Guest Artists

Courtney Fraga

Sugar Plum Fairy

Courtney, a native of Michigan, graduated with honors in December 2003 from Indiana University with a B.S. in Ballet Performance and Elementary Education. She is a member of the Festival Ballet in Providence, Rhode Island, in her fourth season with the company

Courtney attended the Ballet Met Dance Academy summer programs on full scholarship, and attended Boston Ballet’s summer program. Her teachers and coaches include Violette Verdy, Leslie Peck, Julie Kent and John Clifford.

Courtney’s memorable roles include Aurora’s friend in The Sleeping Beauty, Russel Spivey in The Widow’s Broom and Chocolate in The Nutcracker. This past season she danced in Rhode Island premieres of Balanchine’s Rubies, The Princess and the Pea and El Amor Brujo.

She has returned to school to study Interior Design at the Rhode Island School of Design and was married in June.

Davide Vittorino

Cavalier

A native of Italy, Davide received his advanced training as a scholarship student from the Academy Teatro Nuovo Torino, and the Royal Ballet of Flanders. He is now in his sixth season with the Festival Ballet Providence.

Professionally, Davide has danced with the ballet of Teatro Nuovo Torino, the Zürich Ballet, the Pfälztheater and the Saarlandischer Staatheater (Germany) where he performed classics, but mostly contemporary works by choreographers including Rorbert North, Hans Van Manen and Paolo Bortoluzia. Tours have included Europe, Turkey, South America, and Cuba. At 16 he was awarded a “Young Talent Prize.” Davide received Bronze and Silver prizes in International Competitions in Italy.

At Festival Ballet Providence, he has performed many principal roles including Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Cavalier in The Nutcracker, Broom in The Widow’s Broom and Basilio in Don Quixote. In December 2004 Mr. Vittorino participated in the Venezuela Del Mundo Gala, receiving an award for Excellence in Dance from the Ministry of Culture of Venezuela. Davide has performed as guest artist with Portland Ballet and other dance institutions. Last season he performed additional major roles in Rubies, Tschaikovsky Pas De Deux, 2 & 3 Part Inventions, and The Princess and the Pea.

Eliezer Rabello

The Nutcracker Prince, Arabian

Eliezer Rabello was born and raised in Brazil, beginning his dance training with the dance masters in the State of Amazonas — Conceicao Souza, Marco Venicius, and Jorge Kenedy. Eliezar also trainied with well-known teachers in South America Olga Shimasaki (National Ballet of Peru), Raul Candal (Colon Theatre of Argentina), Jair Moraes (Ballet Guaira of Brazil), and other internationally renowned teachers Ivo Karaguiorguiev (National Ballet of Sophia), and Ronald E. Brown (Alvin Ailey Dance Theater).

As a professional in Brazil, Eliezer performed with Grupo Espaco de Danca do Amazonas (GEDAM), Cia. de Danca do SESC, and Corpo de Danca do Amazonas (the resident company of Amazonas Opera House). Mr. Rabello was invited by the Department of Culture and Tourism of Amazonas State to direct and teach at Bale de Camara do Palacio Rio Negro and Centro Cultural Claudio Santoro. In 1995 Eliezer founded Cia. Ballet da Barra, a dance school and company that performed Rabello's version of The Nutcracker for three years at the famous Amazon Opera House. He also received awards in important dance festivals in Brazil such as Festival de Danca do Mercosul in Bento Goncalves from 1995 to 1997 and IX Seminario Internacional de Danca Brasilia in 1999.

Here in the USA, Eliezer worked for five years with Lula Washington Dance Theater and has been a guest artist with other companies such as the American Repertory Dance Company, Ballet Folclorico do Brasil, Project 21, Kin Dance Co., and Ballet Collective. He recently finished filming a featured role in Ford Austin's shortcut picture Tiny Dancer (not yet released).

Eliezer is currently working as a ballet and modern dance teacher at the Lake Arrowhead School of Dance and at the Studio for Performing Arts in Malibu. This is third season with the Lake Arrowhead Classical Ballet Company.

For now, Eliezer has as his most important project “to build a solid marriage with my beloved and eternal friend,” his wife Danae.

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.

Robson Tadeu

Mouse King, Trepak

Robson Tadeu is a dancer and actor from Amazonas Brazil. Mr. Tadeu began his training and performing with Grupo Independente de Teatro do Oprimido, GEDAM, Cia de Danca SESC/AM, Indios.com, Corpo de Danca do Amazonas, and Pombal Arte-Espaco Alternativo. Robson studied Ivo Karagueorguiev (National Ballet of Sophia), Ronald E. Brown (Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre) and other well known teachers in Brazil such as Liliane Benevento, Yoko Okada, and Ricardo Ordonez.

At present, Mr. Tadeu is on the staff of Secretaria de Cultura do Amazonas as Coordinator of the social project "A Cultura Ta na Rua" and Ballet Maitre of Bale Folclorico do Amazonas, where he also teaches and choreographs. Mr. Tadeu also founded his own company, Elenco Alternativo de Danca, and has been awarded with several important grants in the Brazilian cultural scene.

Here in California, Mr. Tadeu is taking class with Marat Daukayev, Reid Olson, Nader Hamed, Eliezer Rabello, and the Lake Arrowhead School of Dance. He is working as a dancer with Brockus Project Dance Company, Lions Pounce Productions, Ballet Collective LA, Bellytwins Productions, and Kemba Shannon Dance Center. He also teaches classical ballet in Jaga Dance Studio.