Ballet Hispánico Dancers

Melissa Verdecia is from Miami, FL and received her early training from Caridad Espinosa, Mencia-Pikieris School of Dance, and New World School of the Arts, where she graduated summa cum laude in 2008. In 2012, Verdecia went on to earn her BFA in dance from The Juilliard School, where she performed works by Sidra Bell, Alex Ekman, Nacho Duato, and Jerome Robbins, among others. Verdecia was selected as a modern dance finalist in The National YoungArts Foundation competition in 2008, and was featured in the HBO series Master Class. 

Chris Bloom is from Fredrick County, VA where he began dancing at the Blue Ridge Studio for the Performing Arts and the Vostrikov Academy of Ballet. Chris graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Ailey/Fordham BFA Program in 2012. He has performed with numerous companies such as Parsons Dance, Lydia Johnson and the Peridance Contemporary Dance Company. 

Shelby Colona grew up in Houston, Texas where she graduated from the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) with honors in dance. After graduating, she attended The Ailey School’s Certificate Program in 2011-2013.

Lyvan Verdecia was born in Havana, Cuba. He graduated from the National Ballet School of Cuba in 2013 and joined the ranks of the National Ballet of Cuba through December 2014, where he developed as a dancer and choreographer. He has had the opportunity to participate in festivals and has won gold and bronze medals at international competitions. 

Gabrielle Sprauve was born in Queens, NY and raised in Savannah, GA where she attended Savannah Arts Academy for the Performing Arts, studying at the Ailey School and the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance during the summers. She earned her BFA at Marymount Manhattan College in 2017. 

Jared Bogart is originally from Crystal River, FL where he spent his early years training at his parents’ dance school. He graduated with a BFA in Dance from Jacksonville University and trained during his summers at the Orlando Ballet School, Archcore40, Florida Dance Masters, and Florida Dance Festival.

Dandara Veiga is originally from Brazil where she began her dance training at Projeto Social Primeiros Passos, before training as a scholarship student at Escola de danca Ballerina. She also studied at Studio Margarita Fernandez in Argentina, Opus Ballet in Italy, and Annarella Academia de Ballet e Danca in Portugal. Dandara continued her training as a scholarship student at The Ailey School in 2016/2017. 

Omar Rivéra is originally from Los Angeles, CA. After moving to Dallas, Texas, Rivéra trained at Prodigy Dance & Performing Arts Centre under the direction of Camille Billelo. He graduated from the prestigious Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing & Visual Arts, and was a part of HSPVA’s dance ensembles Repertoire Dance Company I & II, where he performed a variety of works by choreographers such as Robert Battle and Desmond Richardson. 

Laura Lopez is from Miami, FL, where she trained at Patricia Penenori Dance Center. She attended New World School of the Arts High School where she continued her dance training. Lopez was a 2013 Young Arts finalist and was nominated as a Presidential Scholar. In April 2016, she graduated New World College, where she received her BFA in Dance from the University of Florida. 

Antonio Cangiano was born in Naples, Italy. He began his dance training at age sixteen and was awarded scholarships from Ateneo Danza (Forli), Accademia Normanna (Naples), and the Martha Graham Dance School in New York City. Cangiano has danced for the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, Dardo Galletto Dance, Acsi Ballet, and Graham 2.

Lenai Alexis Wilkerson is from Washington, D.C. where she attended the Baltimore School for the Arts. Lenai graduated from the University of Southern California as a Glorya Kaufman scholar with a BFA in Dance and a minor in Political Science in 2019. 

Paulo Hernandez-Farella is a first-generation Salvadoran-American from Los Angeles, California. After four years at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, they attended the University of Southern California on a full-ride. In just four years, Paulo graduated with both a BFA in Dance from the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance and a Master’s in Public Administration from the USC Price School of Public Policy. Paulo has been a scholarship student for a multitude of renowned schools such as the Juilliard School Summer Intensive, the Joffrey Ballet’s International Intensive, and Alonzo King LINES Intensive. 

Simone Cameresi was born in Italy and raised in Anaheim Hills, California where she trained at Murrieta Dance Project, Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy, and Mather Dance Company. In 2013 and 2014, she was selected as a modern dance semifinalist in the Music Center Spotlight Awards, and in 2014, she was also selected as a YoungArts Foundation merit winner. 

Leonardo Brito is from Saquarema, Brazil and trained with Projeto Primeiro Passo, before training at Escola Estadual de Danca Maria Olenewa, Center of Art Nós da Dança, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Miami City Ballet School, and The Ailey School. Leonardo has performed with companies such as Mariinsky Ballet, Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro, Emotions Physical Theater, Dance Theater of Florida, Alvin Ailey, and Ailey II. In 2016, Leonardo was awarded the III Brazilian Modern Dance Congress and he has performed works by Robert Battle, Jennifer Archibald, Troy Powell, Jae Man Joo, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Amy Hall Garner, Melanie Futorian, Ray Mercer and Bradley Shelver.