DANCERS
The Florida Ballet 2020/2021 Company Members
Rebekah Duncan
Rebekah Duncan
Rebekah is originally from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She began her training at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet under the direction of Marcia Dale Weary. While dancing at CPYB she performed the Sugar Plum, Dew Drop, and Arabian in George Balanchine’s Nutcracker and the lead role of Cinderella.
She continued her training with the San Francisco Ballet School. After spending one year in the school, she was asked to join the trainee program. While in San Francisco, Bekah performed the lead role of the Liberty Bell in Stars and Stripes, as well as, had the opportunity to perform in The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, and Swan Lake with the Company.
After two years in San Francisco, Bekah joined Boston Ballet II. While in Boston, she performed The Nutcracker, La Bayadere, and A Midsummer’s Night Dream. Later Bekah joined Ballet Theatre of Maryland as an apprentice and was promoted to demi-soloist. During her time at BTM, she performed roles such as Spanish in the Nutcracker, The Diamond Fairy in Sleeping Beauty, as well as several other featured roles in original works.
After spending some time at BTM, Bekah joined Corpus Christi Ballet as a Principal. During her time at CCB, she performed roles such as Sugarplum Fairy, Snow Queen, and the lead role of Giselle.
This is Rebekah’s third season with the Florida Ballet.
Mikell Graf
Mikell Graf
Mikell, a Jacksonville native, began her pre-professional training under the direction of Suzanne Saltmarsh. Later, she attended Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, as well as Florida Ballet’s Conservatory Program.
Most recently in the 2019-2020 season, Mikell danced in Atlanta Ballet’s trainee program, titled “Academy V” on merit scholarship, where she performed in Atlanta Ballet’s The Nutcracker, and The Swan Princess. She has also trained at San Francisco Ballet, Paris Opera Ballet, Boston Ballet, Orlando Ballet, and Ellison Ballet during their summer intensives. Mikell is very excited to be dancing in Florida Ballet’s Company for the 2020-2021 season!
Morgan Sanborn
Morgan Sanborn
Originally from Standish, ME she began her training at the Darcy Leavitt School of Ballet before graduating from the Portland Ballet CORPS program. Morgan’s training includes summer intensives at American Ballet Theatre, Festival Ballet of Providence, Point Park University, and Boston Conservatory. She graduated magna cum laude in 2009 from Point Park University with a BFA in dance.
She has previously performed with; North Atlantic Dance Theatre, City Ballet of Boston, Nevada Ballet Theater, Teatrul Balet de Sibiu, Romania, and Portland Ballet.
Her most recent choreography has been featured at Solos Together ’20, Rhode Island Women’s Choreography Project ’19, New England Inspirational Dance Collective ‘19, Artfulness Boston & NYC ‘19, Dance For World Community ’19, Dancer’s Making a Difference ’19, and Boston Contemporary Dance Festival ’19, and Franklin Performing Art’s Company’s Nutcracker ‘19.
Sanborn is an ABT® Certified teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Primary through Level 5 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum. She is also a certified Pilates Academy International Mat instructor. She has over 15 years of teaching experience and is pleased to join the Florida Ballet this season as Company Dancer and Faculty Member.
Katarina Weissbach
Katarina Weissbach
Katarina started her training in Australia as an artistic gymnast before moving back to the States to begin her training in classical ballet under then CORPS Director Roberto Forleo at Portland Ballet in Maine. At Portland Ballet, Katarina performed the Esmeralda variation and Dulcinea from Don Quixote, Clara in the Nutcracker and various other small roles.
Katarina attended Joffrey Ballet Contemporary Summer Intensive in San Francisco where she worked with Josie Walsh. She also competed in YAGP New York Finals and subsequently accepted a scholarship offer to Boston Ballet School’s Summer Program and year-round pre-professional Training Program where she performed with the Company in the Nutcracker. She danced as a guest artist with local smaller studios performing roles such as Sugar Plum and Odalisque.
Katarina trained briefly with the Draper Academy in Rochester New York under Jamey Leverette before coming to Florida Ballet as an apprentice in 2019. She was promoted as a member of The Florida Ballet Company for the 2020-2021 season. Her roles to date this season include Chinese in Nutcracker, Princess in Firebird, and demi soloist in Les Sylphides.
Tomas Fischer
Tomas Fischer
Tomas was born in Lithuania and grew up in Washington D.C. He began his ballet career in 2008, at the age of 10, with the Maryland Youth Ballet and trained with Olivier Munoz. In 2010, he furthered his ballet training at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington DC. His summers were spent gaining additional experience at various ballet programs, including the Pittsburgh Ballet Theater and Orlando Ballet School. In 2017 he danced at The Washington School of Ballet.
Recently he completed the 2-year Men’s Scholarship Program at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. Tomas performed as Benvolio in Alan Hineline’s premier showing of Romeo And Juliet. Tomas danced professionally last season at First State Ballet Theatre, where he performed Dracula, and Russian in Nutcracker.
Tomas is very excited to start his first season with The Florida Ballet as a Company Member.
Mauricio Mejia
Mauricio Gerardo Mejia Nava
Mauricio, originally from San Luis Potosí, Mexico, started his ballet formation in the program ProVer in 2016. During the 2018 Orlando Ballet Summer Intensive, Mauricio was offered participation in the OB Trainee Program and then was promoted to OBII in 2019.
Mauricio won 2nd place in the 2020 YAGP Tampa semifinal presenting his own choreography which continues to receive significant recognition.
Mauricio is excited to be part of The Florida Ballet Company under the direction of Roberto Forleo.
Patrick VanBuren
Patrick VanBuren
Patrick VanBuren started dance training in his hometown of Merritt Island, FL, with Liz Bevilacqua, at Dussich Dance Studio. Throughout those years, he was Florida Dance Masters Junior Mr. Dance and Mr. Dance title holder, and a Finalist at YAGP.
Patrick danced with the Orlando Ballet as part of their second company, Columbia City Ballet and Ballet San Antonio as a soloist, and Montgomery Ballet and Fort Wayne Ballet as a principal dancer. He is also a principal guest artist with Brandon Ballet. Among his greatest honors and experiences, was being selected to compete in the 2010 USA International Ballet Competition, considered to be the “Olympics of Dance.”
Patrick is certified to teach by the ABT National Training Curriculum. He has served as the Assistant Director of the Ballet Conservatory of South Texas, Ballet Master of Montgomery Ballet, and as an instructor in the upper school of Fort Wayne Ballet’s Auer Academy.
Mr. VanBuren is happy to join The Florida Ballet for the 20-21 season.
Josef Wollitz
Josef Wollitz
Josef began studying dance at the age of 8. At the age of 12, he began training with the Florida Ballet in Jacksonville Florida. During his freshman year of high school, Josef attended the Douglas Anderson school of the Arts to pursue a dance career, as well as The Florida Ballet Conservatory where he trained with Christopher Alloways-Ramsey.
In 2019, he competed in The Youth American Grand Prix coached by Deidre Miles Burger and Susie Dodge placing 3rd with his classical variation. He was invited to the finals in New York City to present his contemporary duet. In the summer of 2019, he went to Houston Ballet and trained under Claudio Munez and concluded the year at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet with instructors Simon Ball, Darla Hoover, and Renato Penteado.
Josef is proud to be a member of The Florida Ballet Company under the direction of Roberto Forleo.
2020/2021 Company Apprentices & Trainees
Kendra Frank, Apprentice
Kendra Frank
Originally from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Kendra began her pre professional training under the instruction of Tanya Vincent and Beth Vages. She then continued her training at the South Shore Ballet Theatre, where she had the opportunity to work with Marthavan Mckeon, George Birkadze, Stephanie Moy, Leslie Woodies, Dona Silva, and Nan Keating. She has attended summer intensives on scholarships to Miami City Ballet, Bolshoi Ballet, Bay Pointe Ballet, and Festival Ballet Providence
Ms. Frank began her professional career in 2016 when she was offered a traineeship with Bay Pointe Ballet in San Francisco. The following year she trained with Festival Ballet Providence as a Post-Graduate. From 2018-2020, Kendra danced as a Company Member with City Ballet Boston.
She is excited to be joining The Florida Ballet for the 2020-2021 season!
Lyndsey Givens, Apprentice
Lyndsey Givens
Lyndsey is a native of Jacksonville, who began her dance career at the age of 7. In 2017, she began her formal ballet training at The Florida Ballet Training Center. She became a full-time Conservatory Student in 2018. During the 2019-2020 season, she danced as a Trainee at The Florida Ballet and graduated from high school. Some of her performances during that season included: Roberto Forleo’s, Creatures of Prometheus, The Florida Ballet Nutcracker, Alice in Wonderland, Clans and Flings, and La Boutique Fantasque.
Lyndsey competed in the Semi-Finals of Youth American Grand Prix in 2017 (Tampa), 2018 (Tampa), and 2019 (Atlanta), where she advanced to the Finals in New York City in 2019 with a contemporary duet under the direction of Diedre Miles-Burger and Susie Dodge. She previously attended summer intensives at ABT Tampa in 2018 and the Sarasota Ballet in 2019.
Lyndsey is excited to be dancing this season with The Florida Ballet Company!
Sarah Ginter, Trainee
Sarah Ginter
Sarah started dancing at the age of twelve at the Perla School Conservatory program where she trained in various styles of ballet under Lori Ludwig, Johnathon Chapman and Megan Chapman. In addition, she trained extensively in the Vaganova method under the instruction of Katerina Fedotova, Artistic Director of the Russian Orlando Ballet.
Ms. Ginter also worked with former principal dancers of the Kirov Ballet, Alexander Lunev and Irina Guseva, as well as Artistic Director of the Kirov Ballet, Oleg Vinogradov at the international Youth Ballet Festival. She was awarded a scholarship to continue her training with Oleg Vinogradov and was invited to The International Youth Ballet Festival “Vivat Ballet” in St. Peterburg, Russia.
She started dancing pre-professionally at The North Florida Ballet Theatre under the instruction of former Principal dancers, Ihaiah Miller and Heather Herchko. In 2020, at age seventeen, Sarah has begun her professional dance career by joining The Florida Ballet Company as a Trainee. She is also a Freshman in college studying business and kinesiology.
Sarah is looking forward to the 2020-2021 season and feels it is an honor to be part of such an incredible Company.
Tavia Turzanski, Trainee
Tavia Turzanski
Originally from Orlando, Florida, Tavia began her
pre-professional training at the Center for Contemporary Dance on full scholarship under the instruction of Ingrid Lozano. She continued her training at Marshall Ellis Dance School under the direction of Marshall Ellis and had the opportunity to work closely with Lauren Sherwood, Sara Havener, Marsha Rodriguez and numerous other faculty members. Tavia has attended summer intensives at Sarasota Ballet and Milwaukee Ballet.
Tavia is a Company Trainee at the Florida Ballet for the 2020-21 season and is very excited to begin her professional career with the organization.
Photography by NH Photography. All rights reserved.
