Artists
Artistic Team
Artistic Team
Rehearsal Director
Sona Kharatian is celebrating her 24th season with The Washington Ballet. She has danced with Orlando Ballet, Ballet Hawaii, the Trey McIntyre Project, and Copenhagen International Ballet. She was a …
Rehearsal Director
Tamás Krizsa, of Hungary, is in his 13th season with The Washington Ballet. Krizsa graduated from the Hungarian Dance Academy with honors in 2002. During his school years, he was …
Artistic Director
Currently completing his eleventh and final season as Artistic Director of BalletMet (Columbus, Ohio), Liang is credited with reinvigorating the organization through his collegiality, creativity, and authentic commitment to community building. During his tenure, BalletMet nearly doubled in size, successfully launched and completed a major capital campaign, and expanded the size and scope of its ballet school.
As a choreographer, Liang has created 21 world premieres for BalletMet. In his new role as The Washington Ballet’s senior-most artistic leader, Liang will oversee all aspects of the company, including its creative vision; its professional Company and training studio; The Washington School of Ballet, with campuses in Cathedral Heights and at THEARC in Southeast Washington, D.C.; and the organization’s robust community engagement programs.
Liang will step into the position currently held by Acting Artistic Director Trinidad Vives, who will remain with TWB through December 2023 to assist with the transition. He succeeds Julie Kent, who served as TWB’s Artistic Director from 2016 to June 2023; Septime Webre (1999–2016); and Washington Ballet founder Mary Day (1967–1999).
Liang’s appointment concludes a year-long, international search led by a dedicated Search Committee in coordination with David Mallette and his team at Management Consultants for the Arts.
Music Supervisor
gsales@washingtonballet.orgGlenn Sales, Pianist, has been well-known to Washington, DC audiences since his National Symphony Orchestra debut at age 14 and his subsequent invitations as soloist with NSO. Sales attended the …
Company
Company
Andrea Allmon was born in Miami, Florida and began her ballet training with Marielena Mencia and Yanis Pikieris at Miami Youth Ballet. She performed with Miami Youth Ballet in several …
Rafael Bejarano Vidal, from Guadalajara, Mexico, began dance training at the age of 11 at the Royal Academy of Dance in Mexico with Ana Torquemada. He has studied intensively throughout …
Nardia Boodoo, born in Baltimore, Maryland, of Indo-Trinidadian heritage, is in her fourth season with The Washington Ballet, after dancing for two years in The Washington Ballet’s Studio Company and …
Kimberly Cilento, of Middletown, DE is in her third season with The Washington Ballet after being a member of both their Studio Company and Trainee Program. Cilento began her dance …
Nicholas Cowden began his ballet training at the age of nine at Virginia Ballet Company under the direction of Tish Cordova. He continued his training at Southold Dance Theatre in …
Gilles Delellio, from Belgium, began dance training in tap and jazz and then studied ballet at 10 years of age at The Tap Show Company and Balletomania under Piotr Nardelli. …
Kateryna Derechyna of Ukraine is in her 13th season with The Washington Ballet. She trained and graduated from the Odessa Ballet Academy under Elvira Karavaeva where she performed at the …
Jessy Dick, a native of Michigan, is in her seventh season with The Washington Ballet. She joined TWB Studio Company in 2017 and was promoted to the company in 2019. Jessy …
Nicole Graniero of New York City is in her ninth season with The Washington Ballet. Her repertoire with the company includes principal roles in Ashton’s The Dream, Symphonic Variations, Balanchine’s …
Ayano Kimura of Japan, is in 13th season with The Washington Ballet and sixth year teaching at The Washington School of Ballet. Kimura, born in Germany, went on a short-term …
Eun Won Lee from Korea is in her third season with The Washington Ballet. She was formerly a Principal dancer with Korean National Ballet for six years and received her …
Lope Lim of Manila, Philippines, is in his second season with The Washington Ballet. He was a member of the Studio Company before being promoted to Apprentice in 2019. He …
Ariel Martínez began his ballet studies at School of Ballet Alejo Carpentier and continued his education at Fernando Alonso National Ballet School, associated with Ballet Nacional de Cuba. His instructors included Dunia Vera, Verónica Muxó, Normaria Olaechea, and Elena Cangas. He has competed in Italy, South Africa, Mexico, and Cuba, obtaining awards in many of these events, including a silver medal in the contest of the International Meeting of Academies for the Teaching of Ballet in 2014 and a gold medal for contemporary ballet performing Innovation in South Africa in 2016. In 2014 he became a company member of Ballet Nacional de Cuba, becoming a first soloist in 2016. He performed in the world premiere of Annabelle Lopez-Ochoa’s Oscurio, as well as her ballet Celeste. His repertoire includes Giselle, Swan Lake, Nutcracker, Don Quixote, Coppélia, and other other ballets by noteable Cuban choreographers. Martínez is now a company member of The Washington Ballet.
Ariel Martinez is sponsored by The Honorable Ann Brown.
Photo by XMB Photography.
Tamako Miyazaki of Tokyo, Japan, is in her 10th season with The Washington Ballet after dancing with Columbia Classical Ballet. Prior to that, Miyazaki was a member of The Washington …
Javier Morera of Havana, Cuba is in his fourth season with The Washington Ballet after dancing with the Florida Classical Ballet, where he was a Principal Guest in 2015, and …
Ashley Murphy-Wilson of Shreveport, Louisiana is in her sixth season with The Washington Ballet after dancing for 13 years with Dance Theatre of Harlem. In 2002, she trained and performed …
Stephen Kristopher Inainakame’ekuakeali’inuiokekai Nakagawa of Fontana, California began his training at the Academy of Russian Classical Ballet. He then continued to train at various schools such as the University of North …
Andile Ndlovu of Johannesburg, South Africa, is in his ninth season with The Washington Ballet, after dancing one season with TWB’s Studio Company. Ndlovu began his training in Latin American …
Born in Kanagawa, Japan, Maki enters her 18th season with The Washington Ballet after one season with The Studio Company. Before joining TWB, she danced and studied with Goh Ballet …
Samara Leila Rittinger, from North Vancouver, Canada, started her training at Anna Wyman School of Dance Arts when she was eight years old and then continued her studies at Goh …
Oscar Sanchez is in his seventh season with The Washington Ballet. Sanchez was born in Havana, Cuba in 1991 and started training at the age of 15 at The National …
Noura Sander, originally from Northern California, is in her third season with The Washington Ballet. Noura started training seriously at the age of eight at Franklin School for the Performing …
Stephanie Sorota of Glen Rock, New Jersey is in her eighth season with The Washington Ballet. She has performed in works by various choreographers including George Balanchine, Gemma Bond, Sir Anthony …
Brittany Stone of East Hartford, Connecticut began studying ballet at American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School under the direction of Franco DeVita and Raymond Lukens and privately with Fabrice …
This is Mr. Tapkharov’s first season with The Washington Ballet. Mr. Tapkharov is originally from Irkutsk, Russia. He received his education at the Buryat Republican Choreographic School and the East …
Studio Company
Studio Company
Rony Baseman, from South Orange, New Jersey, began his dance training at age 4, first at a local New Jersey Community Center and then at New Jersey School of Ballet. …
Abigail Brent, age 19, is from Charlottesville, Virginia, and began dancing at the age of 3 at Charlottesville Ballet Academy. She continued her dance training under the direction of Sara …
Catherine Doherty, from Lenexa, Kansas, began her professional training at the age of 12 with Juan Pablo Trujillo and Stefani Schrimpf at the Kansas School of Classical Ballet. In 2017, …
Michaele Skye Glouchkova (Misha) began dancing at age 3 and began her classical ballet training in 2005. She studied under Melanie Kregel, Artistic Director of Metamorphosis Dance Company, and her …
Andrey Maciano, from São Vicente – SP Brazil, began his dancing at 7 years old with Balé Jovem de São Vicente. In 2017, Andrey participated in YAGP Finals in New York …
Ethan Slocomb grew up in Melbourne, Australia where he trained at his local ballet school Utassy Ballet School till the age of 9, then studied at the Australian Ballet School …
Paolo Tarini, from Florence, Italy, began his ballet training at age 13, at ASD AreaDanza FI. He then moved to New York City to the prestigious American Ballet Theater JKO …
Harry Warshaw was born and raised in Keene, NH where he discovered his love and passion for dancing growing up at a local dance studio where his mother worked. When Harry turned 14 he …
Jie-Siou Wu of New Taipei City, Taiwan, is in his first season with the Washington Ballet. He began his dance training at the age of 12 at Xinpu elementary school …