PABLO PIANTINO Mendoza, ArgentinaPiantino began dancing at the age of 14. His training includes private seminars with Hector Zaraspe and studies at boththe Colón Theatre School and The Juilliard School where he received his B.F.A. Having danced with both the Colón TheatreBallet Company and The Juilliard School Dance Ensemble, Piantino joined the San Francisco Ballet in 1999 and thenbecame an HSDC company member in August of 2005.ALEJANDRO PIRIS-NIÑO Madrid, SpainNiño began his ballet studies at the age of ten when he joined the Victor Ullate School of Dance on scholarship, laterbecoming a company member in 1995. While with the Victor Ullate Company, Alejandro performed all over Europe aswell as at many major events in Spain. In 1999, Piris-Niño moved to New York to dance with ABT II and was promoted toAmerican Ballet Theatre’s main company in 2000. Piris-Niño joined HSDC in August of 2008. He would like to thank hisbrothers and sisters for being unconditionally helpful and supportive.PENNY SAUNDERS West Palm Beach, Fla.Saunders received her formal dance training at, and graduated from, The Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton. She alsoparticipated in summer programs with the School of American Ballet and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. While furtheringher training under Elisabeth Carroll, she joined The American Repertory Ballet in New Jersey. Saunders has also dancedwith Ballet Arizona, toured extensively with MOMIX, and was a member of Cedar Lake Ensemble in New York beforejoining HSDC in November 2004.KEVIN SHANNON Baltimore, Md.Shannon began his formal dancing under the guidance of Lester Holmes. He graduated from The Baltimore School forthe Arts, receiving additional summer training at the School of American Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Paul Taylor, and DavidParsons. He received his B.F.A. in 2007 from The Juilliard School, where he performed works by Susan Marshall, MarkMorris, William Forsythe, and Jirí Kylián. He has toured nationally with The Juilliard School Ensemble and performed in thenationally-broadcast special “Live From Lincoln Center, The Juilliard School: Celebrating 100 Years.” He is a co-founder ofBØRDERLINE DANCE CIRCLE—a troupe under the choreographic direction of Michelle Mola—for which he danced professionallyand developed concepts since 2005. Shannon joined HSDC in November 2007.JESSICA TONG Binghamton, N.Y.Tong received a full scholarship to the Ballet Department at the University of Utah and became a member of Utah Ballet as ajunior in high school. She attended summer programs at American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, Kaatsbaan, and LouConte Dance Studio, among others. Jessica danced with BalletMet in Columbus, Ohio; Eliot Feld’s Ballet Tech in NYC; and<strong>Hubbard</strong> Street 2 before joining the main company as an apprentice in January 2007.20 UMS 09-10
BENJAMIN WARDELL Memphis, Tenn.Wardell began dancing at age ten. After completing his training at Classical Ballet Memphis School, under the tutelage ofPat Gillespie, he danced with Cincinnati Ballet for five seasons, achieving the rank of soloist. In 2006, Ben moved to SanFrancisco to join Alonzo King’s Lines Ballet, where he was given the opportunity to explore mind-opening philosophiesand physicalities of movement while traveling extensively through the United States and Europe. In addition to being adancer, Ben is a photographer and writer. He joined HSDC in January 2008.ROBYN MINEKO WILLIAMS Lombard, Ill.Williams began dancing at age five under the direction of Yvonne Brown Collodi with whom she toured Germany,Switzerland, and Austria. She continued studying dance at the Lou Conte Dance Studio where she was on full scholarshipfrom 1993 to 1995. Williams danced with River North Chicago Dance Company for four years before becoming anapprentice with HSDC in June 2000 and a full company member in September 2001.UMS 09-1021
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