MEET THE CAST

 

 

CESAR LOZADA (STEPSISTER) is a language teacher who has and will always be passionate about singing. He started taking professional vocal training towards the end of his university studies beginning an incredible performing adventure. He has extensive solo experience in concerts and recitals in his native Venezuela as a gospel, jazz, tango, pop, and classical performer as well as a symphonic choir singer. He debuted as Marcello in La Bohéme, continuing with roles such as Jake in Porgy & Bess, and Melchior in Amahl and The Night Visitors, and participations in Jesus Christ Superstar as Phillip and a feature dancer in  The Pirates of Penzance.

 

DANIELLE TROYANO (FAIRY GODMOTHER)  primary training was with Sara Knight. Danielle has received scholarships to summer intensives at The Rock School, The Walnut Hill School, the HARID Conservatory, Orlando Ballet and Cincinnati Ballet. She has also received training from the Gelsey Kirkland Academy, Ellison Ballet, and Tulsa Ballet summer intensives. Danielle joined Montgomery Ballet and she remains as a guest artist with the Long Island Ballet Theater where she has danced the roles of Sugar Plum Fairy and Snow Queen in The Nutcracker under the direction of Christopher Fleming.  Danielle made her debut with the Albany Berkshire Ballet where she danced in Paula Weber’s Carmina Burana. Danielle returned this past

winter to the Berkshires for ABB's 2014 Nutcracker tour, where she alternated between the roles of Sugar Plum Fairy and Dew Drop

 

MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ   (DANCE MASTER) began ballet at the late age 14. He studied under Deborah Case at the Deborah Case Dance Academy, home of the Rio Grande Valley Ballet. He had the luxury of working with numerous instructors including Prima Ballerina Absoluta Galina Mezentseva of the Kirov Ballet, Alex Ossadnick Ballet Bordeaux (current Ballet Master of Ballet Idaho), Michael and Olga Wise of Moscow Classical, Willie Shives of Joffrey Ballet, He then began to perform with The Rio Grande Valley Ballet portraying lead roles in and touring within the state of Texas. He had the pleasure of sharing the stage with principals of the Joffrey Ballet as well as dance and partner in Carnival of the Animals with Prima Ballerina Absoluta Galina Mezantseva. Formerly a principal with the Robert Ivey Ballet, he portrayed Quasimodo in Hunchback of Notre Dame, Firebird, Scheherazade, and performs with CBT Center for Dance Education including Nutcracker and Happily Ever after.

 

NATALIE ROSSI (CINDERELLA) graduated from the pre-professional program at International City School of Ballet where she trained under the direction of George Aucoin. . She has attended several summer Intensives including Ellison Ballet and has received many awards at Youth America Grand Prix including the silver medal for her duet performance in the Ensemble/Pas de deux category and the bronze medal in the Senior Contemporary category. She also was selected by Richmond Ballet to guest perform at Charleston Ballet Theatre as Dorothy in Jill Eathorne Bahr's The Wizard of Oz, and was asked to return to CBT for another guesting, where she performed the leading female role in Happily Ever After as the Princess of Love

 

RUSLAN SPRAGUE (STEPSISTER) has been dancing with the Albany Berkshire Ballet since he was 4, cast as the change-ling in “A Midsummer’s Night Dream” all the way up to the Snow Prince in the production of “The Nutcracker”. Ruslan has also studied with Darrell Pucciarello from the Metropolitan Opera Ballet, and danced with Ballet West in Salt Lake City, Utah.

 

JESSICA ROAN VALENTINE (EVIL STEPMOTHER) began her dance training with Georgia's Valdosta Dance Theatre. She trained with the Joffrey Ballet and the Boston Ballet, and has earned her B. F. A. degree at the University of Utah where she was a scholarship member of the Utah Ballet Company. She taught at the Joffrey Ballet School in San Antonio, TX and is now a teacher for the school of the Charleston Ballet Theatre. She is well known for her youthful portrayals of Maria in The Nutcracker and Wendy in Peter Pan. And yet has performed the mature and elegant roles of Cinderella in Cinderella, Daisy in The Great Gatsby, and most recently Juliet in Romeo and Juliet. She is looking forward to returning this season and performing THE Evil Stepmother – after not dancing since the birth of her two sons, William and John David.

 

ANDRES ANGULO CASTILLO (PRINCE) was born in Cali, Colombia. He began dancing at the age of nine at the Colombian Institute for Classical Ballet. During his eight years at the school, his studies included extensive work in Ballet, Modern, Folklore and Character dance. He obtained dance degrees from Ballet-Centered, secondary and higher-level institutions where he was educated by ballet masters Gloria Castro, Rolando Candia, Maria del Carmen Echavarria, Gaetano Petrosino and Aurora Bosch as well as teachers from the National Baller of Cuba. Upon graduation, he joined Incolballet, Colombia’s premier dance Company, where he perform Principal and Soloist roles. Andres has worked with International Choreographers and has traveled to various countries to dance much of the classical repertoire.  He has been recognized by AGMA as an Artist of Extraordinary Ability

 

KATIE BADGETT (SUMMER FAIRY) was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina. After years of training, she soon found her home at the Robert Ivey Ballet School at the age of fourteen. She left for a brief period to study under of Stanislav Isseav and Irena Ushakova at the South Carolina Governor’s School for Arts and Humanities. Along the challenging road of dedication, Katie found her way in classes instructed by Alonzo King, Hernan Justo, Robert Barnett, Sandra Neels, Lloyd Whitmore,  Katie was seen last season in CBT Center for Dance Education’s Twas the Night Before Nutcracker and Happily Ever After in the Spring dancing the role of Pocahontas.

 

ALEXEY KULPIN (JESTER) Ballet was not Alexey Kulpin's first love — but you'd never know it now seeing him shine on stage as a principal dancer with the Charleston Ballet Theatre. Kulpin arrived in Charleston after what he calls "an interesting adventure" around the world dancing professionally in Russia, Israel, San Diego, and Grand Rapids, Mich. After a successful first season with the CBT, including lead roles in the Piccolo productions Firebird and A Midnight Summer's Dream, Kulpin has caught the eye of dance fans as both a talented dancer and teacher. Alexey Kulpin, is a native of St. Petersburg, Russia e has performed internationally in France, Israel, Germany, China, Poland and The Netherlands. He is the 1998 winner of the ‘Grand Prix’ of the ‘Muse of St. Petersburg’ ballet competition. He has danced with the Kransoyarsk Dance Ensemble of Serbia, St. Petersburg Opera and San Diego Ballet.