Choreographers
Jennifer Boren trained on scholarship at the University of Oklahoma, starting her professional career with Tulsa Ballet Theatre, then becoming principal dancer with Southwest Ballet in New Mexico.  She studied in New York, Paris and London and toured Europe with Weinner Ballett Theatre and Taiwan with Kirov and Bolshoi stars in Superstars of the Russian Ballet.  She has performed as a guest artist with companies in Texas, New Mexico, Nevada and California, as well as locally with Southwest Ballet, University of New Mexico Dance Ensemble, Ballet Repertory Theatre, New Mexico Ballet Company and Festival Ballet Albuquerque.  She has received critical acclaim for her roles as Lucy in Dracula and as the Sugar Plum Fairy and Arabian Queen in The Nutcracker. A champion in "theatre arts," she performs with her ballroom partner regularly.  Jennifer teaches currently for several local studios and travels often as a master teacher and choreographer throughout New Mexico and nationally with Dance Olympus.
Dara Beckley is a former New Mexico Ballet Company Assistant director and principal dancer and former Director of the National Dance Institute's Albuquerque program. She has danced, taught and choreographed world-wide. Dara currently expends her energy chasing her two small children and trying to keep up with her athlete husband. Her upcoming goals include surviving the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic in May and not losing her shoes during the Camp Pendleton Mud Run in June. She is happy to be working with Patricia Dickinson again on another exciting venture!

Courtney Giannini is a native New Mexican and has been dancing for over twenty years. She has competed in numerous competitions around the country and has won several national awards. Courtney made her debut with New Mexico Ballet Company in The Nutcraker dancing Russian Trepak. She currently teaches at Marshall's Performing Arts Conservatory and is the head coach of the Sandia Prep dance team while pursuing a degree in education at UNM.  She would like to thank her husband Louie for all his love and support.
Louis Giannini, Jr. has danced in Albuquerque since 1991, in featured roles such as Harlequin doll, Rat King, Snow King, and Russian variation in The Nutcracker; the title role in Billy the Kid, and Jonathan Harker in Dracula. For Ballet Theatre of New Mexico, he danced lead roles in A Midsummer Night's Dream, The Magic Flute, Casa de Bernarda Alba, and was featured as the Cavalier in The Nutcracker. He has been in more than 20 productions as a choreographer and performer with Musical Theatre Southwest, including West Side Story as "Rif." Some of his ALT credits include A Funny Thing Happened on The Way To The Forum and Man of La Mancha as a choreographer.  Louis is currently a drama/dance teacher at Sandia Preparatory School and teaches at Marshall Performing Arts Conservatory.  He is thrilled to share the stage with his wife Courtney.
Dominic Guerra was raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico . At the age of 19 he was awarded a scholarship from the Alvin Ailey School of Dance in New York City where he received formal training in classical ballet and modern dance with a focus in the techniques of Lester Horton and Martha Graham. In 2001 Guerra became a professional company member and principal dancer with American Repertory Ballet. He has danced roles such as the Dancing Master in Cinderella, Hortensio in The Taming of the Shrew, and Droselmeyer in Graham Lustig's Nutcracker. Guerra has shaped roles in "VISTA" by Graham Lustig and "Exorcising Man" by Lauri Stallings. Guerra has also danced with Luis Fuentes Ballet in New Mexico, Connecticut Ballet, Zig Zag Ballet, and Festival Ballet Albuquerque for which he danced the role of Ivan in The Firebird. Dominic has returned to his hometown of Albuquerque to pursue a bachelor's degree in Business.
Kyle Linzer studied on scholarships with teachers from American Ballet Theater, Joffrey, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, Paris Opera Ballet, the Bolshoi, Hubbard Street, Ballet Aspen, as well as from Twyla Tharpe's and Martha Graham's companies. He trained at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, the Dance Space, the Dance Foundation, the Dance Academy, the College of Santa Fe and Prince Ballet in Santa Fe, the Arrowhead Manor School of Dance in California, and UNM in Albuquerque.  His lead roles include Blue Jean Blues, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderfella, Cinderella, The Nutcracker, Nuts Crackers and Sweets, Swingin' Suites, Pandora's Box, Footsteps in the Sands of Time, Oklahoma!, and The Wizard of Oz.  In addition to teaching and performing dance in Albuquerque and Rio Rancho, Kyle stays in shape by also teaching Yoga and Pilates classes at Cleveland High School, Defined Fitness, the Placitas Fire station, and internationally for resorts in the Caribbean.
Joe Moncada, a native of El Paso, has been dancing since the age of 16.  He performed with the El Paso Association for the Performing Arts, Ballet Repertory Theater of New Mexico, New Mexico Ballet Company, Moving People Dance Company, Baila! Baila! and Ballet Folklorico Rio Grande.  He has trained and competed in the professional American Rhythm division in Ballroom Dancing for over 10 years, receiving awards in the professional division including top teacher for numerous Pro-Am competitions with Fred Astaire Dance World.  He now shares his time between teaching his students to reach a higher level of competitive ballroom dancing and exhibition dancing.  When not wearing his dance shoes, Joe is dedicated to the design and construction of his beautiful and very creative dance costumes, using his unique vision to design each costume to enhance and flatter each dancer's specific body type and dance style.
Shane Montoya began dancing in 1999, forming the dance crew U.H.F. (United Hip-Hop Family), which continues to travel the country competing and performing. Mr. Montoya teaches at various studios, schools and outreach programs.  He has been given the opportunity to perform with several leading dance companies in Albuquerque, as well as organize some of the biggest hip-hop based events throughout the community. Through these opportunities he has been able to share his knowledge and gain experience in other disciplines such as: Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Latin, and Ballroom.  Shane has danced in The Firebird and Dracula, A Love Story with Festival Ballet ABQ.

Andrea Owens began her ballet training in England under Harriet Greene at the age of ten. Subsequent training included The Dance Center of Colorado Springs, Colorado College, Boston Ballet, Long Beach Ballet and fourteen years at Dance Theater of the Southwest. Performed and trained with Luis Fuentes in 1998-1999. In 2000, she toured Taiwan with Los Angeles Ballet under David Wilcox. Andrea has danced professionally with New Mexico Ballet Company for eleven years, performing in The Nutcracker, Dracula,Serenade, Coppelia, Billy the Kid, and many more. Andea joined Ballet Repertory Theater in 2008 performing roles such as Sugar Plum Fairy, Cinderella's step sister, Larks Acceding, Arabian Soloist and has performed many other lead and corp roles. Since Ballet Festival of Albuquerque was founded she has performed as a lead in Ode to the Troops and Dracula.
Jennifer Smiley was born in El Paso, Texas, where she began ballet at the age of eleven at Barbara Driscoll's School of Ballet.  She attended the University of New Mexico in 2008 to major in dance. Jennifer was apart of many faculty and student productions throughout her career such as, Rise Rhythm 2009, Meta-Morph 2010, Leverage 2010 and Strada 2011. She worked with guest artists such as Laura Bennett, Eric Newton and Peggy Lyman in works choreographed by Martha Graham and Paul Taylor. Jennifer was also one of the four students chosen from the university to be invited to Austria and dance in a production called Hannibal 2011. Jennifer now is a senior at the university and is attending the Paul Taylor dance school for the summer.
Thax von Reither began his dance career in 1990 with the Northwest Florida Ballet while perusing a degree in Physical Education.  He has also performed with First City Dance Theatre, Ballet Pensacola, Idaho Dance Theatre, Ballet Repertory Theatre of New Mexico, New Mexico Ballet, and now, Festival Ballet Albuquerque. Over the past 20 years Thax has performed principle roles in ballets such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Giselle, Coppellia, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Firebird, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and Scheherazade. In addition to his classical work, Thax has spent a great amount of his time performing contemporary ballet and modern work.  Thax is also an accomplished choreographer with numerous original works such as Fraternus, Skyy, Renegades, Orientation and Letting Go, in several companies' repertories throughout the United States.