Clara Pevel was born and raised in France, where she began her training. In 2018, she was selected to join the American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School on a scholarship, awarded to her by Cynthia Harvey at the Youth America Grand Prix. Highlights of her career to-date include being the only student chosen to perform The Nutcracker with ABT (2019), participating in the choreographic project at Le Prix de Lausanne (2020), appearing on the French TV show Prodiges in front of 50,000 people in Lille, France (2017), and the third place winner at the Young America Grand Prix (2018). At ABT’s JKO school, Pevel trained with Cynthia Harvey, Mikhail Ilyin, Robert La Fosse, Ethan Stiefel, Petrujska Broholm and Karin Averty.
ARB Position: Dancer
Michelle Quiner
Michelle Quiner is thrilled to be promoted this season with American Repertory Ballet. She danced as an ARB2 member last year and a Trainee for the two previous seasons. She was honored to perform Diana and Acteon at ARB’s 2021 Garden Party, an event to welcome Artistic Director Ethan Stiefel. She performed with ARB in Giselle, Beauty and the Beast, and The Nutcracker. Quiner has been featured on the cover of Inside Dance magazine (May 2019) and in Dance Spirit magazine as both a Cover Model Search Finalist and the Dancer You Should Know. She has also performed as Clara for the Radio City’s Christmas Spectacular. Quiner has been a YAGP New York finalist, a final round participant at the World Ballet Competition, and a bronze medalist at the Valentina Kozlova IBC Contemporary Competition. Prior to joining ARB, she spent a year at the Washington Ballet School on full scholarship under the direction of Xiomara Reyes. She performed the pas de deux from Don Quixote in ARB’s Gala as well as Razzle choreographed by Michael Mindlin. She performed as Cobweband Fairy Attendant in Ethan Stiefel’s A Middsummer Night’s Dream. This is her first season as an apprentice.
Madison Elizabeth Egyud
Madison Elizabeth Egyud was raised in Newtown, Pennsylvania and began her formal ballet training at the Princeton Ballet School at the age of 6. In 2012, she attended American Ballet Theatre’s summer intensive in New York City on full scholarship, awarded by Philadelphia Dance Access. That summer, she was invited to study year-round at the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at ABT where she continued her training for the next five years under the direction of Franco DeVita and Cynthia Harvey. It was here she had the honor of performing pieces such as Alexei Ratmansky’s Rondo Capriccioso in ABT’s 75th Anniversary Gala, and participated in the development of Jeremy McQueen’s Garden of Dreams, which premiered at the Kennedy Center in Ballet Across America. She danced as a trainee with American Repertory Ballet for two seasons before joining ARB2 in 2020. During her time in the second company she performed Colby Damon’s Strange Sentience for American Repertory Ballet’s 2021 Digital Program, the pas de deux in Ethan Stiefel’s Woodwork, and Coffee lead in ARB’s The Nutcracker. She also danced the roles of Cobweb and Elena in the world premiere of Ethan Stiefel’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream after being promoted to apprentice in January of 2022.
Andrea Marini
Andrea Marini started his professional training at the Rome Opera House Dance School in 2014, where he graduated in July 2019. During his senior year, Andrea performed The Nutcracker Grand Pax De Deux as a guest artists in the “Gala della Danza” near Milan, staged by Pablo Monet and Ofelia Gonzalez. During his time at American Repertory Ballet he danced in several roles of The Nutcracker including the Cavalier in 2021. He danced in the role of Puck for Ethan Stiefel’s A Midsummer’s Night Dream. He also danced in the role of Basilio as a guest artist for the Princeton Ballet School’s summer intensive in 2020. He joined American Repertory Ballet in 2019 as a member of ARB2, then he was promoted to apprentice, and member of the main company in 2021. This is his second year as a member of the main company.
Annie Johnson
Annie Johnson began her early training at Ballet Technique, under the direction of Julie Caprio, in Hamilton, NJ. She then attended Butler University, graduating cum laude in 2015 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance performances, as well as studying strategic communications. In the summer of 2014 she toured Eastern Europe with members of Butler Ballet to teach and perform at various schools in Poland, Austria, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. After graduation, Johnson joined American Repertory Ballet as a Trainee and became a member of ARB2 in 2017, and then was promoted to the company in 2018. Since joining ARB, Johnson has performed various roles in productions such as Kirk Peterson’s Carmen, Beauty and The Beast, and Lombardi Variations; Douglas Martin’s Rite of Spring, Pride and Prejudice, and Coppelia; Mary Barton’s Straight Up With a Twist and Troix Voix; Jose Limon’s There is a Time; Paul Taylor’s Airs; Septime Weber’s Fluctuating Hemlines; Riccardo De Nigris’ Beyond the Normal; Trey McIntyre’s Blue Until June; Amy Seiwert’s World, Interrupted; Ryoko Tanaka’s Saudade; David Fernandez’s Mexican Music; and Myrtha in ARB’s Giselle.
Matanya Solomon
Matanya Solomon was born in Alexandria VA and began his dance training in West Virginia at 14. At 15 he began studying at the Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory where he spent four years under the direction of Victoria Mazzarelli, Tim Melady, Alexei Tchernichov Kirk Peterson and Eleanor D’Antouno before joining American Repertory Ballet as a Trainee in 2016. This is his sixth season with American Repertory Ballet and his third as a company member. His Repertoire includes but is not limited to, “Snow King”, “The Nutcracker Prince”, and “Candy Cane” in ARBs “The Nutcracker”, “Franz” In Princeton Ballet schools “Coppelia”, “Ad Man” in Douglas Martins “Rite of Spring”, August Bournonville’s “Flower Festival in Genzano”, Jose Limon’s “There is a Time”, Paul Taylor’s “Airs”. And Septime Webre’s “Fluctuating Hemlines” and others.
Ryoko Tanaka
Ryoko Tanaka was born and raised in Wakayama Japan, where she began her training. In 2013, she was selected to be in the Nancy Einhorn Milwaukee Ballet II program, where she performed in Michael Pink’s Romeo and Juliet, The Nutcracker and Timothy O’ Donnell’s At World’s End as a soloist. In 2017, she joined the trainee program at American Repertory Ballet and soon moved up to ARB 2. In 2018, she was promoted to ARB. Since joining the company, Ryoko has performed the title role in Giselle, Sugar Plum in The Nutcracker, Odette in Swan Lake for Princeton Ballet School, Paul Taylor’s Airs, Trey McIntyre’s Blue Until June, “The Showstopper” in Ethan Stiefel’s Wood Work, a duet from Amy Seiwert’s World, Interrupted and multiple other roles. She made her debut as a choreographer creating a new contemporary piece Saudade for ARB digital season in 2021.
Shaye Firer
Shaye Firer was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and raised in Vancouver, Canada. She received her early training at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and attended various intensive programs such as The National Ballet of Canada, Alberta Ballet, Kaatsbaan International Dance Centre, Houston Ballet’s Ben Stevenson Academy, and Ellison Ballet. Firer joined the inaugural class of American Repertory Ballet’s Trainee program. As a Trainee, she performed company roles in Nutcracker, Our Town, and Glazunov Variations. Since joining American Repertory Ballet, she has performed a variety of lead and featured roles such as Swanhilda in Coppelia, The Chosen One in Douglas Martin’s Rite of Spring, Titania in Martin’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Doe/Duchess in Kirk Peterson’s Beauty and the Beast, as well as other works by Peterson, Martin, Gerald Arpino, José Limón, Mary Barton, and Septime Webre. Firer has received choreographic awards from the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School and was chosen as one of five choreographers in Houston Ballet Academy’s collaboration with the American Festival for the Arts.
Nanako Yamamoto
Nanako Yamamoto was born and raised in Japan where she began her training at the Geijutsuza Ballet Studio “Jardin des Arts”, performing such roles as Clara in The Nutcracker, Rose Adagio in The Sleeping Beauty and the title role in Cinderella. In 2005, she was selected to attend the prestigious Royal Ballet Summer School, then was accepted to the Elmhurst School for Dance in Association with the Birmingham Royal Ballet. While a student, she performed in the Birmingham Royal Ballet’s National Tour of Firebird, Fokine’s Petrushka, Petipa’s Raymonda and David Bintley’s Beauty and the Beast. She performed for his Royal Highness Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall in addition to the grand re-opening of Birmingham’s Town Hall. Since graduating in 2009, she has performed with New Tampa Dance Theatre, Dance Theatre of Tampa, Ballet Fleming, Virginia Regional Ballet, in Giselle with Boca Ballet Theatre alongside Julie Kent and Marcelo Gomes, and as soloist in La Bayadere with Gillian Murphy and José Manuel Carreño. Since joining ARB, she has danced featured roles in The Nutcracker, including Sugar Plum Fairy and Snow Queen, the title role in Giselle, Changeling and Titiania in Ethan Stiefel’s world premiere of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as Belle in Kirk Peterson’s world premiere of Beauty and the Beast. She has also been featured in Gerald Arpino’s Confetti and Sea Shadow, Kirk Peterson’s Carmen and Glaznov Variation, Claire Davison’s world premiere Time Within A Time and many other works by Douglas Martin, Kirk Peterson, Mary Barton, David Fernandez, Colby Damon and Ethan Stiefel.
Erikka Reenstierna-Cates
A California native, Erikka Reenstierna-Cates 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. Ms. Reenstierna-Cates has been featured in a number of ballets—more notably for roles such as Myrtha, Moyna, and Bathilde in Giselle, Elena in Ethan Stiefel’s production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, the second female soloist from Swan Lake’s Pas de Trois, Caroline Bingley in Douglas Martin’s Pride and Prejudice, and the Fairy Godmother in Rene Daveluy’s Cinderella. She has had the privilege of performing works by renowned choreographers in both classical and contemporary styles, including George Balanchine’s Serenade, Who Cares?, and Valse Fantaisie, Jose Limon’s There Is A Time, Paul Taylor’s Airs, Ethan Stiefel’s Woodwork, 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, Claire Davison’s Bewitched, Amy Seiwart’s World, Interrupted and Caili Quan’s Circadia—among others.