Company Artists

 

Soloists
Joshua Barr – Sponsored in Appreciation of Dance
Joshua Barr was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania. He began his dance training at the age of 10 at the Allegheny Ballet Company, where he studied with Deborah Anthony, Cristin Davis-Burwell, Richard Cook and Cherie Noble, among others. Barr has attended summer programs at Pacific Northwest Ballet School, under the direction of Peter Boal, and Ballet Austin. He then went on to study with KT Huckabee at Pennsylvania State University, where he is currently pursuing a degree in Integrative Arts. He has performed featured roles in The Nutcracker, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Giselle, Swan Lake, Le Corsaire and Cinderella. Most recently Joshua studied as a Professional Division Trainee at Ballet Austin with Stephen Mills and Michelle Martin, where he performed works by Stephen Mills and Nick Kepley. This is his debut season with Ballet Pensacola.

Dylan Duke
Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Dylan Duke started dancing at the Baltimore Actors Theatre Conservatory at the age of 11. He attended the Baltimore School for the Arts for high school, where he performed lead roles in The Nutcracker and contemporary works by Lisa DeRibere and Antoine Wilson. Duke comes from Ballet Austin II, where he performed for one year. This is Duke’s debut season with Ballet Pensacola.

Samuel Joseph Mounce
Originally from McAllen, Texas, Samuel Joseph Mounce began his ballet training at South Texas Dance Theater under the direction of Babil Gandara, Sr. He received additional training from Virginia School of the Arts and Milwaukee Ballet where he later joined Milwaukee Ballet II. He also attended the Ballet Austin trainee program, where he danced for two years under the direction of Stephen Mills and Michelle Martin. Mounce is currently majoring in public relations at the University of Texas-Pan American. This is Mounce’s second season with Ballet Pensacola, where he has performed such roles as the pas de deux from Indelible Itinerary, Tea in The Nutcracker and the Blue Bird in The Sleeping Beauty.

Amanda Mountsier
Amanda Mountsier is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio. In June 2009 she graduated from the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music with a B.F.A in Dance Performance and a minor in English. While studying at the Conservatory, Browning had the opportunity to study exclusively with Shellie Cash, Deirdre Carberry, Jiang Qi and Michael Tevlin. She had featured roles in Bournonville’s Konservatoriet, Paquita, Pas de Quatre and Swan Lake. While in attendance at the College-Conservatory of Music, she also danced with Dayton Ballet in various productions. Now in her second season with Ballet Pensacola, Mountsier has performed as a Candy Cane in The Nutcracker and in Indelible Itinerary, Thunderstruck and The Sleeping Beauty.

Noelle Paige
A native of Pensacola, Noelle Paige has been dancing with Ballet Pensacola for 10 years. She has also studied at multiple programs across the nation, including the Rock School in Pennsylvania, Princeton’s American Repertory Ballet in New Jersey and LINES Ballet’s Student and Professional Intensives in San Francisco, on scholarships. Noelle has also studied with Mobile Ballet, Montgomery Ballet and the Northwest Florida Ballet through the course of her training. Paige has performed in Christine Duhon’s Upwardly Mobile and In The Upper Room as well as Richard Steinert’s Thunderstruck and The Nutcracker. This is Paige’s second season as a professional with Ballet Pensacola.

Kristen Springer
Kristen Springer was born in Atlanta, Georgia, and began her dance training at the Northeast Atlanta Ballet when she was four years old. She attended the School of American Ballet in New York City on scholarship and was later accepted into the training program at Houston Ballet, where she danced for two years. Springer has had the opportunity to dance many principal roles, including Clara, Dew Drop, Snow Queen and Sugar Plum in The Nutcracker, Odette/Odile in Swan Lake, Juliet in Romeo and Juliet and Wendy in Peter Pan. This is Springer’s third season dancing with Ballet Pensacola.

Jieying Zhu – Sponsored by Hernandez Calhoun Design International
Jieying Zhu is originally from Shanghai, China. She has danced with the Hong Kong Ballet and with Tulsa Ballet Theater and was a bronze medalist in the Chinese National Ballet Competition. This is Zhu’s third season with Ballet Pensacola, where she has performed such roles as Sugar Plum in The Nutcracker and Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty. She has also danced in Richard Steinert’s Flipside and Thunderstruck.

Demi-Solists
Colleen Barnes
A native of Victoria, Texas, Colleen Barnes began her dance training at Victoria Ballet Theatre under Debbe Busby. She has studied at the Joffrey Ballet School, Interlochen Arts Academy and the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet and Song Ting, in China. She has danced professionally with Dayton Ballet. Barnes recently earned her B.F.A. in ballet at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. While in attendance at the College-Conservatory of Music, she performed in Balanchine’s Walpurgischnact, Pas de Quatre, and Swan Lake. This is Barnes’ debut season with Ballet Pensacola.

Trey Godfrey
A native of Columbia, South Carolina, Trey Godfrey has studied dance under Michael Wardlaw. This is his debut season dancing with Ballet Pensacola where he brings considerable tumbling and gymnastic ability. Godfrey is a recent graduate of the United States Naval Academy with a degree in English. This is Godfrey’s debut season with Ballet Pensacola.

Erin Lapaglia
Erin Lapaglia is from Austin, Texas, where she trained at various ballet schools for 12 years. During this time she attended summer programs at the Virginia School of the Arts, Joffrey Workshop in San Antonio, Texas, Joffrey Ballet School in New York, School of Alberta Ballet, Ballet Austin and Nashville Ballet. While in Austin, she performed with small professional companies, including the Austin Dance Ensemble and Conservatory Dance Theatre. Some of her favorite lead roles she has performed include Clara and Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker and Gamzatti in La Bayadere. She attended the School of Alberta Ballet’s Pre Professional/Trainee Program for two years under the direction of Murray Kilgour. While there she had the opportunity to perform with the Moscow Ballet. Most recently, she studied with the Nashville Ballet. This is Erin’s debut season with Ballet Pensacola.

Ensemble
Anna Caldwell, Kristen Chuvala, Marissa Frangione, Maia Kavchak, Hunger Liggett, Debi Marshall, Ellie Wade, Jessica Wells

Apprentices
Hailey Bates, Amanda Clayton, Rachel Kincaid, Sarah Kincaid, Abigail Rodgers, Dustin Simmons, Deniece Wade

Youth Ensemble
Lana Bell, Jazzmene Bernard, Emily Bougher, Skylar Boyles, Jodee Flurry, Taylor Hering, Rebecca Kincaid, Tarra Talbert, Triana Ernde, Kendall Finger, Simone Landry, Ashley Tringas, Diane Wade, Bridget White, Kristopher Williams