WINNER PURA DANZA

1st Place Category
Sabrina Chaló
Cipollino
Academia Vicente Nebrada

Pre-Competitive

Ismael Pérez
Happy Happy
Academia Emibell

Pre-Competitive Noeclassical

Juliana Cuevas.
Anyuta Tarantella
Ballet de la Mar

Junior

Adhara Colmenarez
Ipanema
Escuela Coppelia

Junior Neoclassical

Jenifer Cabrera
Etapas
Escuela Coppelia

Junior Contemporary

Luis Molina
Bronce Idol
Linda Jelambi

Teen

Daniel Guzmán
Violentango
Ballet de la Mar

Teen Neoclásical

Keibel Sulbaran
Sand
Brayballet

Teen Contemporary

Fabiana Piñero.
Walpurgis Night
Ballet de la Mar

Advanced

Fabiana Piñero
Espartaco
Ballet de la Mar

Advanced Neoclassical

Nelson Prieto
Carmesi
Brayballet

Advanced Contemporary

Jhuliett Chaló
Nikiya Variation
Vicente Nebrada

Professional

Carmen Valdivieso
Delirio
Ballet de la Mar

Professional Neoclassical

Bryan Barrios
El loco Juan
Ballet de la Mar

Professional Contemporary

Las perlas
Academia: Vicente nebrada
Classical Duo
Bella
Academia Brayballet
Neoclassical Duo
Subyacente
Sobre piedi
Contemporary Duo
Flower Festival in Genzano
Ballet de la Mar
Classical Pas de Deux
Espartaco.
Ballet der la Mar
Neoclasical Pas de Deux
Solos
Escuela Emibell
Contemporary Pas de Deux
Vals de las horas
Ballet Vicente Nebrada
Classical Assemble
Walpurgis
Academia Sol
Neoclassical Assemble
Ruido
Mirus Danza
Contemporary Assemble

WINNERS GRAND PRIX PURA DANZA

Competitor Division
Juliana Cuevas
Ballet de la Mar
Junior
Daniel Guzmán
Ballet de la Mar
Teen
Fabiana Piñero
Ballet de la Mar
Advanced

JUDGES

JOHANA FERNANDEZ

Graduated from the Keyla Ermecheo Ballet School, Teacher and Coordinator of the Keyla Ermecheo Ballet School. Principal teacher of the Venezuelan Youth Ballet Teresa Carreño. Assistant to the Artistic Direction of Maestro Vicente Nebrada in the Teresa Carreño Youth Ballet of Venezuela. Director of the National School of Dance ENDANZA-CARACAS.

Metropolitan Ballet Soloist, Caracas National Ballet Soloist Teresa Carreño, Venezuela National Ballet Soloist.

International Experience: Bogotá Dance Festival, Colombia. Madrid Autumn Festival, Spain. Music and Dance Festival in Montpellier, France. Dance Festival in Aspen, Colorado, 1991-92-93 Season with the Metropolitan Ballet in New York.

LAURA FIORUCCI

Venezuelan Ballet Teacher and Choreographer, Director of Editing of the Vicente Nebrada Foundation, is in charge of the curatorship and custody of the Nebrada Archive, organizing, restoring and maintaining the printed and audiovisual material of the entire artistic legacy of the prestigious Venezuelan choreographer. He also directs and advises the Atelier del Pintor Víctor Bernier in painting projects related to dance. She is an active contributor to Wikimedia projects in Spanish that includes Wikipedia, an online encyclopedia. Founder of Wikimedia Venezuela and member of Wikimedia Spain, Wikimedia Argentina and Wikimedia Bolivia.

LUIS PENSO

In 2010 he served as Guest Dance Teacher of the Teresa Carreño Ballet. In 2011 and until 2014 he was a producer for the National Music Company Foundation at the world premiere of the April 19 Opera by the composer Luis Ochoa, as well as shows and festivals of traditional music both in Caracas and in the interior of the country. She began her ballet studies with Master Lidjia Franklin at the Gustavo Franklin School in 1980. She made her professional debut in 1987 in the ranks of the Teresa Carreño Ballet. In 1989 and until 1991 he joined the cast of the National Ballet of Venezuela. In that same period, he returned to the resident ballet company of this cultural complex and made tours to the United States and Spain as well as to cities in the interior of the country. In 1986 he began his pedagogical work at the Higher Institute of Dance. From 2006 to 2016 he was a ballet teacher at the Escuela Nacional de Danza, at Taller de Danzas Caracas between 2014 and 2016, and at the contemporary and traditional casts of the Fundación Compañía Nacional de Danza between 2015 and 2016.

He is currently studying for a degree in Education for the Arts, mentioning Classical Dance, at the Experimental University of the Arts UNEARTE and since July 2016 he works as Coordinator of the Teresa Carreño Ballet.

MIGUEL ISSA

Bachelor of Arts graduated from the Central University of Venezuela and Master in Cultural Policies graduated from the Formation International Culture attached to the Sorbonne Nouvelle III. Diploma in Higher Education. For more than 30 years he has been a teacher in Music, Dance, and Theater, Director of Children’s Choirs, Actor, Dancer of different dance and theater groups in Venezuela.

In 1992 he made his debut as a choreographer at the VII Festival of Young Choreographers of Venezuela. Between 1989-1994 he was part of the Acción Colectiva company (Emblematic theater / physical company of Venezuela) and in 1995 he founded the DRAMO Dramaturgia del Movimiento Company together with Leyson Ponce, becoming one of the most important companies in Venezuela. His passion for opera has led him to specialize in acting training for lyrical singers and he has made several stagings of various operas and zarzuelas.

His musical knowledge has allowed him to create shows with a strong sonic presence, becoming a versatile director who easily fuses the genres of music, opera, dance and theater.

CARLOS PAOLILLO

Investigador y crítico de danza.  Creador de los estudios universitarios de danza en Venezuela.   Abogado y Comunicador Social egresado de la Universidad Católica Andrés Bello.   Magister en Gestión Cultural de la Universidad de Barcelona, España.

Profesor de Historia de la Danza y Análisis Coreográfico en la Universidad Central de Venezuela y la Universidad Nacional Experimental de las Artes.   Maestro Honorario de UNEARTE.   Crítico de Danza del Diario El Nacional.  Fundador y Presidente de la Fundación Jóvenes Coreógrafos de Venezuela.  Reconocido con el Premio Nacional de Cultura 2010-2012 Mención Danza.   Merecedor del Premio Municipal de Danza de la Alcaldía de Caracas 1991, 2007 y 2010.

SELECTION JURY GRAND PRIX PURA DANZA

ARLETTA HOWARD

Arletta began her relationship with Ballet Austin as a guest dancer in 1992. She has been on faculty since 1996, when the Austin Dance Academy (ADA), which she co-owned from 1986-1996, merged with the Ballet Austin Academy.

During her career, Arletta has focused on artistic direction, teaching, performing and choreographing for such establishments as Austin Ballet Theatre, Austin Conservatory of the Arts, San Angelo Civic Ballet, and Northcross Mall’s ice skaters. As a performer, she danced for institutions including Ballet Austin, Austin Ballet Theatre, Incarnate Word College Ballet in San Antonio, Corpus Christi Concert Ballet, Victoria Ballet Theatre, and Beaumont Civic Ballet.

Her professional experience, as well as the education she received as an aspiring dance pupil, helped to shape her distinctive approach to teaching dance. Arletta trained with the Royal Academy of Dancing Majors, earning various awards and accolades for her ballet technique. She has also studied with Oklahoma City Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and several other schools and companies. Arletta enjoys making ballet available to both professional and non-professional dancers through her instruction at the Butler Center for Dance & Fitness.

DEIDRE RUSSEL

Deidre began her studies in Houston, TX with Margo Marshall, Madame Seminova, James Clouser and Patsy Swayze. She also studied jazz and musical theater with greats Frank Hatchet, Gus Giordano and Alvin Ailey. A graduate of the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, Ms. Robinson’s career has included many dance forms, movies, commercials, touring shows and eight different countries. She performed and toured extensively with the Houston Jazz Ballet Company under the direction of Patsy Swayze, dancing in numerous ballets including Spartacus, Kismet, Spring Waters and Raymonda Variations. Joining the Houston Ballet under the direction of James Clouser, then Ben Stevenson, Deidre’s roles included the Peasant Pas de Deux from Giselle, as well as performances of Caliban and Carmina Burana.
Summers had her touring with Theater Under the Stars productions of Music Man, Gi Gi, My Fair Lady and Carousel, under the direction of Roger Rabe (Director of Broadway’s Best Little Whorehouse) and Bruce Lumpkin (Director of Nine on Broadway). She was featured in a national commercial for Astroworld and appeared with John Travolta in the movie Urban Cowboy.

LEATH NUNN

Leath Nunn began his career in Houston, Texas under the direction of the renowned Patsy Swayze. Soon after, he joined the Houston Ballet. He continued his career dancing with the Classical Ballet of Israel, The San Diego Ballet, the Eglevsky Ballet, and touring the world with the International Ballet of Caracas.

After ten years in Venezuela, Leath began teaching and directing. During his tenure as director of the San Angelo (Texas) Civic Ballet, he successfully developed the school and mounted several full-length productions.

Mr. Nunn joined the staff of the New Jersey Ballet in 1990. For the past several years, he was associated with the Artists in Residency program under the direction of Christine Todd Whitman.

Mr. Nunn has the singular distinction of being the youngest Eagle Scout in the History of the state of Texas.

In 1999, Mr. Nunn created the Nunnbetter Dance Theatre and brought a higher, more professional level of dance to the Bergen County area.

MIKE McKINLEY

Bachelor of Fine Arts with Honors in Acting, Department of Drama at the University of Texas, Austin 1977. Master of Arts, Department of Radio / Television / Film, University of Texas at Austin 1991. Professional Ballet Training in Austin with Igor Youskevitch, Eugene Slavin and Leon Danielian. In New York with Finis Jhung, David Howard, Melissa Hayden, Alexandra Danilova, Lee Theodore’s “The American Dance Machine”.

Principal Dancer of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo 1978-1991 including countless international tours and performances at the Joyce Theater, downtown New York City and the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, California.