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!
Danielle Archuleta
Danielle Archuleta is originally from Littleton, Colorado. She received her early training at Belliston Academy of Ballet and went on to attend summer intensive programs at Pacific Northwest Ballet, Boston Ballet, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, and Miami City Ballet, where she continued her training in their pre-professional program under the direction of Lordes Lopez and Arantxa Ochoa. In Miami, she had the opportunity to perform Balanchine's Western Symphony and Valse Fantaisie and a principal role in Ballabile (from Napoli). Upon graduating from Miami City Ballet, she joined City Ballet of San Diego, as a company dancer, where she performed in Balanchine's The Four Temperaments, Serenade, and danced the role of Clara in Elizabeth Wistrich's The Nutcracker. In 2019, Danielle accepted a position with Ballet Austin II where she performed in several productions, including Stephen Mills' The Nutcracker and Joshua Manculich's Menagerie. This will be Danielle’s fourth season dancing with Zikr Dance Ensemble.
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Nicole Bui
Nicole Bui was born and raised in San Diego, California. She trained at Danceology and their Academy of Classical Ballet with Elena Baltovick and the California Professional Ballet Program with Maxim Tchernychev. At 18, she was offered a full scholarship from the Youth American Grand Prix to train with Tulsa Ballet. A year later, she was invited to Richmond Ballet’s second company where she learned works by George Balanchine, Ma Cong, Kate Skarpetowska, and Val Caniparoli. The next season, she spent with Wonderbound performing in Denver. Since then, she spent her summer with Carmel Dance Festival and Merce Cunnigham’s Trust Workshop. She has also spent her summers with Bolshoi Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, the International Summer School, and A Taste of Netherlands Dans Theater Summer Intensive. On full scholarship, she attended the Contemporary Ballet Program with The School of Jacob’s Pillow, where she performed new works by Jennifer Archibald and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa for the 90th gala anniversary. This is Nicole’s first 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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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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Connor Horak
Conner Horak was born in Fort Collins, Colorado where he was introduced to dance through a synthesis of musical theater and martial arts. He received his initial training from Canyon Concert Ballet and summer intensives at Boston Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet, and Next Generation Ballet. He continued dancing at Butler University, where he graduated cum laude with a BFA in Dance Performance with departmental honors. At Butler, Conner had the privilege of performing in Paul Taylor’s Le Sacre Du Printemps (The Rehearsal), Gorgio Arpino’s Viva Vivaldi, and George Balanchine’s Slaughter on Tenth Avenue. Conner has danced with Wonderbound in Denver, Colorado, where he performed with the Flobots at the Vail Dance Festival, with Boulder Ballet, where he performed in Paul Taylor's Aires, David Taylor’s Zikr Dance Ensemble, Reformations Contemporary Ballet, Front Range Contemporary Ballet, Starry Night Productions, and James Sewell Ballet. He is currently an Artistic Associate at Canyon Concert Ballet where he most recently danced the role of Winston in Michael Pappalado’s ballet of George Orwell’s 1984. When he is not dancing, he can be found at the Tattered Cover where he is a bookseller. This will be Conner’s third season with Zikr.
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Nicola Marchionni
Nicola Marchionni is an Italian dancer based in London. He was awarded a scholarship at the prestigious Elmhurst Ballet School at the age of 14 after winning the International Dance Teachers Association competition in Manchester, UK for 2 years consecutively. Taught by Hannah Francis and soon thereafter by Santiago Alfonso (one of Carlos Acosta’s teachers), Nicola performed as a corps member in the Birmingham Royal Ballet’s production of The Beauty and The Beast under Sir David Bintley at the age of 16 and a year later he was part of The Nutcracker as one of the “Winds” under the direction of Carlos Acosta. In 2020 he participated at the Prix de Lausanne and in the same year received the Grand Prize Award from the London Ballet Circle for his performances in the prestigious competition. Since then, Mr. Marchionni danced several soloist roles in the United States including Espada in Don Quixote at New York’s City Center. He has also performed in London at Sadler’s Wells in “Momentum” choreographed by Christopher Marney alongside dancers from Studio Wayne McGregor, NDT and Royal Ballet.
He toured with Peter Schaufuss in his production of The Nutcracker in December and in London in March as the Prince in Cinderella. This is Nicola’s first season with Zikr Dance Ensemble. |
William Mitchell
William Mitchell has been dancing with the Moravske Divadlo Olomouc in the Czech Republic for the past three years. A classically trained dancer and former student of Elmhurst Ballet School and the English National Ballet School, he also has gymnastic background and a passion for contemporary, flamenco and commercial dance styles which he has showcased in many performances with the Moravske company. He has worked with numerous world re-nouned choreographers including David Bintley, Christopher Hampson, Wayne McGregor and many more. This is William’s first season 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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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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