she danced for two seasons. While at Colorado Ballet, Ryan danced in a number of productions including Giselle, The Nutcracker, Cinderella, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. In 2015, Ryan decided to continue her career as a freelance artist, working with Zikr Dance Ensemble, guesting, modeling, and dancing in short films. In addition to dancing, Ryan is an actress and has appeared in several independent feature films and commercials.
Kindly Sponsored by Rowena Worthan
To support Ryan this 2017 season, please purchase a sponsorship today- |
Toni MartinToni Marie Martin is from Vermont, where she began her training at the Vermont Ballet Theater School. She holds a BFA in ballet performance with a business minor from The University of Utah. She was a member of the department's company, Utah Ballet, under the direction and training of Jay Kim, Victoria Stocki-Kim, Calvin Kitten, and Maggie Wright Tesch. As a member of the Utah Ballet, she performed in Swan Lake, Balanchine’s Serenade, Coppelia, and in Michael Bearden's Simpatico. By invitation, Toni traveled to Seoul, Korea taking part in the Choreographers of the Far East, a contemporary series performance, in which she performed in The Permeation of Consciousness and Transcendence, by Dr. Jung Shik Roh from Seoul, Korea, and Binari, by Professor Jay Kim. Toni has attended dance programs at ABT Austin, Kaatsbaan, Boston Ballet, Ballet West, and Colorado Ballet. She was a member of Colorado Ballet’s Studio Company from 2014 -2017. This Toni's first season with Zikr Dance Ensemble.
Kindly Sponsored by Hollyjean Stone
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Melissa MengMelissa is from Vestal, New York, where she has been dancing since age 4. At 14, she began training with Rafael Grigorian at the Rafael Grigorian School of Classical Ballet. She has attended summer programs at the New York State Summer School of the Arts School of Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Kaatsbaan Extreme Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, the Chautauqua Institution and Balletmet. In 2014, Melissa graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science in Ballet, an Outside Field in Applied Health Science, and a Minor in Psychology. While at IU, Melissa had the opportunity to train under Michael Vernon and Violette Verdy, and danced soloist and principal roles in works by Marius Petipa, Michael Vernon, Peter Martin, Martha Graham, Augustus Bournonville, Nicolo Fonte, and George Balanchine. After graduation, Melissa danced with the Colorado Ballet Studio Company for two seasons, under the direction of Gil Boggs. She has performed with the main company in works by Christopher Wheeldon, Martin Fredmann, Augustus Bournonville, and Septime Webre. Melissa is currently a member of Avant Chamber Ballet. This is her first season with Zikr Dance Ensemble.
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Sean OmandamSean is from Fresno, California, where he began his training with Shirley Winters. He later went on to train on full-scholarship at the Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, Florida under the instruction of Victoria Schneider, Olivier Pardina and Svetlana Osiyeva. Upon his graduation in 2004, he joined Colorado Ballet’s Studio Company, and was promoted into the Company in 2005. With Colorado Ballet, Mr. Omandam has performed a variety of featured roles including Puck in Christopher Wheeldon’s A Midsummer Night's Dream, Whip Boy in Glen Tetley's The Rite of Spring, John Darling in Michael Pink's Peter Pan, Green Man in Lila York’s Celts, Champion Roper in Agnes de Mille’s Rodeo, Max in Septime Webre’s Where the Wild Things Are and Russian in Martin Freedman’s The Nutcracker. His repertory also includes works by Lar Lubovitch, Amy Seiwert, Edwaard Liang, Jodie Gates, Matthew Neenan, Dwight Rhoden, Darrell Grand Moultire, and Jessica Lang, among others. In 2007, he was a competitor and gala performer at the New York International Ballet Competition. Most recently, in the summer of 2013, Mr. Omandam was featured as a contestant on the premier season of the South Korean television show, Dancing 9.
Mr. Omandam has been a part of Zikr Dance Ensemble's company for many years and had the honour of travelling to California with artistic director David Taylor to promote the company performing Taylor's P&E pas de deux. Kindly Sponsored in 2016 By Naji Ghorayeb To support Sean this 2017 season, please purchase a sponsorship today- |
Tyler RhoadsTyler Rhoads is from Midland, Texas, where he began his training with Susan Clark at Midland Festival Ballet. He later went on to train on full-scholarship at the Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton, Florida, under the instruction of Victoria Schneider, Olivier Pardina, and Svetlana Osiyeva. After his graduation in 2011, he attended Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. There he studied under acclaimed staff such as Violette Verdy and Michael Vernon. He had the privilege to perform a variety of works ranging from George Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments, to August Bournonville’s Napoli, to Twyla Tharp’s Sweet Fields.
Upon his graduation from college, Tyler joined Colorado Ballet’s Studio Company, and he was promoted into the Company this year. His notable roles to date include the Chinese, Spanish and Russian divertissements in The Nutcracker and Jiri Kylian's Petite Mort. This is Tyler's 2nd season as a guest artist of Zikr Dance Ensemble. Kindly sponsored by DeLayne Wellen
To further support Tyler this 2017 season, please purchase a sponsorship today- |
Ben WinegarBen is from Grand Rapids, Michigan. He began his training at the School of the Grand Rapids Ballet at the age of 11. There he was trained by Attila Mosolygo, Gaiane Akopian, and Akop Akopian, and was given the opportunity to perform in several ballets with the Grand Rapids Ballet Company. In 2010, Ben spent a year training at the School of American Ballet. Upon graduating, he danced one season with the Los Angeles Ballet under the direction of Thordal Christensen and Colleen Neary before joint the Colorado Ballet as an apprentice in 2012.He was promoted to the Corps de Ballet in 2014. His notable roles include the Spanish and Arabian divertissements in the Nutcracker and Kylian's Petite Mort.
This is Ben's 2nd season as a guest artist of Zikr Dance Ensemble. To support Ben, please purchase a sponsorship today- |
Drew (Zhi) Xilin Xilin Zhu (Drew) is originally from Beijing, China where he was invited as Tai Chi master to the US in 1995. He decided to stay in the US after he was re-invited in 1996 and began his long visa change process. During the process, he went through one year of language study at Emily Griffith Opportunity School, three years of major search studies at Community College of Denver and eight years of college degree studies as a full time international student at Metropolitan State College of Denver (MSCD – currently MSUD) and completed a BS degree in Computer Science and a BA degree in Theatre. Drew performed as a stage actor in MSCD directing project of A Wedding Story and A Tale of Two Cities, a novel by Charles Dickens during his theatre studies. Inspired by the movie “Billy Elliot”, Drew began his ballet training to restore his childhood desire at Colorado Ballet adult program in 2000 under Kris Kehl, later under Lizanne McAdams-Graham and David Taylor. He joined Ballet Ariel’s 2008 season to begin his ballet performing experiences. Drew joined Zikr Dance Ensemble and performed in its 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2013 seasons. Drew also performed in David Taylor Dance Theatre’s production of The Nutcracker from 2009 to 2011, and in Denver Ballet Theatre’s productions of The Nutcracker, Paquita and Don Quixote since 2013. Drew is thrilled to become a professional dancer in his late 40s and return to David Taylor’s 2017 performances of the Zikr Dance Ensemble.
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Melissa ZoebischMelissa grew up in Mexico and studied at the Chamber Ballet of Jalisco. She was awarded a scholarship to attend for a year at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Mme. Sizova’s class, and returned to Mexico to graduate in 2004. Throughout her school years, she participated in many workshops around the world in Cuba, Canada, Austria, Spain, and the United States. In 2005, Ms. Zoebisch joined the National Dance Company, where she obtained soloist roles in her first year in ballets including Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty and Carmen. Her other repertoire includes principal roles in Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, as well as contemporary pieces such as Petite Mort by Jiri Kylian, and many others. She was a finalist at the Korea International Ballet Competition, 2010; recipient of a Special Award KIBC. Participant in the “World Stars Gala” in Seoul, South Korea. Melissa currently dances with Colorado Ballet. This is her 1st season as a guest artist with Zikr Dance Ensemble.
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