Dancers
Jaime Chacon is a native from Taos from mother Maya Cabot-Chacon and Andrew Chacon. He received his training from The Studio School of Classical Ballet and Dance Theatre Southwest. He began his performing career with Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre where he worked with artists such as Alan Hineline, Debra Hadley, Barbra Crockett and Debra Rogo. He danced the roles of Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake Act II, Hilarion in Giselle, the Preacher in Our Town and the Snow King and Arabian Coffee in The Nutcracker. Mr. Chacon has had the opportunity to work with Natalie Thomas from Frankfurt Ballet where she built the original principal role of Point of Exposure around him. As a principal with New Mexico Ballet Company, he danced the lead male role in George Balanchine's Concerto Barocco, and Snow King and Arabian Soloist in The Nutcracker.
Jerry Church began his involvement in dance as a principal tuition payer for his daughter Jackie.  He received his first break dancing the role of Humpty Dumpty in Dance Theatre Southwest's Mother Goose and Friends.  Several years ago he performed the role of the Butler in New Mexico Ballet Company's The Nutcracker Ballet and has been hooked ever since.  When he is not dancing, he is camping, hiking and biking with his three children.  During the day he works at Intel Corporation as a Shift 5, Thin Films Supervisor.

Amanda Geilenfeldt was born and raised in Albuquerque and recently received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at The University of New Mexico. She began her ballet training at Lana's School of Dance at the age of two and later moved to Dance Theatre Southwest to train with Patricia Dickinson Wells. She has performed with The New Mexico Ballet Company for fourteen years, training under Jolie Sutton-Simballa and Suzanne Johnston. She has received many roles in NMBC productions including the lead in Concerto Barocco, Handmaiden and Evil Minion in Dracula and Clara, Columbina Doll, Snow Queen and the Dew Drop Fairy in The Nutcracker Ballet. In 2009 she travelled to Madrid, Spain and studied with dancers from the Victor Ballet company. Amanda most recently performed in the inaugural concert for Festival Ballet ABQ where she danced many roles, including as Mina in Dracula and Swanhilda in Coppelia.
Joseph Gonzales Jr. is a native New Mexican born for the stage. Some of his talents include dancing as well as teaching flamenco, ballroom, latin, country and western, and salsa. He has taught, performed, and studied with many local choreographers including Hans Kliphuis, David Chavez, Eva Enciñas-Sandoval, Cissy King, Larry Aguilar, Pablo Rodarte, and Mike Haley. He is the current director of Top Hat Entertainment. Joseph has been featured in the Arabian pas de deux, Russian divertissement, and as the Rat King in Ballet Theatre of New Mexico's The Nutcracker.

Marika Plugge (Queen of the Underworld), an Albuquerque native, began her dance training at various studios with her teacher Royalene McDonald before joining Dance Theater Southwest six years ago at age 13. She has danced with several companies in town and in many local productions as well as dancing with the New Mexico Ballet Company and Festival Ballet Albuquerque. Her favorite role thus far is being a Merliton in The Nutcracker.  Marika shares her love of dance through teaching young children and performing her own choreography. She is currently a student studying math and physics working towards a degree in Mechanical Engineering. Marika enjoys new artistic challenges as is happy to share her work on the aerial ring with you tonight.

Jackson Stewart has been dancing 17 years and primarily received his training with Dance Theatre Southwest.  He went on to dance on scholarship with Virginia School of the Arts, State Street Ballet and ABT.  For the past two seasons he danced professionally with State Street Ballet Company.  He has danced leading roles locally with New Mexico Ballet Company, NMBC II, Ballet Repertory Theatre, UNM and most recently, Festival Ballet Albuquerque, of which he is a founding principal dance member.  Jack is actively pursuing his college studies while continuing to dance for Festival Ballet ABQ and teaching locally at Marshall's Performing Arts and Dance Theatre Southwest.
Lora Sturm has been dancing for nearly her entire life. She has studied ballet, modern, and flamenco in Albuquerque and bharata natyam, South Indian classical dance, in Middletown, Connecticut and Paris, France. When she was ten years old, she began studying with Patricia Dickinson and her company and performed in productions of The Nutcracker, Dracula, and Balanchine's Serenade, to name a few. Lora holds a B.A. in French Studies from Wesleyan University.

Jennifer Wenderlich is an Albuquerque native and began her ballet training at age 4.  She has studied with Patricia Dickinson Wells at Dance Theatre Southwest since 1998 and has attended numerous intensive workshops with Jillana (New York City Ballet), Arthur Mitchell (Dance Theatre of Harlem), Mel Tomlinson (Alvin Ailey) and Antoinette Peloso (Metropolitan Opera Company of NY).   Her performance credits include various roles in The Nutcracker for the New Mexico Ballet Company and Ballet Repertory Theatre of New Mexico as well as Balanchine's Serenade for NMBC and BRT's Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella.  Jennifer has been a member of Festival Ballet Albuquerque since its inception and performed most recently as a princess in The Firebird.
Kimberly White, an Albuquerque native, returns from San Francisco where she was in the Alonzo King's LINES Ballet Training Program. She began her early training at La Mesa Dance Academy with Cecelia Jaramillo in ballet, jazz and tap. At age 12, she began training with Patricia Dickinson-Wells, Suzanne Johnston and Jolie Sutton-Simballa at Dance Theatre of the Southwest and the University of New Mexico. She has attended summer programs at the Jillana School, Joffrey New York, Boston Ballet, Miami City Ballet and Alonzo King's LINES Ballet. Kimberly's training has allowed her to dance many leading roles including Clara in The Nutcracker, Dark Angel and Russian lead in Balanchine's Serenade.  While at LINES Ballet she trained under and performed works by Alonzo King, Maurya Kerr, Robert Moses, Yannis Adoniou, and Karah Abiog. Kimberly continues to train and perform in many dance styles. She recently became a member of Keshet's Repertory Company.