About the Santa Clara Ballet Company For over 45 years, the Santa Clara Ballet Company has been bringing classical ballet productions to Santa Clara, including its annual Nutcracker production. The Company provides vital cultural programming, enriching the community and enhancing the profile of the City of Santa Clara. The Company affords the unique opportunity for aspiring young dancers and children to perform and learn alongside acclaimed professionals in a full scale production. A local favorite, the Santa Clara Ballet’s Nutcracker offers an intimate view of the stage and the performers with an entertaining and engaging rendition of this holiday classic. JOSEFA VILLANUEVA-REYES started her training in the Philippines with Roberta and Ricardo Cassell (a student of Vincenzo Celli). She was formerly a member of the San Francisco Ballet Company and the San Francisco Opera Ballet. Previous to that, she performed as a principal dancer with the San Francisco Ballet Celeste for four years. Her performing experience included multiple lead roles from the classical repertory. Villanueva-Reyes taught at the San Francisco Conservatory of Ballet and Theatre Arts as well as San Jose City College. Her teaching experience is enriched with classes from well known Russian teachers and distinguished teachers in New York City. She has taken classes in New York with Valentina Pereyslavic, Leon Danelien, Frederic Franklin, David Howard, Jurgen Schneider, and master classes with Sergeyev, Dudinskay Golovkina, Kirsten Ralov, and Dina Bjorn. She has also received a Certificate for taking part in the International Vaganova Conference/Demonstration in St. Petersburg, Russia, featuring the entire 8-year system which included Classical Dance, Character, History Dance & Variations. Villanueva-Reyes was recognized by the Santa Clara Performing Arts Foundation with the 2013 Arts Pioneer Award and also honored by the Isadora Duncan Dance Awards (the “Izzies”) with its Sustained Achievement Award for her work with the Santa Clara Ballet and for offering instruction and training in classical ballet and performance opportunities for children and Bay Area professional dancers. Villanueva-Reyes holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music and has studied post-graduate in Early Childhood Education and Dance Education at both SF State University and San Jose State University. She holds a Lifetime Credential to teach Dance in Community Colleges. She co-founded the Santa Clara Ballet with husband Benjamin Reyes in 1973. Founding Artistic Directors Josefa Villanueva-Reyes and Benjamin Reyes ANDRE REYES continues the legacy of the Reyes family as Artistic consultant and coach for the Santa Clara Ballet Company Guest Principal Dancers. A San Francisco Bay Area native, Andre received his early dance training from his parents Benjamin Reyes and Josefa Villanueva-Reyes at Santa Clara Ballet School and continued his training on scholarships at Joffrey American Ballet Center, American Ballet Theater School, School of American Ballet, and San Francisco Ballet School. Andre, a longtime favorite of Bay Area audiences, performed as a Principal dancer with San Francisco Ballet from 1980 to 1993, and Pacific Northwest Ballet from 1994 to 1996. He has worked with numerous world-renowned choreographers including David Bintley, Elliot Feld, James Kudelka, Jiri Kylian, Michael Smuin, and Glen Tetley. His work in television includes Dance in America’s “Cinderella” (Smuin/Christensen) and “The Tempest” (Smuin), as well as appearances in “Suites by Smuin” (KQED) and “Symphony in Three Movements” (KQED, Gladstein). Andre's extensive teaching career includes Boston Ballet School, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and guest instruction for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Smuin Ballet, ODC, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Kansas City Ballet School, UNCSA, English National Ballet School, Harvard and Stanford. He has also served as an adjudicator for Dance Masters of America, Denver YDC, and the Japan Grand Prix. In 2016 he and his wife, Cynthia Drayer, were chosen from a national search to direct Tulsa Ballet’s new Hardesty Center for Dance Education. Andre has recently returned to California as Ballet Master for Sacramento Ballet. Principal Guest Artists: RILEY HORTON began dancing at the Kansas City Ballet School at age six. He studied at the Kansas School of Classical Ballet for three years then trained at the Houston Ballet Academy with Claudio Muñoz and Andrew Murphy. In Houston, Mr. Horton danced in many ballets including John Neumeier’s Yondering, Ben Stevenson’s The Nutcracker, August Bournonville’s Flower Festival in Genzano, Stanton Welch’s Young Person’s Guide to The Orchestra, The Gentleman, The Long and Winding Road, and had the privilege to travel with the company for the Australian tour of Stanton Welch’s Romeo and Juliet. Other credits include Mona Störling-Enna’s Underground and Ave Verum (Störling Dance Theater). Riley then danced for two seasons with The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, where he performed in Krzysztof Pastor’s Romeo & Juliet, Justin Peck’s Year of the Rabbit, Anabelle Lopez Ochoa’s Mammatus and Christopher Wheeldon’s premier of the Joffrey’s new The Nutcracker. He is currently a Company member with Indianapolis Ballet. This is Riley's first season with the Santa Clara Ballet. (appearance courtesy of Indianapolis Ballet) ROWAN ALLEGRA was born in Seattle and raised in the Bay Area. A third generation ballet dancer, Rowan made her debut with the Santa Clara Ballet as Clara at the age of 10 and returned as the Sugar Plum Fairy, a role she has performed for eight seasons. She began her ballet training at Volée Dance in Palo Alto with her parents, Andre Reyes and Cynthia Drayer, and continued her training at world class institutions including Boston Ballet School and the San Francisco Conservatory of Dance. Rowan has danced professionally with Texas Ballet Theater, Bay Pointe Ballet, and is currently with the Indianapolis Ballet under the direction of Victoria Lyras. Rowan's repertoire includes works by George Balanchine, Ben Stevenson, Val Caniparoli, Harald Lander, and Ohad Naharin. She is thrilled to be performing in her ninth season with Santa Clara Ballet. (appearance courtesy of Indianapolis Ballet) Guest Artists: MARCOS VEDOVETTO, began his studies in Brazil with renowned teachers at the Ballet Art Sandra Godoy School and Ballet & Cia Company. Marco is now in his seventh season performing with the Santa Clara Ballet, where he has been featured as the Cavalier, Snow King and Arabian. Marcos also performed with San Francisco Opera Ballet and Dance Theatre of San Francisco. Marcos has contributed choreography to their programs as well as for Connecticut Ballet, CelloPointe in New York and with the Santa Clara Ballet spring seasons. Marcos has performed in Coppelia and Sleeping Beauty with the Connecticut Ballet, and the Nutcracker with the Santa Clara Ballet and the Connecticut Ballet, as well as with Zhukov Dance Theater in San Francisco and Alpha Omega, Lydia Johnson Dance and Regina Nejman and Company in New York City. Marcos previously performed in Brazil including lead roles in Tarzan, Lion King, The Hunchback of Notre and Don Quixote and toured multi-nationally with pop duo Sandy & Junior. He was recently featured in Brazil’s version of Dancing with the Stars, “Dancing Brasil.” KRISTIN LINDSAY began her early training at Stapleton School of the Performing Arts as well as Marin Dance Theatre. Kristin spent her summers attending ABT, Boston Ballet and the Harid Conservatory. After graduating MDT she joined Ballet Florida under the direction of Marie Hale, performing some of the great classics and being exposed to an extensive repertoire. She most recently was a company member of Company C Contemporary Ballet; directed by Charles Anderson. SHARON KUNG was born in New York, and currently resides in the bay area. She received her early training at the Jean M Wong School of Ballet in Hong Kong, and continued in the bay area after graduating Magna Cum Laude from the University of California, Irvine with a BFA in Dance Performance and BA in Economics. Her repertoire includes works by George Balanchine, Lucas Crandall, William Forsythe, Bob Fosse, José Limon, Graham Lustig, Dexandro “D” Montalvo, Robert Moses, Donald McKayle, and Amy Seiwert. Her experience includes Thodos Dance Chicago, Oakland Ballet Company, KAMBARA+ DANCERS, and freelance projects in Amsterdam, Morocco, Hong Kong, and San Francisco. Santa Clara Ballet... over 45 Years of Classical Ballet Grand Pas de Quatre Don Quixote Alamat The Santa Clara Ballet Company: MIKHAIL GUZ was trained in Russia at the Krasnoyarsk Choreographic College and upon graduation joined the world famous Krasnoyarsk Dance Ensemble. Mikhail performed as a soloist with the Far East Army Ensemble, Academic Ensemble Siberia, Krasnoyarsk Opera and Ballet, and Moscow Classical Ballet, Kyoto Classical Ballet in Japan and has toured extensively in China, Japan and Korea. Mikhail is on the faculty of the Santa Clara Ballet School where he teaches ballet and Character Dance. Now in his seventh season with the Santa Clara Ballet Principal Dancer Company as principal dancer, Mikhail has been a featured soloist in Peter and the Wolf, Les Sylphides, Spring Waters and the Peasant Pas de Deux from Giselle, as well as the Nutcracker Prince and the Russian Trepak in The Nutcracker. Ella Levine Diya Kapur Rachel Levin Melody S. Williams Soloist Soloist Soloist Soloist Aaina Kapur Sophia Anderson Apprentice Apprentice History of The Nutcracker Ballet