NCBT Artists

Danica Adams (she/her) was born and raised in the Bay Area. She primarily trained at Shawl Anderson Dance Center, and performed as a student in Oakland Ballet Company’s The Nutcracker 2009-2017. As a student, she was accepted to summer intensive programs at American Ballet Theater NY, Joffrey Chicago, Hubbard Street, Bolshoi Ballet Theater NYC, and in 2017 she attended Joffrey Ballet School’s Pre-Professional Intensive on 90% scholarship. In 2019, she danced professionally with Anaheim Ballet for The Nutcracker performing in Southern California and touring to Nevada. She is a NASA Sagan Postdoctoral Fellow at UCLA, and before that was a postdoctoral fellow for two years at Harvard University. She received her PhD in 2023 in Planetary Sciences from Caltech, and her BA in 2018 from UC Berkeley. Danica is also a competitive swimmer, and she trained in the Pro Group at Mission Viejo Nadadores in 2023.  Danica is passionate about ballet as an art and language, and she loves that there are so many opportunities to create something new in every mood, impulse, and day-to-day experience. She is passionate that ballet is for everybody and hopes to inspire others to create through ballet regardless of experience.

Sarah Alfino is a professional dancer from Southern California. Sarah attended California School of the Arts- San Gabriel Valley, summer intensives at Bolshoi NYC, The Rock School, Master Ballet Academy, and State Street Ballet. At age 16 she accepted a trainee position with Los Angeles Ballet. In 2023, she had been dancing in her professional career as a member of Hollywood Ballet Corps de Ballet. Sarah has since begun choreographing with her last project being debuted in May of 2025 titled Hurwitz pas de deux. Currently starting off this season with NCBT, she joined many of her past colleagues and friends on this beautiful journey of ballet and storytelling. All this said while also pursuing a career in dentistry and is currently a dental assistant. She plans to keep creating and dancing with upcoming projects for new artist music videos and collaborations in dance festivals.

Sophie Babcock is from San Jose, California. She primarily trained at South Bay Dance Center from ages 4-18, now training as a second year BFA student at the University of California, Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts. Notable mentors include Kit Ashleigh Dean, Anton Pankevich, Jason Coosner, Tong Wang, Diane Diefenderfer, and Vitor Luiz. Sophie Babcock has performed in UCI department dance showcases including Dance Visions, New Slate, and Bare Bones Dance Theater. Sophie has also performed with South Bay Ballet Arts as the Sugar Plumb Fairy, Clara, and Swan Lake Pas de Trios. She has attended ballet intensives with Nashville Ballet, Complexions, Joffrey Ballet Chicago, and Ballet Austin. She is currently a member of NCBT, and was previously a member of South Bay Ballet Arts. She was also a Youth American Grand Prix finalist. Sophie enjoys the beach, spending time with friends and family, shopping, and Disneyland! Sophie is passionate about the art of ballet and plans to continue her professional dance career after graduation.

Clara Bond is from Valley Center, CA. She started dancing at age six at Georgia’s School of Dance in Escondido, CA; she later moved to North County Academy of Dance in Bonsall, CA under Pablo and Cassandra Infante. Her training focused on ballet, lyrical, contemporary, and jazz. At NCAD, she performed key roles in productions, including but not limited to “Clara” (2021) and “Dewdrop” (2023) in The Nutcracker, and “Pas de Trois” in Swan Lake (2024). She was involved in Valley Center High School’s choreography program, staging works for various performances. At age twelve, Clara became a Teacher’s Assistant at NCAD, and at seventeen began working as a dance teacher. Clara currently teaches at DanceLova Dance Academy, and has substitute taught at several dance studios across San Diego, Orange, and LA counties. She is on the executive board for Bare Bones Dance Theater and Jazz Co-Lab, two dance clubs at UC Irvine. Clara is in her second year at UC Irvine, pursuing a dual BFA in Dance Performance and Dance Choreography. Clara plans to pursue a professional performing career, alongside continuing to teach and choreograph, and later will either open a dance studio or direct a public school dance program.

Addison Burvall is a dancer from San Diego, California, who first trained with Scripps Performing Arts Academy before graduating to attend UCI. He danced with Scripps Ballet Theatre for 6 years, performing Bluebird in Sleeping Beauty, Cavalier in Nutcracker and Paquita Pas de Trois. He attended Ballet Austin Summer Intensive in 2023. Addison plans to pursue an MD after graduating with a BS in Neurobiology from UCI, hoping to give back to the dance community providing orthopedic care to injured dancers.

Lulu Chen, a Los Angeles, California based dancer and UCLA student on the pre-health track, graduated from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) and trained at Hasmik Amirian Ballet. She has worked professionally with Anaheim Ballet through a seasonal contract and is affiliated with NCBT. Her performance experience includes productions with Anaheim Ballet, LACHSA’s Spring Concert, LACHSA’s Composition Shows, and appearances at the National High School Dance Festival in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Lulu has pursued extensive summer training including the American Ballet Theatre (ABT) Summer Intensive in New York, Master Ballet Academy, Colorado Ballet Academy, and the NYU Tisch Summer Dance Program which she attended on a full scholarship. Her achievements include scholarships to Ballet West and Tulsa Ballet, Top 24 at YAGP, ADCIBC Finalist, and Top 10 at UBC. Outside of ballet, Lulu is also an accomplished figure skater, having passed Gold Moves in the Field and Gold Pattern Dance. She is committed to helping create a healthier and more inclusive dance environment that prioritizes safety, respect, and opportunity for dancers of all body types and experience levels.

Lilia Costantino, from Los Angeles, California, grew up training at Pasadena Civic Ballet as well as California School of the Arts–SGV, where she attended the Ballet and Contemporary Conservatory for high school. Trained by a variety of teachers, including Petra Conti and Eris Nezha, she studied both classical and commercial styles consistently throughout her upbringing. She is currently pursuing a BFA in Dance at the University of California, Irvine. Performance highlights include Teather(ed) by João Ducci, Giselle Act II staged by Tong Wang, and Built From The Fall by guest artist Laurie Michelle Taylor, which she will perform in February of this year. Last summer, she attended the Nashville Ballet Company Immersive Intensive with NB2 and performed works by Maria Conrad. She has also spent summers training at John Cranko Schule, Orlando Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Complexions, and more. While studying in a college dance program, she has performed with Hollywood Ballet as a trainee and will be dancing with New Classics Ballet Theater this year. Though she loves concert dance, she is also highly interested in commercial work. In March 2025, she performed as a backup dancer in the opening act for Taiwanese boy band MAYDAY with artist Xiao Bing Chih at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, California. While unsure of her future path, she is excited to continue performing and contributing to both the classical and commercial dance worlds.

João Ducci is a Brazilian choreographer, dancer, and educator based in Southern California. João began his dance training at Santa Monica College in 2014 and attended Yuri Grigoriev School of Ballet on full scholarship. He earned BFAs in Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of California, Irvine in 2020, receiving the Excellence in Dance Choreography Award. João has studied under Charlotte Griffin, Dante Puleio, Kate Skarpetowska, Molly Lynch, Tong Wang, Diane Diefenderfer and Seda Aybay and has performed works by Lar Lubovitch, Donald McKayle, Jennifer Backhaus, and Tommie-Waheed Evans, among others. João danced with Backhausdance for two seasons and was a guest artist with Ballet Project OC, C. Eule Dance, and Fuse Dance Company. He is certified in Pilates through Studio du Corps' Teacher Training Program, for which he has served as an assistant to Diane Diefenderfer for several years. In 2023, João co-founded SCOPIXdance, with fellow UCI alumna Emma Andres, and received his MFA in Dance from UCI in 2025. His teaching currently focuses on contemporary partnering, ballet, and contemporary modern, which he has taught in educational outreach programs and summer intensives with Backhausdance and as a Graduate Teaching Associate at UCI.  

Brenna Farrell is an Orange County–based freelance dancer. Originally from the Chicagoland area, she recently graduated from the University of California, Irvine, with dual degrees in Dance and Human Biology. Recent notable performances included George Balanchine’s Serenade, set by Zippora Karz, a répétiteur of the Balanchine Trust, with the rehearsal process overseen by Diane Diefenderfer. During her time at UCI, she was also fortunate to work with Tong Wang on Paquita and his original work, It Takes Two. Before attending college, Brenna trained across the country in various summer intensives, including Steps on Broadway’s SSNYC Contemporary & Theater Dance Intensive, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, and Milwaukee Ballet. She is thrilled for this chance to perform after graduation and is incredibly proud and grateful to her fellow alumnae for creating this wonderful company!

Brittney Hattrup grew up in Santa Maria, California on the Central Coast, where she began her classical ballet training with Allan Hancock College and Santa Maria Civic Ballet. She continued her training with Ballet West in Utah under the direction of Deborah Dobson and Jonas Kage. Throughout her formative years, Brittney attended numerous prestigious summer intensives, including State Street Ballet in Santa Barbara, Boston Ballet, the Kirov Academy in Washington, DC, and Pacific Coast Academy. She has performed with Ballet West in Utah, Moscow Ballet, and at the Crystal Cathedral in Glory of Christmas and Glory of Easter. Brittney danced as a company member with Civic Ballet of San Luis Obispo and is currently a company member with Anaheim Ballet. Most recently, she performed with SoCal Ballet Scene during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Brittney has trained under esteemed ballet educators including Alla Sizova, Karen Morell, Lawrence Rosenberg, and Kristin Hakala. Brittney is so excited to share her passion for ballet dancing with New Classics Ballet Theatre!

Abigail Johnson grew up in a small town in Washington state, rigorously training in ballet, contemporary, and jazz in her adolescence. She spent much of her career competing, placing both regionally and nationally. Her training has been broad, ranging from local studios to summers with companies such as Cincinnati Ballet, primarily studying neoclassical ballet. An injury accompanied by severe OCD in her late teens led to a hiatus in her training, and she later moved to Los Angeles to pursue the arts more broadly. Now recovered, she has found her way back to the studio and is thrilled to be dancing with NCBT. She spends her time out of the studio acting, writing and shooting films with her partner, and studying psychology and nutrition. She hopes to create a safe space in the ballet community to advocate for physical and mental health, and to foster individual artistry and self-expression. 

Born in Walnut Creek, California, Emma Jorgenson trained at both Delta Ballet Academy and Pittsburg Performing Arts. Over the years she attended summer intensives with various companies such as ABT, Joffrey Ballet, Diablo Ballet and Contra Costs Ballet. Under the guidance of Rick Navarro (Formerly with San Francisco Ballet) and Amanda Farris (Currently with Diablo Ballet), Emma competed in Youth America Grand Prix performing variations from Don Quixote, Paquita, Swan Lake, and Giselle, as well as contemporary pieces choreographed by Amanda Farris. During her studies at Cal Poly SLO, Emma took a break from ballet, explored west coast swing, and eventually returned to ballet in her final year, performing in Cal Poly Orchesis Dance Company's winter show, Retrograde. She is now exploring freelance opportunities, having performed with SoCal Ballet Scene in their annual festival last September and Nouveau Chamber Ballet in their production of The Nutcracker. Emma works as an architectural designer and hopes to transition her career toward set design after earning her architecture license in California. Her broader interests include reading, knitting, sewing, and film photography. Through her return to the stage, Emma hopes to encourage and support other adult dancers interested in performing.

Marissa Milan is from Laguna Niguel, California and has been dancing for as long as she can remember. She grew up doing competitive dance and eventually focused in on her ballet training and choreographic opportunities in high school. At Dana Hills High School, she was the Dance Mistress (Co-Captain) of the SOCSA Dance Program and was even able to direct, choreograph, and dance in three of her dance studio’s Young Choreographer Showcases. These experiences allowed Marissa to attend University of the Arts in Philadelphia and graduate from Marymount Manhattan College in New York City with a BA in Teaching Dance Arts as well as do an independent study course at Steps on Broadway. She has attended numerous intensives in major cities like Florence, Italy and New York City with the Joffrey Ballet and Complexions and even performed on a national tour with a live orchestra through Germany and the Czech Republic. Currently, Marissa is the Studio Director for Creation Station Dance in Huntington Beach and has recently performed in the newest Disney’s California Adventure parade, “Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration!” in the Soul Unit. Marissa is excited to join NCBT in classes and for their newest production “The Secret of the Old Clock”!

Jill Oates, originally from Winters, California, is a graduate from UC Irvine with a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and a B.S. in Biological Sciences. She originally trained with Vacaville Ballet School, The Sacramento Ballet, and Deane Dance Center before her college education. Jill was the inaugural recipient of the ASTAIREAWARDS Excellence in Dance Scholarship at UC Irvine and had the chance to perform pieces by accomplished choreographers: Tong Wang, Molly Lynch, Diane Diefenderfer, and Dante Puleio. Jill danced as a company member with Central West Ballet Company for 5 years, ending as a soloist in 2023. She is currently a member of Little Women Ballet Company in Pasadena and is excited to be joining NCBT for their inaugural season. Outside of ballet, Jill works as an Elephant Wildlife Care Specialist at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and loves to spend time by the ocean. She is passionate about using ballet to build community, tell stories, and express emotions while maintaining a healthy relationship with the mind and body.

Katie O’Gara is a Southern California–born ballet artist and co-founder of New Classics Ballet Theatre. With nearly two decades of training and performance experience, she has developed a strong technical foundation and a deep passion for narrative ballet. She trained at Pasadena Civic Ballet, where she performed leading roles including Clara in The Nutcracker, Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, and Alice in Alice in Wonderland, and participated in community outreach performances introducing young audiences to ballet. Katie attended the California School of the Arts – San Gabriel Valley as a ballet and contemporary dance conservatory member during high school. She attended summer intensives with The Rock School for Dance Education, American Ballet Theatre, and the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, and was a Top 24 finalist in the Senior Women’s Classical Division at Youth America Grand Prix. She earned a B.A. in Dance and a B.S. in Neurobiology from the University of California, Irvine, where her repertoire included Myrtha in Giselle, Russian Girl in Serenade, a soloist role in Paquita, and several original works by Molly Lynch, Tong Wang, and Vitor Luiz de Souza Santos. Katie currently teaches ballet and tap at Pasadena Civic Ballet, sharing her passion for dance with the next generation of artists. Outside of the studio, she works as a veterinary assistant, channeling her love for animals, science, and service.

Tatiana Ortega is from Los Angeles and trained at Anaheim Ballet Company for eleven years. She also participated in many summer intensives throughout her training, such as for Ballet West in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Joffrey Ballet Chicago. She trained intensively for eight years with Sarma Lapenieks Rosenberg and Lawrence Rosenberg. Tatiana also trained with Larissa Saveliev, the director of the Youth American Grand Prix and founder of the organization, for four years. She also received third place for YAGP preliminary finals for the pas de deux Spring Waters, a piece known for its energetic and athletic style. Tatiana has performed for the SoCal Ballet Scene Festival from 2023 to 2025 in pieces such as The White Number by Sarma Lapenieks, the director of Anaheim Ballet. She has also performed the pas de deux Spring Waters and Coppelia Swanhilda and friends for the SoCal festival. Tatiana is currently attending California State University, Fullerton as an undergrad and majoring in Communicative Disorders and Psychology, while teaching her passion, ballet, at Anaheim Ballet and HD Dance in Diamond Bar. She hopes to expose and challenge herself to a neoclassical ballet style other than classical ballet. Tatiana wants to pursue her passions in ballet but also share her passion and knowledge to new and young dancers.

Gabriella is a professional ballet dancer  and choreographer based in Southern California. She graduated from the University of California, Irvine in the Spring of 2025 with a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and a B.F.A. in Choreography. She was the co-chair of the Department’s Community Student Advising Committee, and worked with the AEA Consulting Firm as an undergraduate representative on their Strategic Planning Committee. During her time at UCI she worked closely with Lar Lubovitch, Vitor Luiz, Molly Lynch, Diane Diefenderfer, Tong Wang, and more. In winter of 2024, she was a featured dancer in George Balanchine’s Serenade staged by Zippora Karz for UCI’s Dance Visions. She also danced in Lar Lubovitch’s Coltrane’s My Favorite Things, & Marimba for Dance Visions 2024 and 2025 respectively. Gabriella had the privilege of staging two of her own contemporary ballet works, Razor’s Edge & In the Mourning, for two different UCI Dance mainstage productions. Gabriella is currently a company artist with Little Women Ballet and a resident choreographer for New Classics Ballet Theatre. 

Moorea Pike is a classical ballet dancer and Pilates instructor who earned her B.A. in Dance from the University of California, Irvine in 2024. She trained for over 15 years in classical ballet and is a graduate of Southland Ballet Academy. Moorea has performed leading roles with Festival Ballet Theatre including Firebird, Clara in The Nutcracker, and Alice in Alice in Wonderland, as well as many other ballets with the company. She was a YAGP finalist from 2011–2017, advancing to the final round twice. She performed Kitri at Lincoln Center, earning a Top 12 placement, with her photo featured there the following year. Through YAGP, she received scholarships to train at Houston Ballet Academy and Princess Grace Academy in Monaco. At UCI’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts, Moorea trained under Tong Wang, Vitor Luiz, Molly Lynch, and Diane Diefenderfer, performing in Rise, Paquita (Cupid), La Luna, Physical Graffiti, and New Slate. After an injury, she transitioned into Classical Pilates and is now a certified instructor under Professor Diane Diefenderfer.

Originally from San Dimas, CA, Trinity Ruelas-Miyoshi began her ballet training at Inland Pacific Ballet under the guidance of Victoria Koenig, Jill Voznick, and Clinton Rothwell, among others. Her training also includes summer intensives with Colorado Ballet and classes with Charles Maple of the Maple Conservatory during college. After graduating high school, Trinity joined California State University, Fullerton’s Dance program, where she performed in a range of classical ballet, contemporary, and modern works choreographed by faculty and fellow students. She graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations. Following a 3-year hiatus from performing, Trinity returned to the stage in 2025, making her professional debut at the SoCal Ballet Scene Festival performing an excerpt of Coppelia’s Friends Dance. She also danced in The Nutcracker in 2025 with Anaheim Ballet as a guest artist. In addition to her performance work, Trinity is also a professional copywriter currently based in Orange County. Trinity hopes to continue collaborating with local choreographers in Southern California while performing in classical and contemporary works and uplifting the people around her.

Nathania Schwob, originally from Palo Alto, California, began her dance training at Dance Connection Palo Alto Youth Ensemble. There, she trained extensively in ballet, jazz, modern, contemporary, and tap, and was a member of the Dance Connection Ballet Company for five years. In 2019, she moved to Irvine to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Dance at the University of California, Irvine, and has remained in Southern California since graduating in 2022. Her notable performance credits include Swanhilda in Coppélia, as well as other numerous soloist and principal roles in The Nutcracker, such as Kissing Doll, Snow Queen, Spanish, Arabian, Russian, and Mirliton Soloist. Nathania is thrilled to be a part of New Classics Ballet Theatre’s first Spring Ballet. As a freelance dancer, she performs throughout the region while also teaching at multiple studios in Southern Orange County. Nathania also serves as an instructor and Supervisor of the Dance & Drama Program at Art-E Foundation, a Southern California nonprofit dedicated to bringing the joy and transformative power of the performing arts to children of all ages. She is deeply passionate about sharing the performing arts with the next generation and looks forward to continuing to teach for many years to come. Thank you for celebrating the performing arts with New Classics Ballet Theatre!

Lauren Steele is a Southern California–based dancer, educator, and arts leader, and the Co-Founder of New Classics Ballet Theatre, which she established alongside fellow dancer Katie O’Gara to honor classical ballet traditions while supporting emerging and contemporary voices. She holds a BFA in Dance Performance from the University of California, Irvine, where she performed in faculty, undergraduate, and MFA concerts, including Dance Visions, appearing in George Balanchine’s Serenade, works by Vitor Luiz (Bitter Suite and Luna E’motions), and Molly Lynch’s Moonlight. Lauren also performed in MFA works by Ashley Cook (My Felicity and Fabric of Life) and repertory by Taylor Grandy, Theodora Oldfield, and Milena Raeber, and in 2025 appeared as a Friend in Coppélia at the SoCal Ballet Scene Festival. Her early training includes full-length ballets with the Academy of Ballet Arts, participation in the Youth America Grand Prix, and performance at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Summer Intensive (La Bayadère). As an educator, Lauren teaches ballet throughout Southern California and is a certified Progressing Ballet Technique instructor. She is a two-time recipient of the William J. Gillespie Foundation Scholarship.

Sterling Tu is an emerging professional dance artist and arts leader based in Southern California. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance from the University of California, Irvine in 2025. Born and raised in the Bay Area, she trained in classical ballet at Alameda Ballet Academy under Abra Rudisill and continued her studies through intensive programs with City Ballet School San Francisco, American Ballet Theatre, and Bolshoi Ballet Academy. At the UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts, Sterling expanded her training to jazz, modern, and hip hop, broadening her technical repertoire. Notable UCI performances include George Balanchine’s Serenade, staged by Zippora Karz; Molly Lynch’s Moonlight; and Archaea, a collaboration by S. Ama Wray and Cyrian Reed. Sterling recently performed in ChoCoLA in Kassandra Vogel's Invisible Red Thread and as a guest artist with Anaheim Ballet's Nutcracker this past season. She received the William J. Gillespie Scholarship and was a two-time recipient of the Sylvia Reines Dance Scholarship. Sterling looks forward to dancing and administrating with New Classics Ballet Theater, and she is excited to share her passion and dedication for performing arts with the local community. 

Katie Thomas was raised in Mountain View, California, where she trained at Western Ballet until 2019. She then continued her training at City Ballet San Francisco, studying the Vaganova technique and performing featured roles including the Arabian Soloist in The Nutcracker and the Teresina variation from Napoli. After graduating in 2022, Katie joined State Street Ballet’s Trainee Program in Santa Barbara, California, where she performed in The Nutcracker, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Giselle. In 2024, she moved to Los Angeles to join Hollywood Ballet, dancing multiple soloist roles such as Spanish Chocolate in The Nutcracker, the Showtime Spectacular solo, and “I’m So Excited” from A Night with Hollywood Ballet. Katie strives to discover new and exciting ways to perform and hopes to continue sharing and expanding the art of ballet in Los Angeles.

Kassandra Vogel is a dancer and choreographer originally from San Diego, California, currently based in Anaheim. She began her formal dance training at California Ballet before earning BFAs in Dance Performance and Choreography, and a BA in Psychological Sciences from the University of California, Irvine. While at UCI, she had the opportunity to perform in Serenade under the direction of Zippora Karz and Diane Diefenderfer. Since graduating, Kassandra has worked as a freelance artist, performing with companies including Little Women Ballet, Anaheim Ballet, and Ballet Project OC. Her recent performance highlights include dancing Aurora as a guest artist with On Pointe Dance Studio, dancing as a Snow Princess in Anaheim Ballet's Nutcracker, as well as portraying Beth March in Little Women Ballet’s immersive productions and Sallie Gardiner in their full-length ballet. In addition to performing, Kassandra is an emerging choreographer. Her work was featured in ChoCoLA 2025 and will be presented again at Little Women Ballet’s inaugural showcase this March. She is deeply interested in expanding her choreographic voice and hopes to contribute to a more thoughtful, expressive, and inclusive ballet community.

Antoinette Wood is a classical ballet dancer from Redlands, California. This past June, she earned a B.F.A. in Dance Performance and a B.A. in Educational Sciences from the University of California, Irvine. Prior to university, she apprenticed with Inland Pacific Ballet, performing extensively in their classical repertoire. At SoCal Arts in Monrovia, she performed principal roles such as the Dew Drop Fairy in The Nutcracker and Myrtha in Giselle. She trained at prestigious summer intensives with American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, and Los Angeles Ballet. At UCI, her credits include George Balanchine’s Serenade, Paquita, and original works by dance faculty Tong Wang, Molly Lynch, and emerging choreographers. In her last year, she received the William J. Gillespie Foundation Scholarship, awarded to outstanding dance majors with an emphasis in ballet. In addition to performing, Antoinette has taught ballet at Portola High School and various studios, working with students of all ages and levels. She is pursuing a Master of Arts in Teaching and a Multiple Subject Teaching Credential to teach elementary school. She is thrilled to join New Classics Ballet Theatre, aiming to inspire the next generation through artistry, education, and passion.

Adrian Yali Pekurovsky is a professional ballet dancer originally from Israel, currently based in Los Angeles. At the age of 19, he relocated to LA to pursue an international career in ballet and contemporary performance. Adrian brings a diverse and athletic background to his work, having trained for over ten years as a competitive gymnast and dancer. Between 2020 and 2024, Adrian represented the Israeli national team in ballroom dancing, gaining extensive experience in performance, musicality, and technical precision. In 2025, he became a finalist at the Dance World Cup in the contemporary category with an original choreography, highlighting his voice as a movement creator. In December 2025, he performed the role of the Jester in The Nutcracker as an apprentice with Grand Ballet LA. Adrian is currently a dancer with NCBT, Keshet Chaim Ensemble, and an apprentice with Grand Ballet LA. He is a student at the Grand Academy of Ballet in Los Angeles and a graduate of Danceline Dance Sport Academy in Israel. Adrian is driven to create and perform work that excites and inspires himself and his audiences. He is committed to advocating for greater appreciation of men’s technique and artistry in ballet, beyond traditional physical expectations, and strives to develop a distinct and authentic artistic identity.