GUEST DANCERS FOR THE NUTCRACKER 2017
December 2 & 3: San Francisco Ballet
Koto Ishihara Born in Nagoya, Japan, Koto Ishihara trained at Yukie Ballet School, Shiho Kanazawa Ballet, The Harid Conservatory, and San Francisco Ballet School. She joined the San Francisco Ballet Company in 2010 and was promoted to soloist in 2014. She has danced featured or principal roles in works choreographed by Tomasson, Balanchine, Cranko, Forsythe, Makarova (after Petipa), Nureyev, Possokhov, Wheeldon, and others.
Ishihara danced in the film of Tomasson’s “Romeo & Juliet” as part of the inaugural season of Lincoln Center at the Movies: Great American Dance. As a guest artist, she performed at the World Stars of Classical Ballet Gala and the International Ballet Gala: World Ballet Superstars. She received a silver medal at Tanzolymp International Dance Festival and first place at the Youth America Grand Prix San Francisco Regionals, both in 2010.
Hansuke Yamamoto Born in Chiba, Japan, Hansuke Yamamoto began his initial training at a local ballet school at the age of 13. He continued his training at Egawa Akira Ballet School and Yuriko Kawaguchi Ballet School in Tokyo. At the age of 15, Hansuke was accepted into The Royal Ballet School in London. He joined National Ballet of Canada in 1999. In 2001, he joined San Francisco Ballet, and was promoted to soloist in 2005. His repertory also includes principal and soloist roles in works of choreographers such as Sir Fredrick Ashton, George Balanchine, Hans van Manen, Mark Morris, Yuri Possokhov, Alexei Ratmansky, Liam Scarlett, Helgi Tomasson, Stanton Welch, Christopher Wheeldon and others.
December 9 & 10: Master Ballet Academy/Phoenix Ballet
Madison Penney Born and raised in Arizona, Madison Penney began dancing at a very young age and trained in all different disciplines of dance. When she was eight years old, she decided to focus on ballet and joined Master Ballet Academy, led by Artistic Director Slawomir Wozniak. Since then, while still at a young age, Madison continuously keeps growing as a dancer and an artist. She is recognized as one of the most talented and skilled dancers of the upcoming generation. Among her many accolades and awards are winning the Gold Medal at the World Ballet Competition in 2015, the Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP) Hope Award in 2016, and most recently won the 2017 Grand Prix award at YAGP finals in New York. Based on her proven ability, Madison has performed with Phoenix Ballet in several productions with seasoned professionals that include soloist roles originated for her by Albert Blaise Cattafi and Fransisco Gella. In addition, Madison has performed at galas, on TV, and has been featured in Dance Spirit and Pointe magazines.
Slawomir Wozniak Jr. Slawomir Wozniak Jr. was born into a ballet family: His father was Principal Dancer of the Ballet of the Polish National Opera in Warsaw. At age 11, Slawomir began his studies on scholarship at the State School of Ballet in Warsaw, Poland, where he performed in many productions in the national opera house. In 2005, he won Second Place in the National Ballet Competition in Gdansk, and went on to represent Poland in the International Ballet Competition in Nagoya, Japan.
In 2006, Slawomir accepted a full scholarship to study at The School of American Ballet in New York City where he trained for two years. Slawomir joined Ballet Arizona in 2008 and has danced soloist roles in works by Balanchine, Andersen, Tharp, Petipa, and others. Since 2014, Slawomir has danced with Phoenix Ballet as a Principal Dancer. He has traveled and danced in Gala Performances around the World including Japan, China, Poland, Bulgaria, Mexico and several cities in the USA. Very recently he was featured, with his partner Juliet Doherty, in the newest TV show “World of Dance” produced by NBC.
Purchase tickets at npacf.org/nutcracker or 425-298-3449.