Meet The 2025 Artists

Emelyn Bashour

Musician, Violin

Originally hailing from western Massachusetts, Detroit-based violinist Dr. Emelyn Bashour currently holds positions as Principal 2nd Violin of the Detroit Opera Orchestra and Assistant Concertmaster of the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra, and has appeared as guest concertmaster with the Toledo and Ann Arbor symphonies. As a soloist and chamber player, Emelyn is a passionate advocate for contemporary music and has participated in the New Music Workshop at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival; the Cortona Sessions for New Music in Ede, Netherlands, where she was a finalist in their Contemporary Performance Competition; and the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra Academy, where she served as concertmaster. She is also a member of the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Orchestra in Santa Cruz, CA, and her recording credits include the world premiere recording of “The Story of Patient No. 23” by Remi Inari on if you believe in the shadow… (2024) and the GRAMMY-nominated John Luther Adams’ Sila: The Breath of the World (2022, Cantaloupe Music). Emelyn holds degrees from Michigan State University (DMA), University of Michigan (MM), the Eastman School of Music (BM), and University of Rochester (BA).

Ava Bernardo

Dancer, Ballet

Ava Bernardo is originally from Hamilton, New Jersey. She began her dance training at The School of American Ballet where she performed in many productions as a child with New York City Ballet including, The Nutcracker, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Swan Lake, Scènes de Ballet, and The Most Incredible Thing. 

In 2022 and 2023, Ava danced in the New York Choreographic Institute along with New York City Ballet in Balanchine’s Scherzo à la Russe. Before graduating from SAB she performed in two workshop performances in the roles of Third Movement principal in George Balanchine’s Symphony in C, August Bournonville’s Napoli, and Third Movement principal in George Balanchine’s Brahms Schoenberg Quartet.

In 2023, she joined Kansas City Ballet’s Second Company where she danced several roles with the main company including Jekyll and Hyde by Val Caniparoli, Devon Carney’s Nutcracker and Peter Pan, Balanchine’s Jewels, Septime Weber’s Alice in Wonderland and Anna-Marie Holmes' Don Quixote. Ava will be joining Indianapolis Ballet for the 2025/26 season as a Company Artist.

Sophia Bernitz

Musician, Violin

Violinist Sophia Bernitz is currently freelancing in her hometown of Boston, MA. Before that, she was a fellow at New World Symphony. She attended Oberlin and NEC for undergraduate and graduate school, respectively. She is a member of  New Bedford Symphony, Cape Cod Chamber Orchestra, Boston Opera Collaborative and Boston Annex Ensemble, and is a substitute player with Rhode Island Philharmonic and Cape Symphony, among others in the area. As a chamber musician, she is first violinist of the Beacon Ensemble in Boston and plays ad hoc chamber recitals around the city. In her spare time, she loves to knit and watch Celtics basketball. 

Lillian Casscells

Dancer, Ballet

Lillian was born in Houston, Texas where she began her training at The Houston Ballet Academy. She moved to Washington, D.C. and continued her training at the Washington School of Ballet under the direction of Kee Juan Han. Lillian finished her training in New York City at The School of American Ballet. Upon graduation she accepted an apprenticeship at the SemperOper Ballet in Dresden, Germany. There she performed works by Sir Kenneth MacMillan, George Balanchine and Aaron Watkin. In 2017 Lillian joined Ballet West as a member of corps de ballet. There she performs the works of Frederick Ashton, John Cranko, Twyla Tharp, and, many others. 

Alex Clayton

Dancer, Paul Taylor Dance Company

Alex grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, He received his B.F.A. in Dance with a Minor in Visual Arts from Stephens College in 2013. He was a Graham 2 company member from 2014 to 2015. He also performed with companies including 10 Hairy Legs, Abarukas Project, Curet Performance Project and Performa15. He served as Rehearsal Assistant for Paul Taylor American Modern Dance “Taylor Company Commissions” choreographer Lila York when she created Continuum in 2016. He joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company in Summer 2017.

Nick Davies

Musical Coordinator

Nick Davies, founder of The Rossini Club, Nantucket's Own Chamber Music Festival, 

is the Bass/Utility Clarinet of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and was formerly the Principal Clarinet of the Great Falls Symphony and the Chinook Winds. Mr. Davies has a strong interest in contemporary music and has held past fellowships with Ensemble Modern’s Klangspuren Schwaz, Aspen Contemporary Ensemble, and Spoleto Festival USA. As a composer, his commissions include those from the Houston Grand Opera, Midic Winds, Eureka Ensemble, Webster Trio, and the Chicago Harp Quartet. Nick holds degrees from Rice University and the University of Southern California.

Peter DeCarlo

Dancer, Ballet

A Nantucket native, Peter DeCarlo has recently graduated from the School of American Ballet and is an apprentice with the New Jersey Ballet.

Miriam Liske-Doorandish

Musician, Cello

Raised in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, Miriam is motivated by a love of collaboration which has led her into traditional chamber settings as well as traditional fiddling sessions. As cellist of the exploratory ensemble Trio Ondata, Miriam is a recipient of the gold and audience prizes at the 2023 Yellow Springs Chamber Competition. The trio also won silver medal and the inaugural Horszowski Prize at The Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition (‘22), and were winners of the 2022 Yale School of Music Chamber Competition. Miriam is passionate about music up to and beyond the edges of the classical repertoire, delving into baroque and contemporary music as well as folk music. 

In the traditional classical realm, Miriam has appeared at festivals such as Norfolk New Music, IMS Prussia Cove, Kneisel Hall, Four Seasons Winter Workshop, the Next Festival of Emerging Artists, Orford Music, Methow Valley Chamber Festival, Musique à Marsac, and Bowdoin International Music Festival, and has had the honor of working with members of the Juilliard, Emerson, Brentano, Kronos, Orion, Cavani, St. Lawrence, Aizuri, Doric, Pacifica, Calder, Thalea and Chiaroscuro quartets.

Miriam is currently based in New Haven, CT where she plays with Trio Ondata, the Havenwood Quartet and Versicolor New Music. A dedicated educator and former teacher for New Haven’s Music in Schools Initiative, she now maintains a private cello studio and teaches at the Stamford Music and Arts Academy. 

Denys Drozdyuk

Dancer, Ballroom

Denys Drozdyuk started dancing at the age of 4 in Ukraine. He holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Dance from the Juilliard School, the only Ballroom Dancer ever to do so, and a Master of Arts Degree in Dance Education from New York University. 

Denys is a Winner of a popular TV show “So You Think You Can Dance” in Canada. Together with his dance partner and wife Antonina Skobina, Denys co-founded “DNA” – an Internationally recognized Ballroom Dance Duo which appeared on NBC’s hit television show “World of Dance”  produced by Jennifer Lopez. In 2022, Denys participated on the Canadian Popular Dance TV Show “Revolution” and together with Antonina they were the first ever Ballroom Dancers to make it to the Final. 

Denys is also an experienced and sought after choreographer and dance educator. He gives workshops and master classes throughout the world including at The Juilliard School, ABT Studio Company, New York University, and other institutions. Denys has choreographed for the Juilliard School, NBC’s World of Dance, and for many other projects. Denys is currently an Adjunct Professor of Dance at the University of Mount Saint Vincent and Wagner College in New York where he teaches dance and mentors students. 

Most recently, Denys co-founded “DNA Dance Academy” – a Ballroom dance school which offers high quality Ballroom dance classes in New York City. 

Wesley Ducote

Musician, Piano

Wesley Ducote is a third-year Piano Fellow at the New World Symphony. As a collaborator, Mr. Ducote has been featured with many of today’s brightest stars including composer/vocalist Kate Soper, Emmy Award-winning composer and Vietnamese folk musician Van Anh Vo, flutists Leone Buyse and Carol Wincenc, soprano Ana Maria Martinez, and many others. He has served as principal keyboardist with the Shepherd School Symphony and the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra. As a chamber musician he has been a featured artist with MUSIQA and the Nantucket Rossini Club, and in 2017 was selected by the Shepherd School of Music to perform with the Gyldfeldt quartet from Leipzig. Mr. Ducote has even worked as a keyboardist/composer in his own jazz-fusion sextet Steve Cox’s Beard.

Lee Duveneck

Dancer, Paul Taylor Dance Company

Lee Duveneck grew up in Arlington, Texas, where he trained with Anne Oswalt and Gwen Price. In 2010, he earned his B.F.A. in Dance Performance from Southern Methodist University, where he studied with Taylor alumna Ruth Andrien and jazz dance icon Danny Buraczeski. While in New York, he has danced for Annmaria Mazzini, Mari Meade and Jessica Gaynor. Mr. Duveneck joined Taylor 2 in 2012, and joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company in Summer 2017.

Robbie Fairchild

Dancer, Broadway & Ballet

Robert Fairchild began dancing at the age of four in Salt Lake City. He began his training at the School of American Ballet at the age of 15 and shortly after rose through the ranks of the prestigious New York City Ballet where he danced from 2005-2017, reaching the rank of principal.

Robert Fairchild made his Broadway debut as “Jerry Mulligan” in the Tony Award-winning musical An American in Paris. He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Performance By An Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical, and won the 2015 Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Outstanding Actor in a Musical, the 2015 Astaire Award for Best Male Dancer, and the 2015 Theatre World Award. He was also nominated for the 2015 Drama League Award for Distinguished Performance.

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TV: Étoile on Prime Video, Julie’s Greenroom on Netflix, Romeo and Juliet and Carousel, both for PBS; “Live From Lincoln Center”, “Dancing With The Stars”, “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert”, “Live with Kelly and Michael”, “CBS Sunday Morning”, “60 Minutes.”

Film: NY Export: Opus Jazz, Cats by Tom Hooper, An American in Paris Live (West End Production), The Chaperone.

Hannah Fischer

Dancer, Ballet

Hannah Fischer was born in New York City and trained at Canada’s National Ballet School. She joined The National Ballet of Canada as an apprentice in 2012 and was promoted to first soloist in 2017. 

In 2016, Ms. Fischer was awarded the Rolex Dancers First Award for her role as Hermione in The Winter’s Tale. In 2015 she was awarded the Patron Award of Merit and won The Eleventh International Competition for The Erik Bruhn Prize. She received the RBC Emerging Artist Apprentice Award in 2013.

She joined Miami City Ballet as Principal Soloist in 2020 then promoted to Principal in 2023.

Evelina Godunova

Dancer, Ballet

Evelina Godunova studied at the Royal Ballet School, Bolshoi Ballet Academy, and the Riga Ballet Academy. She began her artistic career at Latvian National Opera at age 11. She has performed as a soloist with Universal Ballet in Seoul Korea, Staatsballett Berlin, and the Latvian National Opera.

Godunova has performed many principal roles, including Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Aurora in Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle in Patrice Bart’s Giselle, Kitri in Victor Ullate’s Don Quixote, and Juliet in both Kenneth MacMillan and John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet.

In 2015 she won the Latvian Theatre award for Best Dancer for her role of Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, and in 2018 she was nominated as Best Dancer of the Year by DanceEurope magazine.

Godunova joined Boston Ballet as a soloist in 2024.

John Harnage

Dancer, Paul Taylor Dance Company

John Harnage, a native of Miami, Florida, studied dance at the Miami City Ballet School and New World School of the Arts. He was a Modern Dance Finalist in the 2010 National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts YoungArts competition. In 2014 he graduated from The Juilliard School, where he performed works by Pina Bausch, Alexander Ekman, Jose Limón, and Lar Lubovitch, among others. He then began working with Jessica Lang Dance, and joined the company in 2015, performing and teaching around the world. He also performed as a principal dancer in Washington National Opera’s 2017 production of Aida at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Mr. Harnage joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company in Fall 2018.

Dirk Hartog

Physical Therapist

Being involved in the sport of gymnastics and realizing the potential movement has on our wellbeing is what drew Dirk toward the Physical Therapy profession.  Dirk received his bachelors in Health Science and his Masters in Physical Therapy from Quinnipiac University in 2008.  Over the years he has pursued a higher level of education completing his Doctorate of Physical Therapy from Temple University in 2015.  He is also a board certified orthopedic specialist (OCS) and a certified strength and conditioning specialist (CSCS) and Registered in Musculoskeletal Sonography (RMSK).  Dirk also works as a strength and conditioning coach with New York City Ballet and the School of American Ballet.

He continues to further his professional development with certifications through the National Strength and Conditioning association, the American Physical Therapy Association and being a member of various professional organizations.  His passion is to stay up to date with the latest research, science and evidence that will provide the best possible outcomes for his patients.  He enjoys staying active and finding new challenges that maintain overall health and wellness; to include rock climbing, skiing, hiking and maybe even a gymnastics class once in a while! 

Brian HallowDreamz Henry

Dancer, Krump

Brian Henry, also know as HallowDreamz, is a Brooklyn Buck/Krump dancer from Bed-Stuy Brooklyn, who was known for his audition on So You Think You Can Dance (season 8). He calls his personal Krump style Brooklyn Buck.

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Brian started Krumping in 2004. Inspired by Mijo and Tight Eyez "The creators", he has been pushing the Krump movement in N.Y.C. since 2008. He joined E.S.K. (East Street Kingdom), a branch of the group Street Kingdom, founded by Tight Eyez.

Brian has taught at, EXPG, Broadway Dance Center, PMT, and many more.

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Brian trained Ballet, Modern, contemporary, and African, which makes him one of the most sought after Krump teachers.

Devon Louis

Dancer, Paul Taylor Dance Company

Devon Louis, who hails from Washington, DC, is a graduate of Duke Ellington School of the Arts. He attended the Ailey School as a recipient of the Oprah Winfrey Scholarship, and furthered his dance education at Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival under the direction of Milton Myers. Mr. Louis has performed works by Alvin Ailey, Matthew Rushing, Christopher Huggins, Nathan Trice, Ronald K. Brown and Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. He has also performed as a member of Ballet Hispanico’s junior company, BHdos; The Metropolitan Opera; and Nimbus Dance Works. Mr. Louis joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company in Summer 2018.

Manuela Lira

Dancer, Ballet

Manuela Lira, a recent graduate of the School of American Ballet, has performed as a child with the New York City Ballet in George Balanchine's The Nutcracker, Coppelia, Harlequinade, Sleeping Beauty and A Midsummer Night's Dream. As a professional student, she danced in New York City Ballet's production of Scènes de Ballet and Serenade and in George Balanchine's Western Symphony, Symphony in C, La Source, Brahms Schoenberg Quartet and Raymonda as well as Jerome Robbins Glass Pieces. 

Manuela also has choreographed for the School of American Ballet's Student Choreographic Institute and the Toulmin Female Choreographic Workshop.

Kayla Mak

Dancer, Ballet

Kayla Mak (she/her) grew up in Rye Brook, NY and studied at Westchester Dance Academy and Ballet Academy East. As a BFA student at The Juilliard School under the direction of Alicia Graf Mack and Mario Alberto Zambrano, she performed works by Justin Peck, Caili Quan, Sidra Bell, Shen Wei, and Jamar Roberts, amongst others. Kayla participated in NBC's World of Dance and has had other professional performance opportunities with choreographer Juliano Nunes in Switzerland and Mexico. Kayla is currently a member of ABT Studio Company under the direction of Sascha Radetsky. 

Robenson Mathurin

Dancer, Haitian & Modern

Robenson is a New York-based dance artist performing, choreographing, and teaching Haitian Folklore, Contemporary, Modern, Jazz, and Afro-based dance styles. From 2012-2022, he worked as a principal dancer in the international Compagnie de Danse Jean Rene Delsoin, based in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. In 2017, he created the platform "Robenson Dance & Fitness" to support better health and dance training in Haiti and abroad, and in 2021, he created the course “Rabòday Fit” taught regularly at Fit4Dance studios in Brooklyn, NY. His goal is to spread joy by building awareness of Afro-diaspora dance and exchanging with fellow dance artists in this industry.

Robenson recently completed an artist-in-residence with Haiti Cultural Exchange’s Lakou NOU 2022 Program. Robenson is the Founding Artistic Director of NANM,  A Robenson Mathurin Dance Company. 

Alex McLaughlin

Musician, Viola

For Alex McLaughlin, a career in classical music is one that exemplifies variety and a need to perform. This drive has led Alex to seek performances in many different musical settings, from performing at Edinburgh Castle with the Strawberry Hill Fiddlers, to serving as the Acting Principal Violist of the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra (ECSO), or to educating children at a small library in Blossburg, PA. Alex is a graduate of both the Eastman School of Music and the Yale School of Music, receiving the Robert L. Oppelt award from the former and being a featured artist in the Oneppo Chamber Series of the latter. Alex has appeared in several festivals in the United States, including Spoleto Festival USA, the Bowdoin International Music Festival, the Weekend of Chamber Music, and the Endless Mountain Music Festival. In addition to the ECSO, Alex regularly performs with the Greater Newburgh Symphony Orchestra, the New Haven Symphony Orchestra, the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra, and the Woodstock Symphony Orchestra. Alex is also an active chamber musician, being a founding member of the Havenwood String Quartet in New Haven, CT as well as a frequent collaborator with the Beryllium String Quartet in NYC. Alex has had the honor of working with many masters of the viola in his career, including Emily Schaad, Carol Rodland, Ettore Causa, Masumi Per Rostad, Jeffrey Irvine, and Kim Kashkashian. He currently performs on a 1970 viola by Otto Erdesz.

Dario Natarelli

Dancer, Tap

Dario is a 2016 graduate of Fiorello H. LaGuardia HS of Music & Art and Performing Arts in New York where he was a drama major and delivered a commencement address at Lincoln Center centering around the importance of arts education. He is also a 2020 Cum Laude graduate of The Pennsylvania State University’s BFA Musical Theatre Program, where he achieved Dean’s List status for every semester, and he was the Student Marshal for the School of Theatre.

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Dario has danced on Broadway in Illinoise, in NYCC Encores Oliver! and The Tap Dance Kid, can be seen on Netflix’s Maestro, has performed at Vail Dance Festival and Jacob’s Pillow, Jazz at Lincoln Center and can be seen in national commercials, and more.

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Dario is a tap dance teacher at the acclaimed Broadway Dance Center in New York City. He is the current Artist-In-Residence at The American Tap Dance Foundation. He has taught classes in tap dance internationally and teaches private dance lessons and creates choreography for dancers of all levels.

Ben Rudisin

Dancer, Ballet

​Ben Rudisin was born in Woodbridge, Virginia and trained at the North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem and Houston Ballet II in Texas. Ben joined The National Ballet of Canada as an RBC Apprentice in 2013 and was promoted to Principal Dancer in 2021.  

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Most recently, Ben made his debut as Monsieur Lheureux in Helen Pickett’s world premiere of Emma Bovary and Leo in William Yong’s world premiere of UtopiVerse. An elegant dancer with pristine technique, he excels in roles such as Diaghilev in Nijinsky, Siegfried and Rothbart in Swan Lake, Prince Gremin in Onegin, title role of Romeo and Juliet and the male lead in Being and Nothingness as well as Icicle and Uncle Nikolai in The Nutcracker, The Mad Hatter in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, L'Allumeur in Le Petit Prince and lead roles in Diamonds and Emeralds from Balanchine's Jewels. His repertoire includes roles in  The Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Cinderella, The Winter’s Tale, Nijinsky,  Anna Karenina, The Merry Widow, Manon, Frame by Frame, A Streetcar Named Desire, La Sylphide, The Four Seasons, The Concert, Chaconne, Allegro Brillante, Symphony #9, Carousel (A Dance), The Second Detail, Approximate Sonata 2016, MADDADDAM, CHroma, Genus, Anima, Angels’  Atlas, Emergence, Cacti, Petite Mort, Paz de la Jolla, Night, The Collective Agreement, Orpheus Alive, The Dreamers Ever Leave You and Soul.  

Antonina Skobina

Dancer, Ballroom

Antonina Skobina was born in Ukraine. Since the age of seven, she has been receiving ballroom dance training in Ukraine, Germany, England, and United States. 

She is a 3-Time US National Ballroom Dance Champion, a World Championship Bronze Medalist, and a Blackpool Dance Festival winner. Together with her dance partner and husband Denys Drozdyuk, Antonina co-founded a collaborative ballroom dance duet called “DNA” – a name under which both participated on NBC’s Hit Television Show “World of Dance” for 2 Seasons, where they represented Ballroom Dance. 

Antonina is the recipient of NYSCA/NYFA Artist Fellowship in Choreography, CUNY Dance Initiative Residency, and Green Box Arts Residency. 

Antonina is also a gifted Ballroom Dance teacher and evidence of her work is training US National Ballroom Dance Champions amongst children and youth. Antonina gives dance masterclasses and workshops around the world in many reputable institutions including The Juilliard School, ABT Studio Company, Manhattan Youth Ballet, and many others.

Apart from dancing, Antonina has a great passion for acting and she is a graduate of the New York Film Academy. 

Heather Olcott

Stage Manager

Heather Olcott is heading into her third season as the stage manager with Boston Ballet.

Select credits include: Production Stage Manager for Dance Theatre of Harlem, Stage Manager for Andrew McNicol’s Cinderella (Tulsa Ballet), Stage Manager for Fall For Dance Festival (NY City Center), Assistant Stage Manager for Vail Dance Festival, Stage Manager for The Nutcracker (Tulsa Ballet), substitute Assistant Stage Manager for Puffs (Off-Broadway), Production Stage Manager for How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Musical! (National Tour), and Assistant Wardrobe Supervisor for 42nd Street (National Tour). B.A. in Dance and a minor in Stage Management from Point Park University. 

Mark Stanley

Production Manager

Mark Stanley, an essential element of the Nantucket Atheneum Dance Festival for past years, is a lighting designer and production manger extraordinaire who ensures every performance looks the way it should. In Mark's words, "as lighting designers, we have the great fortune of being artists working in a medium that uniquely reflects and reveals the world. It is not only how we see, but it is also how we experience what we see."

Mark has been designing light for movement, music, text, and camera in a 40+ year career. Leaning on the collaborative nature of the work, Mark has worked to embody and reflect light to provoke the viewer’s imagination, bringing story, emotion, and beauty to performances and audiences throughout the US and Europe.

Mark is also a committed educator of the next generation of lighting designers and a fervent believer in the importance of creating opportunities for young designers as they navigate the transition from their academic careers to professional design.

Loren Walton

Dancer, Ballet

Loren Walton is from Austin, Texas.  He joined the Ballet West Academy as a trainee in 2019 and joined Ballet West II in 2020.  He was promoted to the main company in 2022.  With Ballet West, Loren has danced roles in Christensen’s The Nutcracker, Stevenson’s Dracula, Smuin’s Romeo + Juliet, and Robbins’ Glass Pieces, among others.

Damian Zamorano

Dancer, Ballet

Damian Zamorano is a Principal Soloist with Miami City Ballet. He was born in Havana, Cuba, and at 13 participated in The First National Dance Competition “Attitude” in Mexico City where he won a gold medal in his category. He went on to join Compañia Nacional De Danza in Mexico City, participated in a reality show of ballet for two months, where he got 2nd place and a scholarship from FONCA institution, and later joined Miami City Ballet as a corps de ballet member and was promoted to Principal Soloist in 2023.