Ronnie Underwood received his training from Tulsa School of Ballet, Ballet Hispanico in New York City, and American Ballet Theatre. He performed as an apprentice with Tulsa Ballet Theatre and, at 19, joined Fort Worth/Dallas Ballet (now Texas Ballet Theater). There, Ronnie performed principal roles in Giselle and Coppelia, among other ballets. He performed as a guest artist with the critically acclaimed South African Ballet Theatre, dancing the role of Prince Florimund in The Sleeping Beauty. Since joining OBT, Ronnie has created principal roles in Christopher Stowell’s Eyes On You, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Pas De Deux Parisien. And in 2007, he added the coveted male role of Apollo to his repertoire.

Alison Roper received her formal dance training from Boston Ballet School and the School of Oregon Ballet Theatre. She joined OBT in 1996 and was honored by Dance Magazine in 2002 as one of “25 to Watch.” In 2006, she added the Swan Lake dual-role of Odette/Odile to her extensive repertoire. Alison has had ballets created on her by Christopher Stowell, Trey McIntyre, James Kudelka and Nicolo Fonte, among others.  Since 2005, she has spent her summers performing with Trey McIntyre and in 2007 was chosen to be an ambassador with fitness-wear company lululemon athletica.

Casie Wheeler started dancing at the age of 3 in Fishers, Indiana and has been a member of Central Indiana Dance Ensemble since it’s inception in 2000. She has danced principal roles in its productions of The Nutcracker, Peter Pan and Coppelia. Casie has participated in the Penrod Arts Festival, has won countless awards in both regional and national competitions, and has performed with CIDE around the country at the Regional Dance America Festivals, where she has received scholarships to dance programs and intensives. Currently she is enrolled in the Indiana University Bloomington High School Independent Studies Program and will be a graduating Senior in 2008.

James Moore is from San Francisco, California. He trained at San Francisco Ballet School and the School of American Ballet. He joined Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre in 2001 and joined Pacific Northwest Ballet as a member of the corps de ballet in 2004. James has performed leading roles in the works of George Balanchine, Val Caniparoli, Sonia Dawkins, Nacho Duato, William Forsythe, Paul Gibson, Susan Marshall, Kent Stowell, Twyla Tharp, Christopher Wheeldon, Marco Goecke, Molissa Fenley,and originated a leading role in pieces by Victor Quijada and Dominique Dumais, and Christopher Stowell.

Kim Torcivia began her training with the Richmond Ballet in VA, and continued on to graduate from the School of Nashville Ballet. She attended Butler University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Arts Administration with a concentration in Dance, then became an apprentice with the Alabama Ballet. Next, Kim apprenticed with the Nashville Ballet and was moved into the company the following year. Her notable roles include Kiss Pas in Salvatore Aiello's Clowns and Others, Fairy of Beauty in The Sleeping Beauty, a lead swan and cygnet in Swan Lake, Dew Drop Fairy and Arabian in Nutcracker, a featured role in Paul Vasterling's duet You Ain't Woman enough to take my Man, and Fleur De Lys in Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre's Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Brian Williamson received his training from Tracy Leadill-Mulquin in Franklin, IL. He attended the School of Nashville Ballet’s Summer Intensive Program, then became an apprentice with Nashville Ballet in 2000, joining the company two years later. Mr. Williamson has been with Nashville Ballet for four seasons and has performed roles in Swan Lake, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Nutcracker, Paul Vasterling's Ballet: Tango, Seasons and Awaiting Redemption, and Salvatore Aiello's The Rite of Spring as well as Sarah Slipper's Postcards from the Boys. He was also featured in Vasterling's Moondog Suite for Loyola Ballet in New Orleans and as the Cavalier in University of Louisville's production of Nutcracker.

Brooklyn Mack is from Elgin, South Carolina, and trained at the Pavlovich Dance School, and on full scholarship at the Kirov Academy of Ballet.  He became an apprentice with the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, and subsequently joined American Ballet Theatre Studio Company. Brooklyn is the recipient of the Kirsti Paakenen Encouragement Prize at the International Ballet Competition in Helsinki Finland in 2005, and the Silver Medal at the 2006 Jackson International Ballet Competition in Mississippi.  His roles include Oberon in Orlando Ballet’s Midsummer Nights Dream, The Lead in Allegro Brillante, Who Cares?, Serenade, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Spartacus. He has been a guest artist in Venezuela, Japan, and Latvia.

Drew Jacoby, from Boise, Idaho, trained at the School of American Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet. At 17, Drew joined Lines Ballet in San Francisco, where she was made a principal dancer and had works created on her by Alonzo King. She was a guest star in Sylvie Guillem’s 2005 Japan tour, performing featured roles in ballets by Sir Kenneth MacMillan and Alberto Alonso. In 2007, Drew moved to New York City , and has premiered works of Lubovitch and Dwight Rhoden. She was featured in William Forsythe’s Herman Schmerman, alongside Desmond Richardson, as a guest artist with Complexions Contemporary Ballet, and will soon be guesting with Morphoses/ The Wheeldon Company. Drew is the recipient of the Princess Grace Award, and the Level 1 Award from the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts.

Janessa Touchet, is from New Orleans, Louisiana, and trained at the Giacobbe Academy of Dance, Hartford Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet. From 1989 to 2000, Janessa danced with the Delta Festival Ballet before joining Cincinnati Ballet. In 2000, she won First Place in the New Orleans Overture to the Cultural Season and in the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. Ms. Touchet was also a semi-finalist in 2002 and a finalist in 2006 at the International Ballet Competition held in Jackson, Mississippi. During her career at Cincinnati Ballet, she has enjoyed dancing the roles of Marie in The Nutcracker, Rubies pas de deux in Jewels, Aurora in Sleeping Beauty, Odile/Odette in Swan Lake, and Jorma Elo’s, Plan to B.

Allison Healy received her training from Gwinnett Ballet Theatre, the Tupelo Academy of Dance, and Butler University where she will return as a senior working to earn her BFA in dance performance. She has performed lead roles such as Swanhilda in Coppelia, Snow White, and Snow Queen in The Nutcracker. She has studied and performed in Poland as part of a summer study program, and has attended other summer programs including Alonzo King’s LINES Ballet and Wes Chapman’s Alabama Ballet.

Katie Lupke received her training at Jordan Academy of Dance,with Larry Attaway, Laura Hedges-Byram, Nataly North-Lowder, Roberta Wong, Jane Hachiya-Weiner, Derek Reid, and Michelle Merrell, and has performed at the Penrod Arts Fair as part of the Jordan Dance Ensemble.  Katie has also studied with David Hochoy of Dance Kaleidoscope and appeared as a guest dancer. This past January she was the winner of the Prelude Fine Arts Competition in Dance. Attending summer intensives with the Cincinnati Ballet, The Rock School, and Jordan Academy, she has worked with choreographers such as Daniel R. Simmons, Christopher Flemming, and Petrus Bosman.

Leslie Dodge is a native of Indianapolis and has studied many forms of dance at Curtain Call Dance Academy and Performer’s Edge. At 16, she was featured as Sugar Plum Fairy in Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre’s student production of The Nutcracker. As an apprentice to the company, she appeared in Pygmalion, by Alyona Yakovleva, and as a GHDT company member, was featured in many productions including Hooray for Bollywood and Dracula. Leslie currently attends Butler University where she studies Dance Pedagogy and English. As a member of Butler Ballet, Leslie has danced roles in The Nutcracker and Coppelia and has also been featured in Idyllwild, an original work by Susan McGuire.

Kathryn Tosh, is from Orlando, Florida, and trained at the Orlando Ballet School from age 8. At 14, she became a trainee with Orlando Ballet where she spent two years under the direction of Fernando Bujones. She was a semi-finalist at both the Helsiki and Jackson International Ballet Competitions. She has just completed her second season with Orlando Ballet.

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