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Ballet East Dance Theatre"Bringing art to the community and the community to the arts" |
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The Company
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Rodolfo Mendez - Artistic Director Melissa Villarreal - Assistant Artistic Director
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Megan Beronio
Funmilayo Hill
Angela Johnson
Eliza Kaiser 
Julia Langenberg
Elizabeth Palmer
Lucia Rodriguez
Megan Beronio is dancing her sixth season with Ballet East Dance Theatre. She has most recently understudied in a performance of Cabaret at the Zachary Scott Theater this summer. Megan is continuing her study in Gyrokinesis and is graduating with an Associates Degree from Austin Community College this fall. She started her training in dance and performance at Karen & Donna’s School of Dance, in Killeen, Texas where she was born and raised. Megan has also attended many intensive workshops, and technique classes from Dallas, Texas to New York City, New York, and has worked with a variety of talented choreographers.
Amberlee Cantrell began studying ballet under the direction of Neil and Camille Hess when she was seven years old. She performed with the Lone Star Ballet for thirteen years during which time she danced in "The Nutcracker", with Dallas Black Dance Theatre, in the Southwest Regional Ballet Festival, and in many outreach performances for the Greater Amarillo area. She went on to study dance at the University of North Texas where she received her B.A. There she studied under the direction of Dr. Jim Clouoser, Shelly Kushman, Arlene Sugano, and Sabrina Patterson. While attending the university she received many dance scholarships as well as being given the Academic Award and the University Ambassador for the Dance Department. She performed in productions of "A Chorus Line", "Fiddler on the Roof", "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum", and took two original pieces of choreography to the American College Dance Festival. Since graduating college, Amberlee has danced with the world famous Radio City Rockettes in their "Christmas Spectacular". This is Amberlee's second season with Ballet East and while she enjoys teaching at local studios, she is very excited to be performing again.
Funmilayo Hill received a BA in Dance from the University of Hawaii in 2001. Upon graduation she moved to New York where she was an intern at both Movement Research and the Djoniba Dance and Drum center. While in NYC she worked with choreographers Mark Haim, Sondra Loring and Kriota Wilberg. Since moving to Austin, she has danced with Ballet East Dance Theatre and Still Point Dance, and has taught at the Townlake Yoga, Pilates and Dance Studio, and the Austin Conservatory of the Arts. Fumi is also a certified Yoga instructor and a choreographer. She is currently in graduate school at Texas Woman’s University pursuing a Master of Fine Arts in performance and choreography.
Robin Hunter After living as a New Yorker for six years, Robin Hunter is pleased and proud to once again, call herself an Austinite and a member of Ballet East Dance Theatre. Her experiences in New York City were invaluable and life changing. She had the opportunity to study and work with amazing teachers and choreographers such as Regina Larkin, Carmen De Lavallade, Ron Brown, and Julie Howath. She also had the opportunity to pursue her other lifelong dream and passion – acting. She is a certified instructor of the Gyrotonic Expansion System, which she taught in NYC for five years. Her students ranged from NYC Ballet Company Members to rehabilitating elderly. She learned and grew so much while living in NYC but most importantly she met her love and life partner. Their choice to move back to Austin and be close to her amazing family and friends in Texas was made when their beautiful daughter, Azula, blessed their lives. Now she couldn’t be happier and thinks that being a Mom is the most wonderful thing she’s experienced. She is having a blast and is grateful and thrilled to have the opportunity to dance again.
Angela Johnson is dancing in her eighth season with Ballet East. In Austin, she has also performed with Stillpoint Dance, Diverse Space Dance Theater, many independent choreographers, and most recently with Zach Scott Theater in their production of Cabaret. Nationally, Angela has danced with Area 51 Dance Company in Nevada and California, and in New York City where she studied with and performed works from the Paul Taylor Dance Company. Aside from dancing, she teaches the Gyrotonic Expansion Systemâ, which enhances and compliments movement and dance. Angela is a graduate of the University of Texas, and works for Tequila Mockingbird Music and Sound Design.
Eliza Kaiser (Cincinnati, OH) Eliza began her training in Cincinnati at Le Dance Studio and later with the Anneliese Von Oettingen School of Ballet under Maki Kabayama, former dancer of the National Ballet of Canada, and the School of the Cincinnati Ballet. She has graduated with a BFA at Towson University, where she studied with Vincent Thomas of VT Dance Company, Jayne Bernasconi of AirDance Bernasconi, Stephanie Powell of The Stephanie Powell Dance Ensemble, Catherine Horta-Hayden, Dennis Price, and various other well-known dance professionals. She has danced roles in Raymonda Pas de Dix, Hidden Realities, Tapestries, Dougalga, Giselle, The Nutcracker, Ellington Suite, and Paul Taylor’s Airs. She studied classical ballet at L’Ecole de Danse Classique d’Aix en Provence in France and she also had the pleasure of working with the current top choreographer in France, Angelin Preljocaj, on her independent study of choreography during her study abroad experience. She obtained her Pilates Mat Certification from Miami University of Oxford, OH through the Exercise Science Alliance, and she has taught Pilates classes in Ohio, Maryland and while abroad in Aix-en-Provence, France. Her most recent performances were with the Towson University Dance Company, whose spring performance included the Raymonda Pas de Dix, Valse Fantaisie (George Balanchine), Airs (Paul Taylor), and Tapestry (Stephanie Powell). She was also an understudy for AirDance Bernasconi, and aerial dance troop based in Baltimore, MD, and a dancer in the Independently Tony production. Now in Austin, she is excited about her first show with Ballet East Dance Theater.
Rachel Ladov is pleased to be dancing with Ballet East again after taking a couple of years off while in graduate school. Rachel is a native of New Jersey, but calls Austin home after living her for six years. Growing up, Rachel studied ballet and various modern dance techniques, including Horton and Limon. IN August, Rachel completed her Master's in Social Work at the University of Texas. She is thrilled to be dancing again!
Julia Langenberg is a native Austinite who traveled to Minnesota for college and received a Bachelor of Music Vocal Performance degree in May 2006. After dancing with Keigwin + Company this summer, she has returned to Austin and was most recently seen in Sally Jaques' reprisal of "Requiem," an aerial dance opera on the former Intel building. This past spring, Julia was selected to collaborate with the composer Matthew K. Peterson, in creating the part of Hagar specifically tailored for her voice in the newly composed and award winning opera, "The Binding of Isaac," which will be performed in New York next year. Julia has also appeared as Marian Paroo in "The Music Man," Zora in "Ruddigore," and has been featured in countless productions with the Austin Lyric Opera, Ballet Austin, Slavin-Nadal, and St. Olaf College. Additionally, she has professionally choreographed many musicals, operas, plays, and modern dance pieces. In 2007, she will be performing with Sharir + Bustamante Danceworks, Metamorphosis Dance Ensemble, Wanderlust Dance Theater, Ballet East, and the nationally renowned choir, Conspirare.
Elizabeth Palmer was born in El Paso, Texas to a military family. She enjoyed living in six different states while she grew u, as she was able to study dance in many environments. As a child, she performed with the Colorado Ballet Company and the Tulsa Ballet Theatre in their productions of The Nutcracker. She began her formal training in high school when she studied at the Kansas City Ballet School. During that time she danced alongside the company in Swan Lake and The Nutcracker. She received her BFA in Dance Performance with a minor in cultural anthropology from Missouri State University, and her choreography was selected for the American College Dance Festival in 2004. Elizabeth is very pleased to join Ballet East for her first season.
Lucia Rodriguez earned a BFA in Dance from the University of Texas at Austin. Over the years, she has worked with a variety of choreographers & performed with a number of local companies, including Vortex Repertory Theatre, the Colonial Shakespeare Company, Dance Repertory Theatre, Johnson & Long Dance Co & Diverse Space Dance Works, to name a few. In addition to her training at the university, she has also trained in both Horton and Dunham techniques at New York’s own – Alvin Ailey School of American Dance. Lucia was also part of a small cast of fandango dancers in John Lee Hancock’s, The Alamo; & is part of the Joe Sears/Kimmie Rhodes ongoing tour. Under the instruction of coach Stewart Yaros, she has also won several first place ranks in the Summer ’05 Sapphire Ballroom Competition. This fall performance with Ballet East Dance Theatre completes her 7th season with the company. In addition to her work in dance, Lucia is also a Certified Pilates Instructor & an up & coming Yoga Instructor.
Odette Solitaire currently holds a Bachelors of Science in Nutrition and Foods but has chosen a career in Dance. She is studied in many subjects including tap, jazz, and African. She has taught dance in Austin for over 10yrs and is well respected in the dance community. She is on the judge panel for Starlight dance Co. and has taught master classes throughout the United States. This is her first season performing with Ballet East.