Gina Anttonucci
Coprs de Ballet

Gina was raised in Mt. Shasta, a small town in northern California. She began her early ballet training at the age of 4 at a local academy studying under Nuria Llovett, where she was given the opportunity to perform in The Nutcracker with Eugene Ballet Company. After moving to the Bay Area in 2009, she began dancing with Peninsula Ballet Theatre as an apprentice. This is her second year dancing with PBT.

Edilsa Armendariz
Principal

Edilsa grew up in Tijuana, Mexico and received her early training at the Gloria Campobello Dance School. She later graduated from the National Ballet School in Havana, Cuba. Her professional experience began with the San Diego Ballet and then joined Nevada Ballet Theatre for four seasons where she had the opportunity to perform a number of works by Balanchine, the lead role in the Nutcracker and soloist roles in Don Quixote, Giselle and Peter Anastos' Cinderella.

Adrianna Benson
Principal

Adrianna was born in Castro Valley, CA and received her ballet training at City Ballet School in San Francisco under the direction of Galina Alexandrova. There she danced roles such as Snow Queen in the Nutcracker and Cat in Peter and the Wolf, choreographed by Yuri Zhukov, in addition to other soloist roles. Adrianna has attended ABT and Boston Ballet Summer intensive programs and performed as a soloist in their final productions.

Michelle Brown
Corps de Ballet

Michelle attended Boston Ballet's Summer Dance Program, Alonzo King's Lines Ballet Intensive, the Washington School of Ballet and also trained in Paris at the Institut International de Danse. Michelle has performed with Peninsula Ballet Theatre, Oakland Ballet Company, Tapestry Dance Company in Austin, and as a guest artist with Russian Festival Ballet. As a member of Oakland Ballet Company, Michelle was featured in such roles as the Arabian in The Nutcracker and Ayah in The Secret Garden.

Anna Carnes
Principal

Anna, a California native, trained with Meredith Baylis, Corinne Glover, Carol Guidry, and Stanley Holden. She received the Royal Academy of Dance Solo Seal Award in 2003, and graduated with a BFA in Dance from UC Irvine in 2007.  Anna has danced with Oakland Ballet, Donald McKayle's Etude Ensemble, Wenta Ballet, and Santa Clarita Ballet Company where she performed many principal roles including Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream and the Sugar Plum Fairy in the Nutcracker.  This is her third season with PBT.

DuRron Chambers
Corps de Ballet

DuRron began training at 16, studying with Gloria Mohr and with Ballet San Jose School under the direction of Lisa LaCour. He attended the University of the Arts in Philadelphia under the direction of Susan Glazer and graduated in 2008 with a B.F.A. During his time there he won the Choreography Award for his ballet Mendelssohn Variations. DuRron has also danced with Nashville Ballet and Missouri Ballet Theatre in St Louis. This is DuRron's first season with PBT.

Nathan Cottam
Principal

Nathan became involved in ballet while completing a bachelor's degree in Sociology. He recently graduated from the University of Arizona with a Master of Fine Arts in dance. Nathan served as the Dance Director for Legacy Dance Theater's 2008 production of Pioneer Legacy and performed in China on tour with Kim Robards Dance. Nathan moved to the Bay Area recently and joined PBT in the spring of 2010.

Michael Dunsmore
Soloist

From Anchorage, Alaska, Michael was trained by world renown instructors Jian Min Hao, Andrei Bossov, Suzanne Farrell, and Gennady Seluitsky, and was the first American male accepted to the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet's full program, in St. Petersburg, Russia.  He has performed and choreographed for Ballet Tucson, and Ballet Idaho, dancing roles including Von Rothbart in Swan Lake, Blue Boy in Frederick Ashton's Les Patineurs, Antony Tudor's Continuo, and directed Ballet Idaho's Ballet Innovations. This is Michael's first season with PBT.

Patricia Dwyer
Corps de Ballet

Patricia is thrilled to be back with PBT after a long hiatus. During the interim she has been performing with various bay area musical theatre companies and dancing as a guest artist with her husband John whom she would like to thank for all his love and support as she follows her dancing ambitions. Most of Patricia's training was with the California Ballet in San Diego and Marymount Manhattan College in New York. She has danced with various ballet companies in New York, Colorado and California.

Lindsey Fitzmorris
Soloist

Lindsey is a native of New Orleans. She began her training with Constantin Apetrei and spent her summers studying at The Washington School of Ballet, and on scholarship at The Boston Ballet and Ballet Magnificat. She is a Highest Artistic Honors graduate of New Orleans Center for Creative Arts and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance. This is Lindsey's second season with Peninsula Ballet Theatre.

Chelsea Hix
Soloist

Chelsea began her ballet training at Sebastopol Ballet School and went on to train at the Academy of International Ballet in Philadelphia. She has performed and toured with International Ballet Classique and Connecticut Ballet, and she joined Peninsula Ballet Theatre in 2007. Chelsea has also performed with Oakland Ballet, Ballet Santa Barbara, and as a guest artist throughout the Bay Area. She has also recently completed her BA in English and French from Sonoma State University.

Jacob Kreamer
Principal

Jacob began training at Contra Costa Ballet. He went on to study with Pacific Northwest Ballet, San Francisco Ballet And Pittsburgh Ballet. He has danced professionally at Peninsula Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet, Richmond Ballet and prior to joining the newly returning Oakland Ballet in 2007, he was one of the original dance members of Company C Contemporary Ballet. When Jacob is not preparing for shows he enjoys training in mixed martial arts.

Anna Kroeker
Corps de Ballet

Anna began her training at Ballet San Jose School studying ballet under the direction of Donna Delseni and Lise la Cour. She attended the Kirov Academy of Ballet's summer and year-round program studying under Ludmilla Morkovina, Jacqueline Akhmedova, and Angelina Armeiskaya. She has performed in Esmeralda Ballet's Little Gypsies, Nutcracker's Waltz of the Flowers and Snowflakes, as well as various contemporary pieces. She recently started a dance group in April 2011. This is Anna's first performance with PBT.

Edgar Lopez Lepe
Corps de Ballet

Edgar began training at the Macuilxochitl School of the Ballet Folklorico. He went on to study in summer programs at U de G, and the Academy of Ballet of San Francisco where he began his Classical Ballet training after obtaining a scholarship. Edgar has performed neoclassical pieces by Richard Gibson and Zory Karah, including some works from Balanchine. He has also performed in musical theater shows. This is Edgar's second season appearance with PBT.

David Ligon
Principal

David was born in Dallas, TX and raised in Columbia, SC. He started his ballet training with William Starrett at Columbia City Ballet. He attended the SC Governor's School for the Arts training with Stanislav Issaev and Robert Barnett. At 16 he was invited to the San Francisco Ballet School and the following year joined the professional division of the Pacific Northwest Ballet in Seattle, WA. In 2005 he joined Bruce Steivel's Nevada Ballet Theater.

Amelia Marciano
Corps de Ballet

Amelia began training at Ballet Theater Arts in Alamo, CA, where she performed numerous solos in the Nutcracker, Don Quixote and others. At 17, Amelia joined Victor Kabaniaev and Tina Bonsthedt's Diablo Ballet Apprentice Program and performed several contemporary and classical repetoire pieces, including two of Nikolai Kabaniaev's world premieres. Upon graduating with honors, Amelia apprenticed with Company C Contemporary Ballet. This is Amelia's second season with PBT.

Cason MacBride
Corps de Ballet

Cason currently performs with the acclaimed contact dance company Scott Wells & Dancers and the nationally known clown troupe Fou FouHa! in San Francisco. He recently danced in the IZZIE award winning performance of What Men Want and teaches Acro-Dance and Free Falling courses in Emeryville. Cason Joined PBT in the spring of 2010.

Norberto Martinez
Corps de Ballet

Norberto was born in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. Norberto is trained in modern dance and classical ballet as well as Mexican Folk Dance. He has performed professionally in Europe, South America, Mexico and the United States as a principal dancer of Jorge Faz Dance Company and Ballet Foklorico from the University of Merida Yucatan in Mexico. He has the prestigious honor of being one of the Resident Choreographers of The Presidio Dance Theater under the Direction of Sherene Melania.

Amanda McGovern
Soloist

Amanda, a native of Petaluma, Ca., received her training from Deborah Palesch and Ann Derby. She danced for Nevada Ballet Theatre, with Bruce Steivel, for three seasons. Amanda toured nationally and internationally with Moving Arts Dance, Lisbon Dance Company of Portugal, Oakland Ballet and Sacramento Ballet. She has also worked with KUNST-STOFF and Robert Moses. She teaches Gyrotonic and pre-ballet. Amanda received her BA from St. Mary's College.

Molly Miller
Corps de Ballet

Molly was born in Kodiak, Alaska. She started dancing in Kodiak and went on to train at the School of Alberta Ballet in Calgary, Arc school of Ballet in Seattle, and Dance Theatre of Harlem in New York City. This is Molly's first season with PBT.

Leilani Neal
Corps de Ballet

Leilani began her training at The Dance Network in Fairfield, Ca under Melinda Neal. She has spent her summers studying with Contra Costa Ballet, Oakland Ballet, and scholar-shipped with Lines Ballet. She graduated from San Francisco School of the Arts out of the dance department in 2011 and currently trains with Richard Gibson at Academy of Ballet. She has performed works by Louis Napoles, Gregory Dawson, Richard Gibson, and Carmen Rozenstraten. This is her first season with PBT.

Melinda Neal
Corps de Ballet

Melinda Neal has performed with contemporary and classical companies including New Trails Dance Theatre, Udance Electra, Civic Ballet, Oakland Ballet Academy, and as a guest artist with California Youth Ballet. She was a founding member of Napoles Ballet Theatre. Melinda co-owned "The Dance Network" in Fairfield, Ca. and was Artistic Director of Halal Ballet Theatre. She will graduate from St. Mary's College LEAP program with a BFA in dance in 2010.

Nora Roach
Corps de Ballet

Nora began her training with City Ballet School, in San Francisco, with Damara Bennett and Henry Berg. There, she became a member of Bay Area Youth Ballet, performing across the U.S. In 2007, she graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a BFA in Dance, studying under David Allen, Leslie Peck, and Donald McKayle. She has since danced with Michael Lowe at Black Diamond Ballet Theater, and is in her third year with Peninsula Ballet Theatre.

Pattie Stafford
Corps de Ballet

Pattie began her ballet training at the Clytie Adams School of Ballet in Utah.  She attended summer programs with Ballet West and the Jillana School.  She continued her ballet training on scholarship at the University of Utah, and was later promoted to the Utah Ballet Company her freshman year where she performed in the corps de ballet and as a soloist.  She was also selected to dance the "slave girl" in the Utah Opera's production of Aida.  This is her first season with PBT.  Pattie also travels the world for United Airlines, and started her own business teaching yoga and dance.

Jennifer Torrano
Corps de Ballet

Jennifer was born in San Francisco, CA and received most of her ballet training from Zoltan Peter and Carmela Zegerelli.  She performed professionally with local companies for 4 years before taking an extended hiatus from dance in which she received her BS with Honors from UC Davis in Psychobiology.  Jennifer rediscovered her love of performing and has spent the past year in extensive retraining.  She would like to thank Bruce Steivel and Nathan Cottam for their support and encouragement.  Jennifer is also a Mommy and Me and Pre-Ballet teacher at PBT Conservatory of Dance.

Alexandra Venter
Corps de Ballet

Alexandra has studied ballet for over 15 years, with the majority of her training coming from South Bay Dance Center. She has attended various summer programs, including Boston Ballet. Alexandra has guest starred as the Sugar Plum Fairy at Brentwood Ballet Theater, and in 2008 performed as the Sugar Plum Fairy for Chambersburg Ballet in Pennsylvania. She has performed such roles as Princess Florine, Snow Queen, Cinderella, Butterfly, and Sugar Plum Fairy, all before turning eighteen.

Reina Victoria
Corps de Ballet

Reina began her formal training with the Westlake School for the Performing Arts (WSPA) in Daly City. She has performed lead roles in the Nutcracker, Paquita, Don Quixote, La Bayadere, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White. In 2007, she participated in the Aberdeen International Youth Festival in Scotland and in 2008, the International Youth Dance Festival in Macau, China. This is Reina's first time performing with a professional ballet company and she thanks PBT for a wonderful first season.

Alessandra Yrure
Corp de Ballet

Alessandra recently graduated from Butler University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance Pedagogy, with Honors.  She received her early training from Ballet San Jose's school under the direction of Dennis Nahat and Lise la Cour.  During her time there, she had the privilege of performing corps roles with their professional company.  Currently, Alessandra teaches ballet at several dance schools in the South Bay.  This is her first season with PBT.