American Repertory Ballet

Archives: People

Erikka Reenstierna-Cates

A California native, Erikka Reenstierna-Cates (Sponsored by Catherine Granzow and Lisa Patterson) received her training under Leslie Ann Larson and Rene Daveluy. Before joining American Repertory Ballet in 2016, she previously danced with Central West Ballet, Oklahoma City Ballet, and Ballet Ireland. Reenstierna-Cates has been featured in a number of ballets in such notable roles such as Elena in Ethan Stiefel’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Caroline Bingley in Douglas Martin’s Pride and Prejudice, and Zulma and Bathilde in Stiefel and Johan Kobborg’s Giselle. She has had the privilege of performing works by renowned choreographers including George Balanchine’s Serenade, Who Cares?, and Valse Fantaisie, José Limón’s There Is A Time, Paul Taylor’s Air, Ethan Stiefel’s Wood Work, Paul Vasterling’s Peter Pan, Val Caniparoli’s Songs and Violin, Septime Webre’s Fluctuating Hemlines, Ronn Guidi’s Trois Gymnopedies, Dennis Spaight’s  Scheherazade, Kirk Peterson’s Tears of the Moon, Carmen, and Beauty and the Beast, Ryoko Tanaka’s Saudade and Hindsight, Claire Davison’s Bewitched, Stiefel’s Woodwork and VARIANTS, Amy Seiwert’s World, Interrupted and Sight Line, Caili Quan’s Circadia, Da’Von Doane’s Kaleidoscope Mind, Arthur Mitchell’s Holberg Suite, Meredith Rainey’s Intrare Forma, Stephanie Martinez’s The Time That Runs Away, and Drosselmeyer in The Nutcracker. 

Please click here to learn about dancer sponsorship opportunities. 

Miles Orvetti

Miles Orvetti grew up in Washington D.C training at the Maryland Youth Ballet and The Washington School of Ballet. As a young dancer, Miles performed in supernumerary roles at the Kennedy Center in American Ballet Theatre’s Sleeping Beauty, Royal Ballet’s Don Quixote, and other acclaimed ballet performances. After spending summers in 2019 with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and in 2020 and 2021 with San Francisco Ballet, Miles was taken into the Professional Training Division at The Washington Ballet training under Xiomara Reyes and Rinat Imaev. As a student he performed in school performances of Don Quixote, Esmerelda, Giselle’s Peasant Pas, and various other classical and contemporary works. Eventually becoming a trainee, Orvetti also performed in company roles in Septime Webre’s The Nutcracker, Julie Kent’s Swan Lake, and Julie Kent’s Sleeping Beauty as well as understudying Balanchine’s Theme and Variations.

At the Kansas City Ballet where Miles joined in 2024 as a second company member, he performed various roles in Septime Webre’s Alice in Wonderland, Devon Carney’s The Nutcracker, Anna-Marie Holmes’ Don Quixote, Lila York’s Celts, Duncan Cooper’s Forward, and at lecture demonstrations and outreach events. Miles also has had the opportunity to choreograph on other students in his works The Morning Bell and Cold Flashes Drown the Music and hopes to continue to choreograph and create in the future.

Please click here to learn about dancer sponsorship opportunities. 

Headshot by xmbphotography and Mena Brunette; editing by Megan Teat

Jonathan Benjamin

Since the completion of his Masters of Music at Rice University, Jonathan Benjamin has built a varied career as a pianist, composer, and arranger. While in Houston, he arranged, conducted and performed Gershwin pieces for Tim O’Keefe’s Fascinating Evening. For American Repertory Ballet, he has composed, orchestrated, arranged, and performed for many pieces including a restaging of Twyla Tharp”s Eight Jelly Rolls, Kirk Peterson’s Eyes That Gently Touch, Douglas Martin’s Pride and Prejudice, Ethan Stiefel’s Midsummer Night’s Dream, and most recently Luis Napoles’s Compasso. He also regularly plays at Broadway Dance and Steps Over Broadway, as well as keeping a busy freelance career throughout the Tri-State area.

Richard Moskowitz

Richard Moskowitz studied piano from an early age and began accompanying ballet classes as a teenager on Long Island and at Ballets Arts in Manhattan. During that time, he had the opportunity to play for distinguished teachers including Igor Schwezoff, Wilson Morelli, Vladimir Dokoudovsky and Nina Stroganova.

He went on to medical school, followed by surgical residencies and fellowships, and built a successful 40-year career in surgery.  While practicing medicine, he continued to hone his musicianship in his spare time.

After retiring from surgery, Richard happily returned to accompanying, once again bringing live music to the studios where he began. He now plays for Princeton Ballet School of the American Repertory Ballet, Alvin Ailey, Ballet Arts, Hofstra University and more.

Jason Bembry

Originally from Lawrenceville, New Jersey, Jason Bembry received a B.M. in Piano Performance from New York University having studied under Anthony de Mare. Jason has seen significant success, winning awards as early as age 15 and performing at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall and The Kaufman Center. As a classically trained pianist having studied music theory and composition extensively, Jason was commissioned in 2019 and 2024 to write two piano concertos for the Lawrence Middle and Intermediate School Orchestras. Debuting in 2018, Jason is also a published singer/songwriter with two pop-rock EPs and multiple electro-pop single releases this year alone. He makes a conscious effort to include his classical, jazz, and new age roots into every song he writes. As a solo-artist, Jason has played packed shows across New York, including The Bitter End, The West End Lounge, The Well, and The Delancey. With a growing fanbase across streaming services, Jason attributes his success to his classical piano training and his passion for moving others through music.

Pavel Zarukin

Pavel Zarukin earned his DMA in Musical Arts in 1985 from the St. Petersburg Conservatory in Russia, where he was also a professor from 1986 to 1991. During his studies, he was awarded second prize in the Viotti International Piano Competition in Vercelli, Italy. After immigrating to the United States, he taught piano at the Musical Arts Academy of Bucks County, as well as general and choral music at various New Jersey public schools. Currently, Pavel teaches at Christ the King Regional School in Haddonfield, New Jersey, and he is the music director at Beth David Reform Congregation in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania. He is also a staff accompanist at the American Repertory Ballet/Princeton Ballet School in Princeton, New Jersey, where he regularly appears in the ARB/PBS stage productions as the featured pianist.

Lane Dallape

Lane Dallape is a dancer, teacher, and choreographer from Suwanee, Georgia, trained in ballet, modern, jazz, and tap. Her education includes Suwanee Academy of the Arts, University of North Carolina School of the Arts, and Brenau University where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Dance. Recently, Lane performed with VISIONS Contemporary Ballet, directed by Ranardo-Domeico Grays. She also completed the American Repertory Ballet trainee program under the direction of Aydmara Cabrera and Ethan Stiefel, where some of her more memorable roles include Myrtha in Giselle, and the Spanish Pas de Deux in The Nutcracker. Since her completion of the trainee program, Lane has been teaching with Princeton Ballet School and has also worked on the administrative side as a Front Desk Receptionist. Lane looks forward to another season with the school and helping young dancers find their passion through technique and musicality in the classroom. 

Leigh Donlan

Former ballerina Leigh Donlan trained in Russian technique and a variety of folk and modern dance techniques, was Children’s Ballet Mistress at the Washington School of Ballet, Director of the Athenaeum School of Ballet, and studied English at the University of Oregon and Public Relations at Georgetown University. She has been writing for Ballet to the People since 2014.