Ahmad Joudeh, Corps de Ballet

Joudeh is a dancer, choreographer, and author. He was born and raised in Yarmouk, a Palestinian Refugee Camp in Damascus (Syria) as a stateless refugee. In 2016, he moved to Amsterdam with the help of the Dutch National Ballet, joining the company that same year. Since 2017, he has worked internationally as an artist and human rights activist. In 2021, Joudeh obtained Dutch nationality. He is the Artistic Director of Dance or Die Foundation and serves as a high-profile supporter for The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and is an International Friend for SOS Children’s Villages International. Joudeh is also a 2024 Young Global Leader at the world economic forum.

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Alexandria Martini, Corps de Ballet

Alexandria Martini began her training at the Santa Clarita Ballet Academy under the direction of Corrine Glover and Carol Guidry, where she completed all Royal Academy of Dance exams through Advanced 2 with Distinction. In 2016, she was one of ten worldwide recipients of the Darcey Bussell Bursary Scholarship for the Genée International Ballet Competition in Sydney, Australia. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, with a BS in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in 2018. While in Berkeley, she also performed with Berkeley Ballet Theater under the direction of Sally Streets and Robin Dekkers, including principal and soloist roles in Paquita, Coppélia, and The Nutcracker. She then joined the City Ballet of San Diego from 2021 to 2023 as a member of their Studio Company, following a hiatus from ballet to launch her career in aerospace engineering. During her time at City Ballet, she greatly enjoyed performing in Balanchine’s Serenade and The Four Temperaments, as well as expanding her classical repertoire to include La Bayadère Kingdom of the Shades, Don Quixote, Romeo and Juliet, and Elizabeth Wistrich’s Alice in Wonderland. Martini performed as a guest artist with Golden State Ballet from 2023-2024 and is delighted to be joining the company as a Corps de Ballet artist this season.

Alongside her ballet career, Martini has an established career as a systems engineering manager, designing and testing aerial communication platforms. She also currently serves as General Manager for Golden State Ballet.

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Annabelle Eurich, Apprentice

Annabelle Eurich was born in Reston, Virginia where she began her dance training at CrossRoads Dance Theater. In 2019, she began additional training at Academy of Russian Ballet where she studied until her graduation in 2022. Throughout her years of training, Annabelle also attended numerous summer intensive programs at schools such as The School of American Ballet, Miami City Ballet School, and Ellison Ballet. As she danced, Annabelle also pursued an associates degree in Computer Science as a duel enrolled student. Upon graduation, Annabelle received an Apprenticeship with The City Ballet of San Diego where she performed for the 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 seasons. She joined Golden State Ballet as an Apprentice in 2024.

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Antonio Zamora, Apprentice

Antonio Zamora began his training at the California Arts Academy in Fresno, California. Alongside his ballet training, he was equally involved in his training as a musician, going on to pursue a degree in jazz trumpet studies on full scholarship at California State University of Sacramento. Antonio went on to receive further ballet training from Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre's Academy, Cincinnati Ballet's Otto M. Budig Academy, and the Los Angeles Ballet Academy.

In 2021, Antonio joined City Ballet of San Diego as a studio company member and was promoted to apprentice in 2022. During his time there, he had the opportunity to perform in a wide variety of works such as Don Quixote, Romeo and Juliet, An American in Paris, Carmina Burana, Coppelia, The Nutcracker, as well as George Balanchine's Serenade.

Antonio is thrilled to join Golden State Ballet as an apprentice for the 2025-2026 season.

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Ashley Onks, Corps de Ballet

Ashley began dancing at the age of four years old in Los Angeles, California. Most of her adolescent years were spent training at Los Angeles Ballet Academy under the direction of Andrea Paris-Gutierrez, Conny Mathot and the Royal Ballet School’s current artistic manager, José Carayol. During these years, Ashley trained under the Royal Academy of Dance exam curriculum.

She then went on to pursue her degree at the University of California Irvine, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance at the Claire Trevor School of the Arts and a Business Minor in Innovation and Entrepreneurship in 2022. After graduating, she went on to study and receive her 450 hour classical Pilates Mat and Apparatus certification. Ashley was also invited to Complexions Contemporary Ballet’s pre-professional program in New York City, where she worked closely with choreographers, Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson and performed alongside the company in their 2020 Gala performance at the Joyce Theatre in Manhattan.

Directly after receiving her diploma, Ashley was invited to join Ballet San Antonio in Texas under the direction of the world renowned artist Sofiane Sylve dancing in the company from 2022-2024. Ashley is excited and thrilled to have the privilege of coming back to her home turf, sunny California, to join Golden State Ballet in the corps de ballet for the 2024-25 season!

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Cecilia Benoit, Apprentice

Cecilia was born and raised in Lake Charles where she received most of her dance training at the Lake Charles Dance Academy. Growing up, she attended prestigious summer programs at American Ballet Theatre, Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet and Texas Ballet Theatre. She later studied at the University of Oklahoma’s School of Dance, earning bachelor’s degrees in Ballet Pedagogy and Public Relations.

After graduating in 2022, Cecilia danced as a company apprentice with City Ballet of San Diego from 2022–2024. While at CBSD, she performed in a variety of productions, including The Nutcracker, Romeo & Juliet, Carmina Burana, and George Balanchine’s Rubies, Serenade, and The Four Temperaments.

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Celyna Tran, Corps de Ballet

Los Angeles native, Celyna Tran graduated from the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet Academy in Moscow, Russia with a degree for artist of ballet and teaching.

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Chantelle Pianetta, Principal

Chantelle Pianetta, a San Francisco Bay Area native, began her training at Contra Costa Ballet Centre and, at 14, continued her studies at the prestigious School of American Ballet. As a student, she performed with New York City Ballet in works by George Balanchine and Susan Stroman, and originated roles for the New York Choreographic Institute. While enrolled at Columbia University’s School of General Studies, she danced with Columbia Ballet Collaborative before returning to California to perform with Company C Contemporary Ballet, Oakland Ballet, and Menlowe Ballet.

Since joining Golden State Ballet in 2022, Chantelle has performed featured roles in works by Jiří Kylián, Jorma Elo, and Justin Peck, as well as Snow Queen and Dew Drop in Raul Salamanca’s The Nutcracker. In the 2024–25 season, she was promoted to Soloist, and later that spring originated the title role in Mr. Salamanca’s world premiere of Cinderella.

In addition to her stage career, Chantelle is a dedicated ballet and fitness instructor at the GSB Academy and an internationally recognized Champion West Coast Swing professional.

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Corah Abbott, Corps de Ballet

Corah Abbott (she/her) is originally from San Clemente, California. From 2015 to 2021, she studied at Orange County School of the Arts in the Classical and Contemporary Dance Conservatory under Steven Hyde. In school, she performed lead roles in several ballets, including La Bayadere, Swan Lake, Paquita, Raymonda, Sleeping Beauty, and Don Quixote. She has attended prestigious summer intensives with Alonzo King LINES Ballet, The Washington Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet. Corah recently graduated from The Juilliard School with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance under the direction of Alicia Graf Mack. In her time at Juilliard, she performed works by William Forsythe, Justin Peck, Yin Yue, Shen Wei, and Johannes Wieland among others. She also partakes in outside projects and was invited as a guest dancer in Isabella Boylston’s choreographic project at BVLGARI’s Tubogas Collection Launch as well as a guest dancer in ISHIDA Dance Company this past summer. Corah is Pilates Certified and teaches in her spare time. 

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Daniel Kubr, Corps de Ballet

Originally from Switzerland, Daniel Kubr began his formal ballet training at the Theater Basel before moving to the United States in 2015 to study at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet under the direction of Marcia Dale Weary. He went on to dance with Cincinnati Ballet’s second company, Texas Ballet Theater, and Sacramento Ballet, where he was promoted to the main company in 2023.

In 2024, Daniel joined Smuin’s annual The Christmas Ballet as a guest artist. Among his favorite works to perform are Ihsan Rustem’s State of Matter, Penny Saunders’ Ghost Light, George Balanchine’s Who Cares?, Ma Cong’s Carry Me Anew, and Gregory Dawson’s Strange Love.

Daniel is thrilled to join Golden State Ballet this season and to continue growing as an artist in San Diego.

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Emiliano Dael, Corps de Ballet

He began his dance studies in his hometown of Querétaro, at CEDART Ignacio Mariano de las Casas and the Art Dance Studios Academy. In 2016, he joined the National School of Classical and Contemporary Dance of INBAL in Mexico City as a student, where he had the opportunity to perform several times with the National Dance Company. In 2021, he continued his training at ProVer (In Favor of Veracruz Talent) in Córdoba, Veracruz, gaining experience with renowned national and international teachers. He won third place in the contemporary ensemble category with the choreography Trinité at the Youth American Grand Prix Finals held in Florida, USA, in 2023, which granted him entry into the Second Company of the Nashville Ballet for a one-year stay. His repertoire includes variations, pas de deux, and corps de ballet roles from ballets such as La Fille Mal Gardée, Carnival of Venice, La Esmeralda, Flower Festival in Genzano, Coppélia, Maurice Béjart’s Boléro, The Nutcracker, and Circadian Rhythm, among others.

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Harrison Pickering, Corps de Ballet

Harrison Pickering started dancing at the age of 10 in London England as a junior associate of the Royal Ballet Programme. At age 11 he attended Young Dancers Academy in London before heading to the National Ballet of Canada for 3 years. While at the school he performed in three seasons of The Nutcracker with National Ballet of Canada and in the opening of the Pan Am Games in Toronto. Pickering then attended Master Ballet Academy in Arizona from age 15-17, performing annually in The Nutcracker with Phoenix Ballet. He also competed in YAGP, placing 1st in the Classical division in 2019 (Dallas) and Pas de deux categories 2018 (Phoenix).

Pickering attended and received full scholarships for summer intensives at both American Ballet Theatre and San Francisco Ballet. He also trained privately with David king and attended Golden State Ballet academy in 2019 before attending San Francisco Ballet on full scholarship, where he trained for two years and performed along side San Francisco ballet in The Nutcracker. After graduating in 2021 he joined Ballet Arizona’s studio company and performed in works such as George Balanchine’s Violin Concerto, Slaughter on 10th Avenue, and Serenade, Sir Frederick Ashton’s Les Patineurs, and Ib Andersen’s The Nutcracker, Romeo & Juliet, and Juan Gabriel. In 2022 he joined Texas Ballet Theatre as an apprentice and performed in Ben Stevensons Cirque de ballet, Nutcracker, Alice in Wonderland, Dracula, George Balanchine’s Rubies and Lew Christensen’s Beauty and the Beast. He is very excited for his second season with Golden State Ballet.

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Haley Desjarlais, Corps de Ballet

Haley Desjarlais was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and began her ballet training at the Franklin School for the Performing Arts under the direction of Cheryl Madeux Abbott. In 2017, she was accepted into Boston Ballet’s Pre-Professional Program, led by Margaret Tracey, where she spent two years before being promoted to a trainee. 

Throughout her training, Haley attended summer intensives at prestigious institutions including American Ballet Theatre, Miami City Ballet, Boston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and BalletMet. In 2020, she was selected to participate in the Prix de Lausanne's Partner Schools Choreographic Project, where she had the opportunity to work with renowned choreographer Mauro Bigonzetti. 

Haley went on to dance as a trainee with BalletMet, an apprentice with Indianapolis Ballet, and a studio company member with City Ballet of San Diego. She had the opportunity to perform in a wide range of productions including The Nutcracker, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Coppélia, An American in Paris, Carmina Burana, as well as George Balanchine’s Western Symphony, Serenade, and The Four Temperaments.

Haley joined Golden State Ballet as an Apprentice in 2024. She is excited to begin the upcoming season as a member of the Corps de Ballet.

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Haley Mauldin, Corps de Ballet

Haley Mauldin was born in Aspen, Colorado where she started taking dance classes at the age of 2. She later moved to Encino, California where her training continued with the Los Angeles Ballet Academy until 2018. Under the direction of Andrea-Paris Gutierrez, Mauldin completed all Royal Academy of Dance examinations with Distinction, and the ABT National Training Curriculum Level 7 with High Honors. During the summers she trained with Atlanta Ballet, City Ballet School of San Francisco, Ballet West, Joffrey Ballet, and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.

In 2018, Mauldin was accepted into Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s Graduate Program, where she received four years of training under the direction of Janet Popeleski, Marjorie Grundvig, and Dennis Marshall. She had the opportunity to perform excerpts of ballets such as Divertimento No. 15, Serenade, Raymonda, Terrence Orr’s Nutcracker, Giselle, and Susan Jaffe’s Swan Lake. In 2022, Haley joined Lexington Ballet Company for their 2022-2023 season. Her most notable roles during that time included Sugar Plum Fairy and Dew Drop in the Lexington Ballet’s Nutcracker, and Princess Tsarevna from Firebird.

Since joining Golden State Ballet in 2023 she has had the incredible privilege of performing works by Jorma Elo, Andrea Schermoly, Norbert De La Cruz III, Gabrielle Lamb, and Justin Peck. Haley looks forward to many more wonderful performances with the company.

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Isabella Bertagni, Corps de Ballet

Isabella Bertagni is from Laguna Hills, California.  She began dancing at the age of five at Pacific Ballet Conservatory, where she trained for 11 years.  In 2019, she joined Colburn Dance Academy, under the direction of Jenifer Ringer and James Fayette, on merit scholarship. There, she performed as the Sugarplum Fairy in Silas Farley’s The Nutcracker.  During her years of training, she attended summer programs at SAB’s California Workshop, Miami City Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and on full scholarship at Pacific Northwest Ballet.  In 2021, she accepted an offer to dance in the Professional Division program on scholarship at Pacific Northwest Ballet, under the direction of Peter Boal.  There, she had the opportunity to perform roles in Swan Lake, the Evil Queen in Bruce Wells’ Snow White, and in Balanchine’s Serenade, The Nutcracker, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Isabella is also a full time online college student, working toward a degree in Kinesiology.

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Luc Simpson, Corps de Ballet

Luc Simpson is a French American dancer from San Diego, California. He is a recent graduate of The Juilliard School, with prior training at both Golden State Ballet Academy and the San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts. In 2021, Luc was recognized as a National YoungArts Finalist in Modern/Contemporary Dance. He has since had the privilege of performing works by Sharon Eyal & Gai Behar, Sol León and Paul Lightfoot, Aszure Barton, Kyle Abraham, Jermaine Spivey, Johannes Weiland, Yue Yin, and others. 

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Miranda Giles, Principal

Miranda Giles was born in Columbus, Ohio. She began her training under Shir Lee Wu at the age of three with Columbus City Ballet School, the recipient of YAGP Outstanding School and Teacher awards. Giles also worked to refine and diversify her training with frequent guest teachers such as Katrina Killian, Ethan Brown, Anna Reznik, and Alexei Moskalenko. During the summers, Giles trained at The School of American Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, and the Kirov Ballet under significant or full scholarships. Giles was awarded the Youth American Grand Prix “Hope Award” twice for outstanding promise, performing classical and contemporary works choreographed by Christopher Flemming and Alexei Kremnev.

Miranda had always felt inspired to live in California, so she moved west to join the Los Angeles Ballet before moving to San Diego. Miranda was promoted to soloist a few months after joining Golden State Ballet in 2021. Her favorite role she has performed is “Dew Drop” in Jared Nelson’s “The Nutcracker”, the "Black Swan" Pas De Deux from "Swan Lake" and hopes to one day perform the role of "Juliet" in "Romeo and Juliet". In Miranda's free time she loves to try new restaurants, teach ballet, work on her clothing line, Miranda Rose Designs, and of course explore beautiful San Diego.

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Mia Gonzalez-Llorens, Apprentice

As a Miami native, Mia received her early training from prima ballerina Martha Mahr, and continued her instruction at Miami City Ballet School, joining its Pre-Professional Program and training under Arantxa Ochoa.

Upon completing the Pre-Professional Program, Mia continued her ballet education at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music Ballet Department where she trained with instructors Sarah Wroth, Michael Vernon, Carla Körbes, Kyra Nichols, Christian Claessens, and Sasha Janes. At Indiana University, Mia performed roles in notable ballets, including George Balanchine‘s Donizetti Variations, Marius Petipa’s Swan Lake (Four Little Swans), and Nicole Haskins’ Unearthing. She also performed original works by Michael Vernon, Sasha Janes, Gianna Reisen, and other legendary choreographers. Additionally, Mia has trained at Art Of Madrid, American Ballet Theatre, and School of American Ballet.

After graduating from Indiana University, Mia joined Ballet Tucson as an apprentice where she performed various original works, as well George Balanchine’s Serenade and Divertimento No. 15. She also performed in Chieko Imada’s world premiere of Eternal Love and her renditions of Paquita and Giselle.

Mia joined Golden State Ballet as an Apprentice in 2024.

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Nicole Denney, Corps de Ballet

Originally from San Clemente, California, Nicole Denney began her dance journey at the age of three at the Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy. Throughout her training, Nicole attended prestigious summer intensives on full merit scholarships, including the School of American Ballet, Harid Conservatory, and San Francisco Ballet.

In 2018, Nicole received the Youth Grand Prix award at the Youth American Grand Prix Semi-Finals and was a top 12 Finalist in the Senior Division at the Youth America Grand Prix International Final. She is also a Grand Prize Finalist for Classical Ballet in the Music Center’s Spotlight Awards and a recipient of the Laguna Dance Festival Scholarship.

At the age of 18, Nicole joined the Royal New Zealand Ballet as a guest artist for their Bold Moves tour, performing alongside the corps de ballet in works such as George Balanchine’s Serenade and William Forsythe’s Artifact II.

In the spring of 2024, Nicole graduated from the University of Southern California's Glorya Kaufman School of Dance with a degree in Dance and a minor in Advertising. During her time at USC, she had the privilege of performing works by renowned choreographers such as Jiří Kylián, Justin Peck, Kyle Abraham, Hope Boykin, and Paul Taylor.

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Preston Swovelin, Principal

Preston Swovelin is a native to Los Angeles. He has trained with the Pasadena Dance Theatre and Miami City Ballet School on full scholarship under Cynthia Young, Lawrence Blake, and Edward Villella. He is the recipient of various awards including 2nd place for Hip-Hop at the USA Nationals. Preston has worked with over 90 organizations including Eugene Ballet Company as a Principal, Nevada Ballet Theatre, Setsuko Kawaguchi Ballet in Japan, Boulder Ballet, San Diego Opera, CalArts, Troy University as a professor, National Choreographers Initiative, Audi, Bad Boys of Dance throughout Europe (as Romeo in Romeo & Juliet), and performed and choreographed in collaborations with Cirque du Soleil. He is a desperado by day, a connoisseur of Netflix by night, and enjoys the occasional skydive.

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Reece Taylor, Soloist

Originally from Fontana, CA, Reece began his ballet training at 18 with Inland Pacific Ballet Academy in Montclair, CA. There, he swiftly rose through the ranks of Academy Apprentice to Principal and eventually took on the role of Ballet Master, assisting in the artistic and technical growth of the company. His training also includes intensive programs with Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Reece has since dedicated his career to teaching and performing across Southern California, where he has worked with students of all ages and contributed to productions in ballet, musical theater, and commercial projects. His notable roles include Cavalier in The Nutcracker, the Prince in The Little Mermaid, Phaedra in La Cage aux Folles, and Mr. Mistoffelees in CATS. Reece joined Golden State Ballet as a Soloist in 2024.

Reece also holds a BA in Creative Writing from the University of California, Riverside.

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Samantha Schmidt, Corps de Ballet

Originally from Yucaipa, California, Samantha Schmidt began her training at the School of International Ballet of Redlands under the direction of Cecilia Hering. In 2018, she furthered her training with The Kirov Academy of Washington DC where she worked with Bat Udval and Evgenia Singur. The following year she moved to Houston, Texas to dance with Vitacca Ballet. Samantha has participated in many acclaimed summer intensives including, American Ballet Theater, Colorado Ballet, and the International Master Classes in Prague. As she danced, she worked on receiving her associate degree in Spanish and in 2021 she spent a year as a dance major and English minor at The University of California, Irvine. She recently completed her BA in Psychology at The University of Arizona. Samantha spent the 2022/23 season at City Ballet of San Diego and joined Golden State Ballet as a Corps de Ballet member in 2023. In her free time, Samantha enjoys reading and yoga and cherishes connecting with her friends and family.

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Silken Kelly, Principal

From Denver, CO, Silken Kelly started her journey in ballet at the Academy of Colorado Ballet, before moving on to train at the Houston Ballet Academy. Her dedication and talent earned her full scholarships to summer intensives at the School of American Ballet, Ballet West, and Houston Ballet. As a professional ballet dancer, Silken has graced the stages of prestigious companies such as Houston Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and Cleveland Ballet. Her artistry has extended far and wide, as she's been a guest performer with Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Sweetbird Production's touring sensation "Rock the Ballet," and Eglevsky Ballet. Silken has also founded her own company, Contingent Ballet, that has had successful virtual performances, and has been part of a film festival for three consecutive years, creating and directing original dance films. But Silken's artistic versatility doesn't end with ballet. She has seamlessly transitioned into the world of acting, where she's garnered recognition for her work with a supporting role in a movie and a mini-series for TV.

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Sophia Dimmick, Corps de Ballet

Sophia Dimmick has lived and trained in San Diego her whole life. She began dancing at the age of 2 with California Ballet School and remained there until 2019, when she became a trainee with California Ballet Company. She joined the Golden State Ballet Academy in 2020 where she continued to dance until graduation in 2022. She has spent summers training with institutions such as Boston Ballet and the School of Ballet Arizona, and has placed and received honors at several ballet competitions, including YAGP and California Dance Classics. She is currently a Corps de Ballet member with Golden State Ballet Company, after being promoted from Apprentice in 2023. Since beginning her professional career, Sophia has performed with various other dance organizations, including Ballet Collective San Diego and We Call It Ballet. Outside of dance, Sophia is also completing her degree in Tourism and Recreation Management, is an accomplished harpist, and enjoys supporting the vibrant San Diego performing arts community.

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Savannah Rodriguez, Corps de Ballet

Savannah Rodriguez, born and raised in San Diego, has been dancing since she was 1 ½ years old. She started with “Mommy and Me” classes and then transitioned into jazz, tap, and ballet. Being onstage and performing in front of an audience came naturally to her and it brought her immense joy to be able to shine and to create an impact on her audience. At age 14, she decided to make dance her career. Throughout the rest of her training years as a student, she utilized her time to immerse herself in various techniques and styles of dance such as Vaganova, Balanchine, Neoclassical, Cuban, Modern, Martha Graham, Horton, Musical Theater, Contemporary, Jazz, Tap, Lyrical, and Hip Hop. She also traveled around the country and even to Europe to participate in summer intensives including: Paris Marais Dance School, Bolshoi Ballet, Laguna Dance Festival, Alonzo King Lines Ballet, Carolina Ballet, and Dutch National Ballet. Along with her travels, she also participated in multiple competitions and won some awards during that time. In addition, the most important part of that time was meeting and working with many world renowned choreographers and teachers who have inspired her and helped her grow into the artist she is today.

Now that she has reached the professional level, a dream she always wanted to achieve, she is determined in her next stage of her journey as an artist to utilize her career to bring light, hope, freedom, and inspiration to her audience. As a dedicated member of Golden State Ballet since its inception, her artistic vision is rooted in a deep desire to amplify the voices of the silenced and marginalized, using dance as a powerful medium for storytelling and healing. Through her work, she aims to create a sense of seen-ness and heard-ness for her audience, inviting them to embody their own experiences and emotions within her performances. By shedding light on the complexities of mental health and the human struggle, she hopes to empower others to release the burdens of shame, guilt, and trauma, and to reclaim their stories as a source of strength, resilience and courage. Ultimately, her goal is to craft a space where art and vulnerability converge, allowing individuals to find freedom, solace, and connection in the darkest of times. For when we bring the darkness of life into light; It no longer holds power. A powerful phrase that Savannah continues to live by and would like to share with the world is this: “Courage isn’t the absence of fear; but it’s moving forward in spite of it.”

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Stephen Hallburn, Corps de Ballet

Stephen Hallburn is a Southern California native, and started dance early in Temecula, CA. In his teen years, Stephen relocated to the east coast to complete his pre-professional training, remaining there for the launch of his career. Work offers with companies on the West Coast brought Stephen back where he’s remained for the past 10 years. Stephen is excited to return to Golden State Ballet for another season.

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Timothy Ruelas, Corps de Ballet

Timothy Mark Ruelas was born in San Dimas, California. At seven, he began taking classes at a local studio ranging from ballet, tap, and jazz to musical theatre, voice, and acting. Timothy began his formal classical ballet training at the age of ten at Inland Pacific Ballet in Montclair, CA under the tutelage of Victoria Koenig, Jill Voznick, and Clinton Rothwell. Timothy was invited to many prestigious summer programs on scholarship, including San Francisco Ballet and Colorado Ballet. He also competed on his high school’s varsity dance team, where he helped lead his team to a national team title in contemporary. Upon graduating high school, Timothy accepted a studio company position with New Ballet in San Jose for the 2018-2019 season and performed in The Nutcracker as Cavalier and in Cinderella as Prince. The following year, the SoCal native moved to Colorado to train in the Colorado Ballet Pre-Professional program. Timothy was invited to join the Colorado Ballet’s Studio Company for two seasons (2021-2023) where he danced in Giselle, The Nutcracker, The Wizard of Oz, Romeo and Juliet, Dracula, Lady of the Camellias, Cinderella, Theme and Variations, Bruch Violin Concerto No.1, and Prodigal Son. Timothy moved to San Diego, CA in August of 2023 where his grandparents have resided for over forty years, to be closer to family in Southern CA, and to complete his undergraduate education. Timothy is grateful for the opportunity to continue his dance career and for his second season in the Corps de Ballet with Golden State Ballet.

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Victoria Jenkins, Principal

Victoria Jenkins is a San Diego native and has been dancing since she was 5 years old after watching a performance of the Nutcracker at the Civic theater in downtown San Diego. She knew she found her passion at a young age and received a scholarship for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School when she was 15. She lived in Canada and graduated from the school with distinction and later joined the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Company who she danced and toured the United States and Canada with until 2018. She moved back to sunny San Diego and continued to dance with California Ballet and later Golden State Ballet. She is also a certified Yoga teacher and enjoys baking and painting.

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RAUL SALAMANCA

Artistic Director & CEO, Golden State Ballet
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Raul Salamanca, Founder, Artistic Director, and CEO of Golden State Ballet, is an accomplished dancer, choreographer, teacher, and visionary leader whose career spans more than 30 years across four continents. Known for his artistry, integrity, and commitment to excellence, Mr. Salamanca has become a driving force in shaping San Diego’s cultural landscape and advancing ballet as both a classical and contemporary art form.

Originally from San Juan, Puerto Rico, Mr. Salamanca began his ballet training in South Florida and graduated with honors from the prestigious Magda Aunon School of Classical Ballet, whose program is based on the Cuban National Ballet School curriculum. He furthered his training on full scholarship with both Boston Ballet School and Arizona Ballet School and was twice selected to represent the United States at the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi. His early promise was recognized by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts and the National Society of Arts and Letters.

A former dancer with Boston Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal, Ballet Arizona, and Ballet San Antonio, Mr. Salamanca performed leading roles in Swan Lake, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadère, and Don Quixote, and collaborated with celebrated choreographers including Jorma Elo, Jiří Kylián, Mark Morris, Dwight Rhoden, Christopher Wheeldon, and Twyla Tharp. As a choreographer, he has created full-length ballets for Golden State Ballet, including The Nutcracker and Cinderella, which have been met with enthusiastic acclaim from audiences.

Beyond the stage, Mr. Salamanca has held key leadership roles, serving as Ballet Master and Director of Education for Ballet San Antonio, where he led the creation of an after-school dance program in partnership with the Boys & Girls Club. Previously, he served as Artistic Director of Los Gatos Ballet, where he revitalized the company’s artistic vision, expanded community outreach, and strengthened its programs and reputation. He also represented Boston Ballet and Ballet Arizona as a company delegate, contributing to successful contract negotiations, and is a member of the International Dance Council (CID).

He is also the co-founder of Golden State Ballet Academy, founded alongside his wife, Cindy Huang. The Academy is a nationally recognized, award-winning school dedicated to excellence in classical ballet and the development of future generations of artists.

Under his direction, Golden State Ballet continues to redefine what a premier ballet company can be — bold, inclusive, and artistically uncompromising — enriching San Diego’s cultural life while inspiring the next generation of artists.

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