2023/2024 Season > Dancers > Lilly Leech Hometown Cedarburg, Wisconsin Seasons with LAB 2022/2023, 2023/2024 Lilly Leech (she/her) started her ballet training at Milwaukee Ballet School under School Director Rolando Yanes and then Ballet Chicago under Daniel Duell and Patricia Blair. Lilly went on to earn a degree of Bachelor of Science in Ballet at Indiana University in the Jacobs School of Music. There she trained with faculty members Michael Vernon, Kyra Nichols, Sarah Wroth, Christian Claessens, Sasha Janes, and Carla Körbes. She attended summer programs at Chautauqua under Patricia McBride and Jean-Pierre Bonnefoux and Jacob’s Pillow under Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. Lilly has danced repertoire by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, William Forsythe, Sasha Janes, Christopher Wheldon, and Melissa Barak. She is very excited to be dancing in her second year with Los Angeles Ballet under Artistic Director Melissa Barak MEET THE DANCERS LOS ANGELES BALLET Repertoire Learn about the comprehensive and varied seasons of Los Angeles Ballet since its debut in 2006. Repertoire includes stunning classical ballets, exceptional stagings of Balanchine repertory, and relevant works by many of today’s most innovative dance-makers. VIEW REPERTOIRE LOS ANGELES BALLET 2023/2024 Season This season includes exciting works by master choreographers Justin Peck, Hans van Manen, Yuri Possokhov and George Balanchine, and another world premiere by LAB Artistic Director, Melissa Barak. Plus, LA's holiday favorite, The Nutcracker. Subscriptions and Single Tickets on Sale Now! DOWNLOAD SEASON BROCHURE

2023/2024 Season > Dancers > Kate Inoue Hometown Rancho Palos Verdes, CA Seasons with LAB 2019/2020, 2021/2022, 2022/2023, 2023/2024 Kate joined LAB in 2020 and has danced the featured roles of Aurora and Princess Florine in The Sleeping Beauty , Marie in The Nutcracker , Nichette in Val Caniparoli’s The Lady of the Camellias , and in productions such as Bloom by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, as well as Christopher Wheeldon’s Morphoses and Fool’s Paradise . She trained in the Professional Division at Pacific Northwest Ballet and at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet under directorship of Marcia Dale Weary and Darla Hoover. Her early training includes at Palos Verdes Ballet and Etoile Ballet School in Osaka, Japan. She was awarded second place at the Crea Ballet Competition in Hamamatsu, Japan in 2017. MEET THE DANCERS LOS ANGELES BALLET Repertoire Learn about the comprehensive and varied seasons of Los Angeles Ballet since its debut in 2006. Repertoire includes stunning classical ballets, exceptional stagings of Balanchine repertory, and relevant works by many of today’s most innovative dance-makers. VIEW REPERTOIRE LOS ANGELES BALLET 2023/2024 Season This season includes exciting works by master choreographers Justin Peck, Hans van Manen, Yuri Possokhov and George Balanchine, and another world premiere by LAB Artistic Director, Melissa Barak. Plus, LA's holiday favorite, The Nutcracker. Subscriptions and Single Tickets on Sale Now! DOWNLOAD SEASON BROCHURE

2023/2024 Season > Dancers > Abigail Gross Hometown ​ Seasons with LAB 2023/2024 Bio Available Shortly MEET THE DANCERS LOS ANGELES BALLET Repertoire Learn about the comprehensive and varied seasons of Los Angeles Ballet since its debut in 2006. Repertoire includes stunning classical ballets, exceptional stagings of Balanchine repertory, and relevant works by many of today’s most innovative dance-makers. VIEW REPERTOIRE LOS ANGELES BALLET 2023/2024 Season This season includes exciting works by master choreographers Justin Peck, Hans van Manen, Yuri Possokhov and George Balanchine, and another world premiere by LAB Artistic Director, Melissa Barak. Plus, LA's holiday favorite, The Nutcracker. Subscriptions and Single Tickets on Sale Now! DOWNLOAD SEASON BROCHURE

2023/2024 Season > Dancers > Simon Zinabu Costello Hometown South Bend, IN Seasons with LAB 2023/2024 Simon Zinabu Costello received his initial training at the Southhold Dance Theatre in Indiana where he danced Hillarion in Giselle , Franz in Coppelia , Cavalier in The Nutcracker , and Prince Desire in The Sleeping Beauty . He received full summer scholarships to American Ballet Theatre, School of American Ballet, and Colorado Ballet. In 2015, he placed first in Pas de Deux and third in Classical variation at YAGP receiving a full scholarship to train at Palucca University of Dance in Dresden, Germany. He has worked with Erica Fischbach, Matthew West, Jock Soto, and Carlos Acosta among others. Simon danced with Colorado Ballet for five seasons and most recently with Chadash Contemporary Dance Movement. His favorite roles to date include Prince in The Nutcracker , Albrecht in Giselle , and Roasted Swan in Carmina Burana . MEET THE DANCERS LOS ANGELES BALLET Repertoire Learn about the comprehensive and varied seasons of Los Angeles Ballet since its debut in 2006. Repertoire includes stunning classical ballets, exceptional stagings of Balanchine repertory, and relevant works by many of today’s most innovative dance-makers. VIEW REPERTOIRE LOS ANGELES BALLET 2023/2024 Season This season includes exciting works by master choreographers Justin Peck, Hans van Manen, Yuri Possokhov and George Balanchine, and another world premiere by LAB Artistic Director, Melissa Barak. Plus, LA's holiday favorite, The Nutcracker. Subscriptions and Single Tickets on Sale Now! DOWNLOAD SEASON BROCHURE

2023/2024 Season > Dancers > Jacob Soltero Hometown Las Cruces, New Mexico Seasons with LAB 2022/2023, 2023/2024 Jacob started dancing at the age of thirteen with Peninsula Dance Theater in 2016 in Bremerton, WA, where he trained for four years through his high school years. Throughout his school years, he trained on full-tuition scholarships during the summer at Pacific Northwest Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and Chautauqua Institution. He has participated in dance festivals, such as Regional Dance America and The Ballet Alliance where Peninsula Dance Theatre was able to perform and work with excellent faculty. For two years, Jacob was a Professional Division student with Pacific Northwest Ballet for the years 2020-2022, where he got to perform with the company in a myriad of productions, such as George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker and Kent Stowell’s Swan Lake . Throughout his training as a Professional Division student, he had the opportunity to travel during the summers to work with renowned faculty, such as Patricia McBride, at Chautauqua Institution. There, he received coaching and performance opportunities in Principal roles in an array of ballets, such as George Balanchine’s Tarantella, Who Cares? , and Raymonda Variations . During his time at Pacific Northwest Ballet, he worked with premier faculty, such as Peter Boal and Jonathan Porretta, where he got to take classes with the company and perform in mixed-repertoire programs, such as Next Step , where the Professional Division students were choreographed on by the company. Jacob joined Los Angeles Ballet in 2022 as a Company Member. In his first year as a professional dancer with Los Angeles Ballet, he performed in Russian and Harlequin in The Nutcracker, as well as danced in Val Caniparoli’s Lady of the Camellias . Throughout the season, he learned a diverse repertoire, such as the work of Christopher Wheeldon, and has worked with Artistic Director Melissa Barak on new choreography for the company’s repertoire. Jacob started dancing at the age of thirteen with Peninsula Dance Theater in 2016 in Bremerton, WA, where he trained for four years through his high school years. Throughout his school years, he trained on full-tuition scholarships during the summer at Pacific Northwest Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and Chautauqua Institution. He has participated in dance festivals, such as Regional Dance America and The Ballet Alliance where Peninsula Dance Theatre was able to perform and work with excellent faculty. For two years, Jacob was a Professional Division student with Pacific Northwest Ballet for the years 2020-2022, where he got to perform with the company in a myriad of productions, such as George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker and Kent Stowell’s Swan Lake . Throughout his training as a Professional Division student, he had the opportunity to travel during the summers to work with renowned faculty, such as Patricia McBride, at Chautauqua Institution. There, he received coaching and performance opportunities in Principal roles in an array of ballets, such as George Balanchine’s Tarantella, Who Cares? , and Raymonda Variations . During his time at Pacific Northwest Ballet, he worked with premier faculty, such as Peter Boal and Jonathan Porretta, where he got to take classes with the company and perform in mixed-repertoire programs, such as Next Step , where the Professional Division students were choreographed on by the company. Jacob joined Los Angeles Ballet in 2022 as a Company Member. In his first year as a professional dancer with Los Angeles Ballet, he performed in Russian and Harlequin in The Nutcracker, as well as danced in Val Caniparoli’s Lady of the Camellias . Throughout the season, he learned a diverse repertoire, such as the work of Christopher Wheeldon, and has worked with Artistic Director Melissa Barak on new choreography for the company’s repertoire. MEET THE DANCERS LOS ANGELES BALLET Repertoire Learn about the comprehensive and varied seasons of Los Angeles Ballet since its debut in 2006. Repertoire includes stunning classical ballets, exceptional stagings of Balanchine repertory, and relevant works by many of today’s most innovative dance-makers. VIEW REPERTOIRE LOS ANGELES BALLET 2023/2024 Season This season includes exciting works by master choreographers Justin Peck, Hans van Manen, Yuri Possokhov and George Balanchine, and another world premiere by LAB Artistic Director, Melissa Barak. Plus, LA's holiday favorite, The Nutcracker. Subscriptions and Single Tickets on Sale Now! DOWNLOAD SEASON BROCHURE

2023/2024 Season > Dancers > Jonas Tutaj Hometown Chicago, Illinois Seasons with LAB 2022/2023, 2023/2024 Bio Available Shortly MEET THE DANCERS LOS ANGELES BALLET Repertoire Learn about the comprehensive and varied seasons of Los Angeles Ballet since its debut in 2006. Repertoire includes stunning classical ballets, exceptional stagings of Balanchine repertory, and relevant works by many of today’s most innovative dance-makers. VIEW REPERTOIRE LOS ANGELES BALLET 2023/2024 Season This season includes exciting works by master choreographers Justin Peck, Hans van Manen, Yuri Possokhov and George Balanchine, and another world premiere by LAB Artistic Director, Melissa Barak. Plus, LA's holiday favorite, The Nutcracker. Subscriptions and Single Tickets on Sale Now! DOWNLOAD SEASON BROCHURE

2023/2024 Season > Dancers > Aviva Gelfer-Mundl Hometown Orange County, California Seasons with LAB 2023/2024 Aviva Gelfer-Mundl was born in Fullerton, Southern California, and began her ballet training at age 10. By age 12, she won the Gold Medal at the Youth America Grand Prix, NYC Finals, which allowed her to study, on scholarship, at Canada’s National Ballet School. In 2018, Gelfer-Mundl was the only American to win a Prize at the prestigious Prix de Lausanne competition granting a scholarship to study at the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia. Later that year, she became the Grand Prize winner in the Music Center Spotlight Awards and was awarded 2nd Prize at the VII Vaganova Prix International Ballet Competition. In 2020, she joined Boston Ballet II. While a student, she has performed soloist roles at some of the world’s most renowned theaters- David H. Koch Theater, Walt Disney Hall, Mariinsky Theatre, Boston Opera House, and with National Ballet of Canada. In June 2023, Aviva performed in the World Premier of Melissa Barak’s critically acclaimed Memoryhouse . She is elated to have joined Los Angeles Ballet for the company’s 2023-2024 season. MEET THE DANCERS LOS ANGELES BALLET Repertoire Learn about the comprehensive and varied seasons of Los Angeles Ballet since its debut in 2006. Repertoire includes stunning classical ballets, exceptional stagings of Balanchine repertory, and relevant works by many of today’s most innovative dance-makers. VIEW REPERTOIRE LOS ANGELES BALLET 2023/2024 Season This season includes exciting works by master choreographers Justin Peck, Hans van Manen, Yuri Possokhov and George Balanchine, and another world premiere by LAB Artistic Director, Melissa Barak. Plus, LA's holiday favorite, The Nutcracker. Subscriptions and Single Tickets on Sale Now! DOWNLOAD SEASON BROCHURE

2023/2024 Season > Dancers > Poppy Coleman Hometown Portland, Oregon Seasons with LAB 2022/2023, 2023/2024 Bio Available Shortly MEET THE DANCERS LOS ANGELES BALLET Repertoire Learn about the comprehensive and varied seasons of Los Angeles Ballet since its debut in 2006. Repertoire includes stunning classical ballets, exceptional stagings of Balanchine repertory, and relevant works by many of today’s most innovative dance-makers. VIEW REPERTOIRE LOS ANGELES BALLET 2023/2024 Season This season includes exciting works by master choreographers Justin Peck, Hans van Manen, Yuri Possokhov and George Balanchine, and another world premiere by LAB Artistic Director, Melissa Barak. Plus, LA's holiday favorite, The Nutcracker. Subscriptions and Single Tickets on Sale Now! DOWNLOAD SEASON BROCHURE

2023/2024 Season > Dancers > Shintaro Akana Hometown Osaka, Japan Seasons with LAB 2022/2023, 2023/ 2024 Shintaro Akana, a remarkable ballet dancer, has left an indelible mark on the world of dance with his exceptional talent and dedication. Hailing from Japan, he burst onto the international ballet scene with a flurry of accolades. In 2019, at the NBA National Ballet Competition in Japan, he claimed the coveted 1st prize, surpassing over a thousand participants with his mesmerizing performances. This was just one of the many milestones on his journey, as he had previously won an invitation to the New York City Finals at the Youth America Grand Prix in 2017 and made waves as a semi-finalist at the prestigious Prix de Lausanne in 2016, securing a scholarship for his exceptional abilities. Mr. Akana's ballet journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. He honed his craft at esteemed institutions like the Ballettschule Theater Basel, where he received a scholarship from 2016 to 2018. Prior to that, he trained with K-Ballet and even had the privilege of joining The Royal Ballet School's Ballet School in 2013. With a versatile career spanning companies such as the Homura Tomoi Ballet Company from 2018 to 2019, and currently the Los Angeles Ballet since 2023, where Mr. Akana continues to enchant audiences worldwide with his grace, skill, and passion for ballet. MEET THE DANCERS LOS ANGELES BALLET Repertoire Learn about the comprehensive and varied seasons of Los Angeles Ballet since its debut in 2006. Repertoire includes stunning classical ballets, exceptional stagings of Balanchine repertory, and relevant works by many of today’s most innovative dance-makers. VIEW REPERTOIRE LOS ANGELES BALLET 2023/2024 Season This season includes exciting works by master choreographers Justin Peck, Hans van Manen, Yuri Possokhov and George Balanchine, and another world premiere by LAB Artistic Director, Melissa Barak. Plus, LA's holiday favorite, The Nutcracker. Subscriptions and Single Tickets on Sale Now! DOWNLOAD SEASON BROCHURE

2023/2024 Season > Dancers > Anna Jacobs Hometown Far Hills, New Jersey Seasons with LAB 2022/2023, 2023/2024 Bio Available Shortly MEET THE DANCERS LOS ANGELES BALLET Repertoire Learn about the comprehensive and varied seasons of Los Angeles Ballet since its debut in 2006. Repertoire includes stunning classical ballets, exceptional stagings of Balanchine repertory, and relevant works by many of today’s most innovative dance-makers. VIEW REPERTOIRE LOS ANGELES BALLET 2023/2024 Season This season includes exciting works by master choreographers Justin Peck, Hans van Manen, Yuri Possokhov and George Balanchine, and another world premiere by LAB Artistic Director, Melissa Barak. Plus, LA's holiday favorite, The Nutcracker. Subscriptions and Single Tickets on Sale Now! DOWNLOAD SEASON BROCHURE

2023/2024 Season > Dancers > Brigitte Edwards Hometown San Diego, California Seasons with LAB 2019/2020, 2021/2022, 2022/2023, 2023/2024 Brigitte Edwards began her dance training at the age of 6 at California Ballet School in San Diego. While dancing at CBS, she spent five summers training at the School of American Ballet, in New York City, from 2011-2015. She was offered a position to join the California Ballet Company in 2014 and danced as a member of the Corps de Ballet for two years. After competing and placing in the Youth American Grand Prix in 2016, Brigitte was invited to join Ballet West as a trainee. Brigitte was promoted to Ballet West 2 in 2018 where she performed in many classical and contemporary works, including featured roles in Balanchine’s Walpurgisnacht , Nicolo Fonte’s Piece of My Heart , and Elena Kunikova’s Divertimento . Brigitte also teaches ballet at local studios in addition to studying to receive her bachelor’s degree in business. MEET THE DANCERS LOS ANGELES BALLET Repertoire Learn about the comprehensive and varied seasons of Los Angeles Ballet since its debut in 2006. Repertoire includes stunning classical ballets, exceptional stagings of Balanchine repertory, and relevant works by many of today’s most innovative dance-makers. VIEW REPERTOIRE LOS ANGELES BALLET 2023/2024 Season This season includes exciting works by master choreographers Justin Peck, Hans van Manen, Yuri Possokhov and George Balanchine, and another world premiere by LAB Artistic Director, Melissa Barak. Plus, LA's holiday favorite, The Nutcracker. Subscriptions and Single Tickets on Sale Now! DOWNLOAD SEASON BROCHURE

2023/2024 Season > Dancers > Santiago Paniagua Hometown Boston, Massachusetts Seasons with LAB 2021/2022, 2022/2023, 2023/2024 Santiago started dancing at the age of 8 through Boston Ballet's inner city outreach program 'Citydance.' He joined Boston Ballet School soon after and completed his training at 18. He then joined Philadelphia Ballet 2 and was promoted to Apprentice after two years. Santiago joined Los Angeles Ballet in 2021 and is currently dancing his third season with the company. MEET THE DANCERS LOS ANGELES BALLET Repertoire Learn about the comprehensive and varied seasons of Los Angeles Ballet since its debut in 2006. Repertoire includes stunning classical ballets, exceptional stagings of Balanchine repertory, and relevant works by many of today’s most innovative dance-makers. VIEW REPERTOIRE LOS ANGELES BALLET 2023/2024 Season This season includes exciting works by master choreographers Justin Peck, Hans van Manen, Yuri Possokhov and George Balanchine, and another world premiere by LAB Artistic Director, Melissa Barak. Plus, LA's holiday favorite, The Nutcracker. Subscriptions and Single Tickets on Sale Now! DOWNLOAD SEASON BROCHURE