School Faculty

School Director, Jose Costas

Assistant School Director, Jessica Prohias

Artistic Assistant, Irene Hogarth-Cimino

Music Director, Olga Bazilevskaya

Jose Costas (School Director) comes to Ballet Hispanico from Orange Coast College, where he was Associate Professor of Dance for the past eight years. Costas holds an M.F.A. in dance from the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and a M. Ed. from Catholic University of Puerto Rico. Costas began his dance training in his native Puerto Rico, under the direction of Julie Mayoral and Lolita San Miguel. As a principal dancer with Ballet Hispanico, he performed lead roles in many ballets and performed with the company throughout the United States, Europe and South America. He has worked extensively as a choreographer, creating pieces for colleges and companies around the country. Costas is also a master teacher, working extensively with educational programs for Ballet Hispanico, City Center and the Orchestra of St. Luke’s. He has taught master classes in ballet, modern, jazz and ethnic dance styles for universities, dance schools and public schools in the United States and Puerto Rico. In 1995, he received a Modern Dance Award given by Puerto Rican Institute of New York. He taught at California State University, Dominguez Hills for four years before becoming a full-time faculty member in the Orange Coast College Dance Department.

Irene Hogarth-Cimino (Artistic Assistant and Ballet Faculty) was born in South Africa, training with Joy Shearer, Patricia Mcintosh and Faith Devilliers, and graduated with a Performing Art's Diploma from the University of Cape-Town. Ms. Hogarth-Cimino continued her training in New York at the School of American Ballet, the Joffrey School, workshops with Twyla Tharp, coaching with Gelsey Kirkland and Charla Genn and the Paris Opera Ballet Seminars. She danced soloist and principal roles with South Africa's Cape Town Ballet and NAPAC Dance Company before joining the American Repertory Ballet. Ms. Hogarth-Cimino has just completed her eighth and final year as a member of the Ballet Hispanico Company and has a strong background in dance education and as a choreographer assistant/rehearsal director. She has extensive teaching experience here at Ballet Hispanico, as well as in New York City Public Schools and in her native South Africa. Ms. Hogarth-Cimino has taught master classes and has served as an artist-in-residence at venues across the country with Ballet Hispanico's Primeros Pasos program. She is now very excited to transition into a full-time educational and administrative role in the Ballet Hispanico School.

Olga Bazilevskaya (Music Director) A graduate of Moscow Conservatory College in Russia, Ms. Bazilevskaya brings with her 30 years of varied experience in music as the Music Director of Ballet Hispanico. Ms. Bazilevskaya has the excellent ability to accompany Ballet and Modern Classes/Rehearsals as well as personable and individual teaching approaches for voice and instrument ensembles. Between 1974 and 1990, she taught piano at The Music School in Moscow and the Moscow Military Music College. Ms. Bazilevskaya moved to New York in 1990 where she has accompanied classes at New York University, Barnard College of Columbia University, the David Howard Ballet School, the Joffrey Ballet School, the Juilliard School of Music and many more. She currently performs as the company musician with the Alvin Ailey Company, Les Ballet Trockadero de Monte Carlo, and the Ballet Hispanico Company in New York. She is the official accompanist of Ballet Hispanico.

TEACHERS

Anna Bernstein (Adventures in Dance) Anna Bernstein currently lives, works and dances in New York City. After completing three years of training at Studio Maestro in NYC under the direction of Francois Perron, she is now in the work study program at Steps on Broadway, working and training six days a week in Ballet, Jazz and Musical Theater Dance. She studies with notable teachers including Gelsey Kirkland, Alexander Tressor, Nancy Bielski, Jeff Shade and Debbie Roache. Anna has performed in numerous productions of the Nutcracker and was honored to be part of a small group of dancers selected to perform with the Burklyn Youth Ballet at the 2005 Edinbourgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. Anna is very proud to be a first year faculty member at Ballet Hispanico.

Marged Bernstein (Ballet) began her dance career in the 1960s with regional companies in the United States and performed with the National ballet companies in Johannesburg and Cape Town in the mid-1970s and 1980s. She has since taught ballet in South Africa, Cape Town and Johannesburg, at the Chicago City Ballet School, and Salt Creek Ballet in Chicago. She has choreographed for Chicago City Ballet, Salt Creek Ballet and Lexington Ballet. Most recently, her Suite Waltz and Ballad of the Beer Café were performed at New York City Center by the Eidolon Ballet. She currently teaches privately and coaches in the New York City area.

Maya de Silva (Spanish Dance) received her BFA in Theatre & Dance from UNM, Albuquerque. Since 1987, Maya has performed flamenco with groups such as Maria Benitez, Carlota Santana, Andrea Del Conte, and Flamenco Latino. She has completed the 4 Month Professional Certificate Course at the Cristina Heeren Foundation of Flamenco in Sevilla, Spain with El Farruquito, Javier Latorre, Carmen Ledesma, Isreal Galvan, Isabel Bayon and Milagros Mengibar. Maya has choreographed and produced her own shows at the Kraine Theatre and PS 122, Third Street Music School and at Santa Barbara, California’s CenterStage. She danced for five years at the Metropolitan Opera in "Carmen" and “La Traviata” and taught for ten years at the Mason Gross School of the Arts Dance Department at Rutger’s University, currently teaches at Roy Arias Dance Studios, children at Rod Rogers Dance Studios, and is a teaching artist in the NYC Public School system for both Ballet Hispanico and Carlota Santana Flamenco Vivo. Maya has her own dance company in New York, Los del Barrio y Flamenco Revolucion.

Caron Eule (Adventures in Dance) is a dancer, choreographer, and teacher. She received her BFA in dance from SUNY Purchase. As the Director of C. Eule Dance, she has presented modern dance and contemporary ballet at venues all over New York and California. She has also choreographed for theater, film, and opera. Caron has taught dance at Ballet Hispanico School of Dance, the Lee Strasberg Theater Institute, Eliot Feld's Ballet Tech, and Chelsea Day School in New York City, and Peak Performance and the Tenafly JCC in New Jersey. She also teaches ballroom dance in the public schools for American Ballroom Theater.

Karen Gayle (Horton) is originally from Toronto and began her training at the Claude Watson School for the Arts. While continuing her training at the Toronto Dance Theatre and the Randolph Dance Theatre, she received her degree from Ryerson University. She studied with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and has worked with Earl Mosley's Diversity in Dance, the Mantis Dance Project, Camboulay Dance, and choreographers such as Ronald K. Brown, Earl Mosley and Tony winner Hinton Battle. Currently she is a dance faculty member at Steps on Broadway, The New Dance Group, Ballet Hispanico, The School at Columbia University and Horace Mann. She has had the opportunity to guest teach and choreograph in several countries abroad including Mexico, Bolivia, Canada and Italy.

Bonnie Herbert-Diaz (Salsa) was the First World Champion for the United States (Mambo), Former National-International Ten Dance Champion, and Former member of the American Ballroom Theatre. She holds an Associate of Science Degree in Recreational Therapy and is a certified Group Fitness,Yoga, and Pilates instructor. Bonnie has her own Manhattan cable TV show, Bonnie Herbert Lifestyles, and her own dance-fitness work out DVD, Latin Burn.

Lauren Jager (Adventures in Dance) graduated magna cum laude with a BFA degree in Dance Performance from Marymount Manhattan College and is a member of the Buglisi Dance Theatre. Lauren has danced professionally with Ballet Ambassadors, performing the roles of Sugar Plum Fairy in "Nutcracker" and the Black Swan in "Swan Lake". She has been a principal dancer with James Robey Dance, previously known as the Bare Bones Project. She has taught for the Ridgefield Conservatory of Dance, in Connecticut, and Ballet Ambassadors, in NYC. Lauren is currently teaching for Ballet Hispanico and Steffi Nossen School of Dance.

Mariko Kumanomido (Adventures in Dance) Mariko Kumanomido is from St. Louis, MO, where she started her training at the Alexandra School of Ballet under the direction of Alexandra Zaharias. She received her BFA in Dance from the University of Missouri – Kansas City, studying under Michael Simms, Paula Webber, and Jennifer Medina. She moved to New York after receiving a fellowship at the Ailey School. She is currently a member of Jessica Danser/Dansefolk.

La Meira (Flamenco) fell in love with Flamenco at the age of 15 and has never looked back. She began her extensive training in her native Los Angeles with Roberto Amaral and Carmen Mora, and then traveled to Madrid, where she performed continuously in many renowned tablos. She has performed with many of the giants of Flamenco, including Antonio Canales, Tony "El Pelao," Diego Carrasco, Manolo Soler, Juanito Habichuela and Jose Soto of "Ketama." La Meira has been featured in such companies of Fred Darsow, Carlota Santana, Pasion y Arte, and Ballet Flamenco La Rosa, performing nationwide as well as Mexico. La Meira frequently choreographs for individual soloists and has been awarded choreography grants. She holds an M.F.A. in choreography as well as an Ed.D in dance history from Temple University. She has taught for nearly 30 years. She is curretnly on the adjunct faculty at Sarah Lawrence College and at the Fashion Institute of Technology, where she will be teaching a dance history survey course entitled "Dance as Art" which she created.

Melinda Marquez (Spanish Dance) has been a member of the Ballet Hispanico faculty since 1985, working with both the Ballet Hispanico School of Dance and Primeros Pasos arts education program. A co-founder of Flamenco Vivo with Roberto Lorca and Carlota Santana, her primary career focus is on teaching and choreography. Her work has been recognized with a NY Foundation for the Arts choreography fellowship, faculty positions at the Alvin Ailey School, Jacques d’Amboise’ National Dance Institute, Eglevsky Ballet, and Dance CT. She has led master classes at Brooklyn College, Mannes College of Music, The Hartt School and the City Center Fall for Dance Festival. Ms. Marquez is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Women’s Studies at SCSU and recently wrote and co-hosted “Flamenco: A Living Art Form” which aired on WPKN, Bridgeport, CT.

Flavio Salazar (Ballet), a native of Colombia, began his dance studies at the Instituto Colombiano de Ballet (Incolballet), earning his Bachillerato Artistico del Ballet (secondary school diploma) in 1985. Incolballet is noted for its founder, Gloria Castro, and its association with the National Ballet of Cuba. Mr. Salazar’s teaching experience extends from his early professional dancing years in Colombia, through his time at ABT. Presently, Mr. Salazar is an ABT Certified Teacher for ABT`s National Training Curriculum in Primary through Level 3, and a Certified teacher in Methodology and Pedagogy in Ballet advised by the National Ballet of Cuba. He has taught classes at ABT II, the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, the ABT Summer Intensive, the Alvin Ailey Dance Theatre, the Ailey School, Ballet Tech and Ballet Hispanico among others.

David Strobbe (Jazz and Ballet), originally from Canada, has performed as a principal dancer with Cleveland San Jose Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theater, and Smuin Ballet. He has performed principal roles all over the world on many of the great stages for the past 13 years. As a teacher, Mr. Strobbe was most recently the Ballet Master for Smuin Ballet in San Francisco where he would teach and coach company members. He was also a regular guest teacher at City Ballet School in San Francisco and at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa. Mr. Strobbe has extensive training in ballet, jazz, tap, and musical theater from the Kirkwood Academy of Performing Arts. He has also trained in Havana, Cuba with Pro-Danza and in Winnipeg at the Royal Winnipeg Ballet School.

Kathy Sullivan (Ballet) has performed with the Boston Ballet, Les Grands Ballet Canadiens, Les Ballet de Nancy and taught at Broadway Dance Center, Ballet Hispanico, La Guardia High School of Performing Arts, and New Jersey Ballet. Her choreography has been presented at Joyce Soho, Cunningham Studio, New Choreographers on Pointe commissioned by Barnard College and seen in numerous STEPS BEYOND showcases. For eight years she worked for the New York City Ballet’s Education Department, designing and presenting ballet workshops in public schools. She currently teaches ballet and pointe at STEPS on Broadway, and is on the ballet faculty at Barnard College. Ms. Sullivan has collaborated on CD’s for ballet class, and has made a video of ballet routines, “Ballet with Style,” released by Bob Rizzio (RIZ BIZ), and has written articles for Dance Teacher, Pointe, Dancer, and Dance Spirit magazines. Recently, she directed and edited “Downtown Dance-NYC,” an educational DVD produced by Insight Media.

Jose "Hollywood" Ramos (Hip-Hop) has been dedicated to the art of dance since the tender age of 5. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in NY, his passion ultimately landed him his first professional gig where he choreographed/danced in Hip-Hop recording artist Lil Mama "G-slide" video. Since then Hollywood has accomplished a great deal in the months that followed appearing and choreographing for shows like "The Tyra Banks Show", various MTV shows, "Live with Regis and Kelly" and "The Today Show" to name a few. From tours to videos to TV to the main stage, Hollywood has even got the chance to open-up and choreograph for artists like Lloyd, the queen of disco Donna Summer, R&B multi-platinum artist Chris Brown and T-pain.

Jennifer Reiter (Ballet) received her Master's degree in Dance from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and her BFA in Dance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Both of her degrees are in performance and choreography. Her versatile performance career includes but is not limited to classical and contemporary ballet, modern dance, musical theater, Las Vegas style productions, performance art, authentic baroque court dance, and lecture/demonstrations. Ms. Reiter has taught and produced choreography for universities, dance schools/studios, summer intensives, and theater companies all around the country. As a teacher she specializes in ballet, pointe/variations, modern, lyrical, musical theater dance, improvisation and movement for actors. Her students are presently performing in national tours.

Jose Traba (Boys Workshop and Partnering) has performed soloist and principal roles in Cincinnati Ballet, Cleveland Ballet, New Orleans City Ballet and Ballet Chicago. He has also performed with New York City Opera and Metropolitan Opera Ballet. Among his teaching credits are Broadway Dance Center, The Ailey School, Miami City Ballet, Ballet Academy East, South Carolina Dance Conservatory, International Dance Academy London, Harkness Center for Dance and Festival of Theater and Dance in Japan. He continues to teach in New York and abroad.

Raquel Valiente (Hablando y Bailando and Discovery) was born and raised in El Salvador. She studied modern dance under the direction of Estela Men, member and founder of the Salvadorian dance company Humanum Tempore and in Ballet under Alicia de Rusconi. In 2005 she moved to New York to continue her training at Adelphi University under the direction of Frank Augustyn, where she worked with choreographers including Aszure Barton and Leda Meredith, and performed work by Martha Graham. She was a scholarship student at Jennifer Muller/The Works until 2008. There she studied the technique with Jennifer Muller, John Brookes and company dancers. She has also done technical crew work, most recently stage managing for C. Eule dance in New York City.

ACCOMPANISTS

Elena Aksenova, Olga Bazilevskaya, Nataliya Frolova, Marina Gabunia, Freya Goldstein, Daniel Koren, Peter Lewis, Steven Noll, Vadim Rubinsky, Bernard Schaller, Megumi Yonezawa, Elena Zelvinskaia