Guest Artists

Katherine Wells – Sugar Plum Fairy

Katherine Wells was born in Mountain View, California where she began her ballet training at the age of 13. She has attended Western Ballet and Joffrey Ballet School as well as summer programs with American Ballet Theater and Victoria Morgan. Katherine began her professional career with Mark Foehringer Dance Project as a founding member. She has also performed with Colorado Ballet and Oakland Ballet where she had the opportunity do works by choreographers such as Robert Moses, Dwight Rhoden, Robert Henry Johnson, Val Caniparoli, Betsey Erickson, Balanchine, Ashton, De Mille, and Petipa. In 2003 Katherine was thrilled to join Robert Moses’ Kin, a modern dance company based in San Francisco.

Jekyns Pelaez – Cavalier

Jekyns Pelaez began his studies at Incolballet in his birthplace of Cali, Colombia. He danced with Ballet De Cali, Ballet Arizona, Chautauqua Ballet, Ohio Ballet and others before joining Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley. He has also toured extensively throughout the United States, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Cuba (XIII Festival de Ballet de la Habana), and the International Children’s Festival. His repertoire includes Nutcracker, Carmen, Cinderella, Lilac Garden, Rodeo, Giselle, Don Quixote, Carmina Burana, Serenade, La Fille Mal Gardee, Coppélia, Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, Flames of Paris, Napoli, le Corsaire, Esplanade, and Hymn for Her.

Eliezer Rabello – The Nutcracker Prince

Eliezer Rabello born and raised in Brazil, beginning his dance training in the capital city Manaus. He has trained and performed with Conceicao Souza (Artistic Director of Grupo Espaco de Danca do Amazonas), GEDAM (pioneer Modern Dance Company in the State of Amazon), Teatro Americo Alvarez, Cia. de Danca SESC, and the Amazon Opera House company Corpo de Danca do Amazonas. Mr. Rabello also was invited by the Secretary of Cultura e Turismo do Amazonas to direct and teach at Ballet de Camara do Palacio Rio Negro and Centro Cultural Claudio Santoro.

Mr. Rabello was founder and director of the Cia. Ballet da Barra school and dance company. The Cia. Ballet da Barra has performed Mr. Rabello’s version of The Nutcracker for three years at the renowned Opera House Amazonas Theatre. His other choreographies include Tangos, Retrato de Mulher, and Fragmentos Amorosos, which are still being performing by Cia. Ballet da Barra, and Elenco Alternativo de Danca. Along his career Mr. Rabello has awarded Silver and Bronze Medals in dance seminars in Brasil such as the Festival de Danca do Mercosul em Bento Goncalves in 1995-97 and IX Seminario International de Danca de Brasilia in 1999.

Presently in Los Angeles, Mr. Rabello has performed with American Repertory Dance Company, Bale Folclorico do Brasil, Project 21, and Kin Dance Co. He is currently working as ballet/modern dance teacher at The Dance Connection and the Lake Arrowhead School of Dance, and teaching and performing with the Lula Washington Dance Theatre. His most recent project was as Assistant Choreographer for Robert Gilliam in Graffiti with funding by California DanceMaker Grants, a program funded by The James Irvine Foundation and administered by Dance/USA.

Armando Neri – Spanish

Señor Neri, a native of San Bernardino, California, is an accomplished artist in the dance form of Flamenco. He began his Flamenco studies at an early age with Eduardo Cansino (father of Rita Hayworth) and various members of the Cansino Family. He became a member of the Luisa Triana Dance Company and traveled throughout the United States and Canada as a featured dancer in that company. During the last several years, he has been associated with Lupe Del Rio, teacher/dancer in Hollywood, who for ten years was the lead female dancer for Jose Greco.

Luigi de Nuñez – Spanish

Luigi began his Flamenco training with Armando Neri at the age of thirteen. For several seasons, he appeared in the Mexican-American Pageant at Valley College of San Bernardino with Señor Neri’s company Los Flamencos. He continued his studies with Lupe Del Rio in Hollywood during which time he performed on the Walt Disney Channel. Other performances have been in the musical production of Luisa Fernanda with opera singer Hernan Pelayo at the Downey Opera House, and in the San Bernardino Civic Light Opera’s production of The Man of La Mancha as Jose. He has also appeared as a guest artist with Margo and her Dance Company.

Raymond Genato – Mouse King

Also: Parent

Born in the Philippines, Ray has been dancing for more than a decade. This year marks his return to the Lake Arrowhead Classical Ballet Company. A veteran of over 5 years with the company, Ray has danced the roles of the Nutcracker Prince, Arabian, Trepak, and Toy Soldier. This year he reprises his role as the swashbuckling Mouse King.

An accomplished dancer, actor, and choreographer, Ray danced at the University of California, Irvine, where he studied under the careful tutelage of dance masters Israel “El” Gabriel, James Penrod, and Donald McKayle. He has performed such modern dance classics as McKayle’s Games and Album Leaves, and Sophie Maslow’s The Village I Knew. Ray’s theatre and stage credits include Evita, West Side Story, and Me and My Girl. He has also been cast for roles in Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet.

David Blake – Arabian

Born in Jamaica, David has been dancing for more than a decade, having been trained in Ballet, Horton Technique, Graham Technique, Cuban Folk, Cuban Modern, Jazz and Afro-Caribbean through the Cathy Levy Players and Edna Manley College (Jamaica). He is a member of the internationally renowned National Dance Theatre Company of Jamaica and has toured extensively throughout the Caribbean, United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

His performing career has also included charitable work through the Missionaries of the Poor where he has participated in musicals staged in Jamaica, the Caribbean, the United States, and Europe to raise funds for the poor and destitute in Jamaica, Philippines, Haiti, India, and Uganda.

Currently he resides in California and is a senior at the California State University, San Bernardino where he is pursuing a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing. David has choreographed and taught Modern/Jazz technique for the Cal State University Dance Company. In 2003, he was chosen to teach modern technique at the annual High School Theatre Arts Festival in San Bernardino.

In California, David has not only found a medium where he can showcase his talents but at the same time hone his skills. He is the Rehearsal Director and performer of Project 21 Dance Consortium in Los Angeles and has performed at the Ivar Theatre in Hollywood Spectrum 2003 and at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood Dancing on My Soul.

His most recent projects include an appearance as guest performer at the University of California, Irvine Graduate Concert New Slate, guest performer with Dance Company Jazz Antiqua at the historic Alex Theatre in Glendale Dance Celebration paying homage to jazz legend John Coltrane, and at the Ryerson Theatre in Toronto, Canada Jesus 2000.