Introducing our 2023/24 Company Roster:
Please consider sponsoring a Dancer for the 2023 Fall season.
Click on the donate button below to select your Dancer the dancer you wish to support.
Any level of sponsorship is greatly appreciated!
Click on the donate button below to select your Dancer the dancer you wish to support.
Any level of sponsorship is greatly appreciated!
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Elise Haley Elise Haley was born and raised in Littleton Colorado. She began her dancing at the local recreation center and went on to train at multiple studios in the local area. At Denver Academy of Ballet she had opportunities to perform a wide variety of principal roles in both classical and contemporary works. She graduated from Denver Ballet Theatre and went on to train with Oregon Ballet Theatre's second company. Since coming back to Denver she has had the privilege of working with Mercury Dance Company while exploring her other hobbies. This is Elise’s second season with Zikr Dance Ensemble.
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Zac Bigbee
Zac Bigbee was born in Taos, New Mexico where he exhibited oil paintings at several galleries and openings, studied Wing Chung style Kung Fu, and competed slam poetry. He began training in classical ballet with Amber Vasques of New York City Ballet and Megan Yackovich of Colorado Ballet at the end of his senior year. He went on to study mathematics and Russian language and culture at the University of Arizona. During this time he continued his training in dance as a scholarship student at LINES Ballet, San Francisco Conservatory, and Netherlands Dance Theater. He has also attended the Royal Danish Ballet’s Summer Course, and spent several months in Israel researching Gaga at the Suzanne Dallal Center. Beyond dance, he is also a self-taught Cyr wheel practitioner and has trained in aerial acrobatics in Russia under Viktoriya Zhukotzova of the Moscow State Circus. He has danced for cocodāco in Chicago and Zikr Dance Ensemble in Denver and serves as guest teaching faculty at Tarab Retreat International and Ballet Taos. He has performed as a guest artist with Canyon Concert Ballet, Colorado Ballet and Convergence Ballet in Phoenix. Under seasonal contracts with the Russian American Foundation, he provides oral and textual translation services for the Bolshoi Ballet Academy's summer schools and teacher certification program. As co-producer on the Inertia and Mechanical Nature: Movement VII projects with Ballet Taos he set original choreography, contributed to styling, marketing and visual effects while also performing. He also served as technical and film director for project 20/20 - a series of benefit concerts for local arts.
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Jam Niel DelgadoJam Niel Delgado was born in Puerto Rico. He first pursued dancing at 16 at the School of the Arts in Trujillo Alto, PR and later joined the dance team, where he competed in the college Olympics. In 2014, Jam Niel moved to the States and worked with Koffee Dance Company, Winston Salem Festival Ballet, and Gary Taylor Dance. In 2018, he performed in the annual Wake Forest Dance Festival and began teaching with Infinity Ballet Theater and the Academy of Fine Arts. Most recently, Jam Niel has performed in Durham with Shaleigh Dance Works' The In-Between at The Fruit and with Gaspard & Dancers in American Dance Festival's The Stars Are Out event in 2021. In 2023 Jam Niel joined as a principal Ballet Ashani (Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin) as Giovanni in 2023 under the direction of lyun Ashani Harrison. This is Jam’s first appearance with Zikr Dance Ensemble
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Brandon Penn
Brandon Penn was born and raised in Richmond, VA. At the age of 10 he began his dance training at the Pine Camp Cultural Arts Center where he studied with Annette Holt, Rodney Williams and Willie Hinton learning a variety of styles. He later enrolled into the School of Richmond Ballet where he studied under Igor Antanov, Malcolm Burn, and more. After spending three years at the Richmond Ballet Mr. Penn was accepted as a trainee of the company whilst completing his senior year. After graduating, Brandon spent one year at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Purchase College Conservatory for Dance, studying under Larry Clark, Taryn Russell, and Ted Kivitt and others. After spending a year at SUNY, Penn was offered a position with Atlanta Ballet 2. After two years there, Brandon was offered a company position with the Columbia City Ballet. Later, after much experience and repertory under his belt, Brandon accepted a principal contract with the Fort Wayne Ballet where he spent two successful seasons. Since, he has taken upon a freelance career and guested across the country and further. He would like to immensely thank his family for all of their love, support and words of wisdom. This is Brandon’s third season with Zikr Dance Ensemble.
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Jethro PaineJethro Paine is a professional dancer based in the UK. He started his dance training in south-eastern Europe where he lived for twelve years, before attending the Royal Ballet School in London from the age of 12-18. He subsequently moved to the United States to work as a professional with the Boston Ballet. There, Jethro performed in various productions such as Giselle, The Nutcracker and Jorma Elo’s Carmen. Back in the UK, he went on to work with the English National Ballet in Tamara Rojo’s new adaptation of Raymonda. Jethro completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance Studies with first class honors in 2021, followed by an MSC in Social and Cultural Anthropology with University College London from where he just recently graduated with distinction in September 2023. This is Jethro’s first Season with Zikr Dance Ensemble.
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Ainsley Waguespack
Ainsley Waguespack is originally from Tomball, Texas. After training at Vitacca Dance Houston, she relocated to the UK where she performed with Ballet Central, Ballet Cymru, the Brecon Festival Ballet and most recently with the Constella Opera Ballet, where she was recognized as an Emerging Artist, and with the London Ballet Company. This is Ainsley’s first season with Zikr Dance Ensemble.
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Anaka Weiss-Jones
Anaka Weiss-Jones was born and raised in Colorado. She began dancing in the Boulder area at age 8, most notably under Jayne Persch. In 2018, she joined in the inaugural year of Ballet Melange and spent three years training with Elizabeth Shipiatsky, Sergii Sydorskyi, Maureen Breeze, and Rya Merschat. In addition to her classical training, Anaka nurtured her love of contemporary ballet and modern dance by attending summer intensives at Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Ballet X, Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Theater and Complexions Contemporary Ballet. Her professional career began after competing in the International Ballet Competition in Kyiv, Ukraine, in 2020, where she was presented with multiple Special Judges' Awards and asked to join the Klaipėda State Music Theater in Lithuania for the 2021-2022 season. Since returning to the States, she has been freelancing in the Greater Denver and New York City areas. Fun Fact: Although she doesn’t remember it, but the very first dance performance that Anaka’s parents took her to see when she was a toddler was an outdoor performance by Zikr Dance Ensemble. She is excited to have come full circle and join the company for her third season.
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