Guest Artists

Ana Lobe

Sugar Plum Fairy

A native of Havana, Cuba, Ms. Lobe studied ballet at the National School of Ballet, where she graduated in 1982 as Ballerina-Professor. Immediately she joined the National Ballet of Cuba, under the direction of Alicia Alonso, where she danced classical and contemporary repertoire. Consequently, she toured internationally with the company and participated in all International Ballet Festivals in Havana from 1982 to 1990.

Ms. Lobe was promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer in 1988. In the same year, she won Certificate as finalist in the International Ballet Competition of Varna, Bulgaria and in the 1990 International Ballet Competition of Jackson, Mississippi. As a result, she was invited to dance with the English National Ballet in London by director Ivan Nagy. Ms. Lobe danced with the company during the 1990-1991 season and participated in galas for Alicia Markova and the late Princess Diana.

During her career, Ms. Lobe has been partnered among others by Jose Manuel Carreno, Olivier Munoz, Ramon Thielen and Fernando Bujones, director of Ballet Mississippi during the season 1993-1994, while she was a member of the company.

Since 1994 she has been Principal Dancer with Cleveland San Jose Ballet, under the direction of Dennis Nahat, dancing all the lead roles in the company's classical and diverse repertoire. In addition, Ms. Lobe has participated in the PBS videotapes of the International Ballet Competition in 1990 and Blue Suede Shoes in 1996. During the 1999-2000 season she performed the title role in Roland Petit's masterpiece, Carmen.

The critics have acclaimed Ms. Lobe for her technique, musicality, presence and acting abilities — in Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Carmen, Coppelia, and Romeo and Juliet, to mention just a few of her roles.

She continues performing as a guest artist nationally and internationally. Ms. Lobe teaches master classes and workshops throughout the country, where she exposes the diversity of schools and knowledge that have been fundamental in her career. Her training in Cuba with Laura and Alicia Alonso, Loipa Araujo, and Karemia Moreno among others, Ivan Nagy in England, plus Luk de Lairres, Bujones and Dennis Nahat — all have helped to build and enrich her dancing career.

She is currently on staff at Sharron School of Dance, Royal School of Ballet and Dance Institute of the University of Akron, where she teaches ballet, stages classical repertoire, and provides new choreography for her students. In addition, Dance Institute presented the 2003 Outstanding Teacher Award in recognition of her excellence in dance education. Ms. Lobe is married, has two children, and has her residence in Medina, Ohio.

Ramon Thielen

Cavalier

Mr. Thielen was born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. He began his ballet studies at the Casa de la Cultura and continued in the Gustavo Franklin Ballet School in Caracas. He joined the Ballet Metropolitano de Caracas and later the Ballet Nuevo Mundo de Caracas under the artistic direction of Zhandra Rodriguez, where he was promoted to Principal dancer in 1991. In 1991 Mr. Thielen joined the Cleveland San Jose Ballet and received outstanding reviews for such roles as Apollo in Balanchine’s Apollo, and Raymond in Dennis Nahat’s movie Blue Suede Shoes.

In 1998 he was invited to join Dance Theater of Harlem and was promoted to principal dancer in 1999, becoming the first Hispanic man to become a principal dancer with that company. He has been featured in many principal roles in both the classical and contemporary repertoire including The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, Swan Lake, Le Corsair, Don Quixote, Carmina Burana, Mysteries and Raptures, Manifestation, The Sphinx, Ecuas, Passion of the Blood, The San Luis Woman, The Four Temperaments, Serenade, and Concerto Barroco.

As a national and international guest artist he worked with the Broadway show A Good Few Men Dancing in New York City, and Los Gigantes de la Danza in Mexico, Ballet Rox, Victoria Ballet Theater, and SENSEDANCE. He has toured and performed in Venezuela, Colombia, Curacao, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, England, Scotland, Ireland, Spain, Greece, Australia, Russia, and China.

Eliezer Rabello

The Nutcracker Prince, Waltz

Eliezer Rabello was 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.

Ray Genato

Mouse King, Trepak, Parent

Born in the Philippines, Ray has been dancing for more than a decade. A veteran of over six years with the Lake Arrowhead Classical Ballet Company, Ray has danced the roles of the Nutcracker Prince, Arabian, Trepak, and Toy Soldier. This year he reprises his roles as the swashbuckling Mouse King and in Trepak, the Russian Dance. You’ll also see him on stage as the Spanish party guest.

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 theater 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.

Jeremiah Tatum

Arabian, Waltz

Jeremiah has broad experience both on stage and in television, film, and video productions. His credits include the Lion King on Broadway, the Lion King National Tour, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Lula Washington Dance Theater, the California Dance Theater, the Santa Clarita Ballet, and the opera Tosca in Rome, Italy.

He has received numerous awards, including the Teen People “20 Teens that will change the world”, Spotlight 2000 – 1st place, NYC Dance Aliance 99 – 1st place, LA/Santa Monica Most Outstanding Student 2000, and NACCP-Actso 99 (Dance Division) – Bronze Medalist.

Jeremiah trained with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the San Francisco Ballet School, the Idyllwild Arts Academy, the Lula Washington Dance Theater, and the Dance Theater of Harlem.

He is a capable dancer in a wide variety of styles — classical ballet, modern (Horton & Dunham), jazz (funky & lyrical), West African, tap, and hip hop. Beyond this, he has skills in gymnastics and tumbling, as a choreographer, as a teacher, and in modeling.