Ariel Martinez

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 …