Vitacca presents

Winter Works

 PROGRAM ORDER

La Sylphide

Original Choreography 1836 by August Bournonville & restaged by Aaron Orza

Performed by: Zaniah Belcher, Mia Britt, Naomi Dean, Tatum Farmer, Hannah Ferguson, Perrin Jones, Amaris Ponder, Minya Tang, Caterina Testa, Mariana Thacker, Melody Zhang, Tatum Farmer 

Deja vu

Choreography by Aidan Kohles-Wolf

Performed by: Amaris Ponder, Ian Turner

Raymonda

Original Choreography by Marius Petipa

Performed by Melody Zhang

Somewhere Only We Know

Choreographed by Sarah Kohles-Wolf

Performed by: Bella Awar, Celine David, Frida Guerrero, Celina Kariya-Hwang, Ryuha Ko, Anita Liu, Uyen Morsches, Kirby Pizzitola, Mia Robin Andrade, Sadie Rodriguez, Shylo Stubblefield,

Maia Von Furstenberg

Under Reality II

Choreography by Joshua Ponton

Performed by: Mia Britt, Naomi Dean, Tatum Farmer, Hannah Ferguson, Perrin Jones, Amaris Ponder, Minya Tang, Caterina Testa, Mariana Thacker, Melody Zhang, Tatum Farmer 

Pink Panther

Choreographed by Sarah Kohles-Wolf

Performed by: Isabella Koutros, Eva Lehrer, Olivia Mendoza, Sophie Su, Eila Sublett

Symphony’s Season

Choreography by Ilya Kozadayev

Performed by: Mia Britt, Tatum Farmer, Amaris Ponder, Minya Tang, Caterina Testa, Mariana Thacker, Melody Zhang

Life Inbetween

Choreography by Fiona Dorr
Performed by Naomi Dean

Coppelia

Choreographed by Elissa Fonseca and Sarah Kohles-Wolf

Performed by: Alexis DiNoia, Margot Farah, Vivian Karl, Yuju Kong, Victoria Kovganko, Elizabeth Papanos, Yiqing Qu, Scarlett Sizemore, Isabella Zarin

Evolve

Choreography by Aidan Kohles-Wolf

Performed by: Zaniah Belcher, Mia Britt, Naomi Dean, Tatum Farmer, Hannah Ferguson, Perrin Jones, Amaris Ponder, Minya Tang, Caterina Testa, Mariana Thacker, Melody Zhang, Tatum Farmer 

LEADERSHIP

KELLY ANN VITACCA (Founder | Artistic Director) is a native of Chicago, Illinois. She received her Bachelor’s in Performing Arts in Dance Performance at Oklahoma City University and extended Arts Management master studies at Columbia College, Chicago. Vitacca currently choreographs and master teaches nationally while directing Vitacca Dance Project Pre-Professional Company. She served on the dance faculty at Joel Hall Dance Center, State Street Dance Studio and the Wright College Dance Program, while acting as Founding Artistic Director for Inaside Chicago Dance. In 2003 Vitacca founded the professional contemporary jazz company Inaside Chicago Dance and received invitations to perform her work in Dance Chicago, Espacio Cultural Metropolitano, International Choreographers Showcase (Madrid, Spain), Duets For My Valentine; as well as guest performances with NorthWest Ballet, Evanston Art’s and the Dance Chicago Tour. Vitacca was awarded a Leo’s International Choreography Award at Jazz Dance World Congress (Monterrey, Mexico) and was recognized as a Dance Chicago Outstanding Choreographer in 2005. She has served as a guest choreographer for former Cedar Lake II, Forum Jazz Dance Theater, Equity Fights Aids NY Events and Dance Houston to name a few. Currently, Vitacca’s contemporary work won first place at Youth America Grand Prix, Dallas and she was awarded Outstanding Choreographer at Youth America Grand Prix, Houston.

Vitacca’s extensive training on scholarship at Giordano Dance Chicago, Steps on Broadway and the Kirov Ballet Training Program afforded her guest artist roles with Instruments of Movement, Cirque Rivera Dance Theatre, LA Jazz Dance Company and lead soloist at Espacio Cultural Metropolitano (Tampico, Mexico). In 2003 Vitacca utilized her artistic strengths in a new direction and joined the national Equity, Broadway Tour of 42nd Street The Musical. Vitacca was invited to return to complete the national tour run in 2005.

In 2006, Vitacca received the Illinois Artist Fellowship Award, which led to the launch and production of Inaside Dance Project and For The Cause (a benefit performance for Gilda’s Club Chicago cancer support community). As Inaside Chicago Dance Founding Artistic Director, Vitacca conceptualized, co-choreographed and produced the Jackson Pollock inspired evening length In the Painting, which received the acclaim “Shows technical moxie” by Chicago Tribune critic Sid Smith. In addition Vitacca spearheaded the Youth Trainee Program (YTP), offering an advanced training and performance program for emerging dancers, which supports their professional career goals and future education.

In 2008 Vitacca joined Houston Ballet’s artistic staff as Artistic Coordinator and Chaired the Dance/USA Host Programming Committee. With the support of Dance Source Houston and fellow Committee members Vitacca curated and produced the Dance/USA Annual Conference opening program, Houston Dance Inside Out, at Discovery Green on June 3, 2009. On behalf of the committee, Vitacca had the honor of receiving the official Houston Dance Day certificate from Ms. Minnette Boesel, Mayor's Assistant for Cultural Affairs. In 2010 Vitacca was appointed Dance Houston Director of Programming where she developed the Dance Houston Spotlight Tour, Houston Youth Showcase (Jones Plaza), H-Town Get Down (Warehouse Live) and Dance Houston Youth Festival (formerly known as No Limits) (Wortham Theater). Vitacca also acted as the educational programs liaison, supporting dance educators and filling the dance class needs within Houston Independent School District (HISD) schools and at-risk facilities. She has served as Production Manager for the professional festival, Dance Houston and the five Stage ROOTS Festival in Baltimore, MD. She has served as programming panelist for the Texas Weekend of Contemporary Dance (Miller Theater); acted as Choreographic Adjudicator for Houston Royal Academy of Fine Arts; and has been a Guest Master Teacher at the ISAS Arts Festival. Ms. Vitacca was cast as an expert ballet coach on MTV’s MADE television series, which continues to air nationwide.

Vitacca’s vast artistic achievements, arts management experience, industry networks and dedication to advance the dance art form allow her to pioneer Vitacca Vocational School For Dance.

SEASON CHOREOGRAPHERS

JOSHUA PONTON Originally from Hercules, CA, Joshua Ponton began formal training in high school at Oakland School for the Arts in California under the instruction of Reginal Ray Savage and Alison Hurley. After high school, Joshua found numerous opportunities to experience and connect with many knowledgeable teachers and mentors throughout his time working and attending several dance summer programs, including UNCSA and Alonzo King LINES.

After completing his BFA at UNCSA in 2022, Joshua chose to dedicate his energy, time, and spirit toward his goal of connecting with audiences through performance. Passionate and hungry to communicate expressively through movement, Joshua is excited to stretch his dance career far across multiple planes of creativity while also exploring his artistic horizon. Joshua performed with Vitacca Ballet for three seasons and is noted in POINTE Magazine as “Outstanding Performance” for his powerful performance within Hypnotic Forces, choreographed by Garrett Smith.

Currently, Joshua is performing as a Guest Tour Artist with Dance Theater of Harlem.

AIDAN WOLF began her dance career in Colorado where she completed her training at the Colorado Ballet Academy, to then accept a merit Trainee scholarship at the Joffrey Ballet (NYC).

Aidan performed with Complexions Contemporary Ballet Company for four seasons, Arch Ballet, the Queer Ballet at The Joyce Theatre in 2023 and taught on faculty at Virginia Beach Ballet Academy.

You have seen Aidan on stage, across the country with Complexions Contemporary Ballet Company in numerous works such as Stardust, Bach 25, Woke, Love Rocks, Snatched Back from the Edges, and Truly, Madly, Deeply. Some of her most memorable highlights from her performances of these ballets include the Bach Grande Pas-de-Deux and Finale Pas-de-Deux (2022), the Fly Away Duet (2020-2021), Take Time Pas-de-Deux (2020-2022), and the Magnificat/ Bach Pas-de-Deux (2020-2022), along with many others.

Aidan has performed worldwide, across the US and internationally in Latvia, Israel (Tel Aviv and Jerusalem), and Germany (Frankfurt, Cologne, and Berlin). Aidan most recently spent the spring season as a company artist with Zikr Dance Ensemble and is a third-season returning Vitacca Ballet Company Artist.

ILYA KOZADAYEV is an international award-winning dancer and choreographer. He joined the UNCSA Dance faculty from the University of Oklahoma School of Dance, where he was Assistant Professor of ballet, coordinated the Oklahoma Festival Ballet and served on the Dean’s Advisory Council.

Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, to a family of ballet dancers, he received his dance training from Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia, The School of American Ballet in New York City, Academy of Colorado Ballet and graduated from the John Cranko Ballet Academy in Stuttgart, Germany.

His choreographic credits include original works for Boston Ballet’s Raw Dance project, Houston Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Oklahoma Festival Ballet, Houston Ballet II, Festival Ballet of Providence, Contemporary Dance Oklahoma, Milwaukee Ballet II, Ballet Arkansas and Tulsa Ballet II. Most recent pieces of original choreography include a full length production of “Romeo and Juliet,” a classical ballet with music by Sergei Prokofiev, “Le Spectre de la Rose,” a contemporary ballet for four dancers with music by Carl Maria von Weber and “Lucid,” a contemporary ballet for nine dancers with music by Philip Glass. Previous teaching engagements include Assistant Professor at University of Oklahoma, Visiting Professor at University of Utah and as a guest teacher at Kansas City Ballet, Houston Ballet Ben Stevenson, Houston Ballet II, Ballet Arkansas, Festival Ballet Providence and Victoria Ballet Theater. Studied at St. Edwards University, John Cranko Ballet Academy, Academy of Colorado Ballet, School of American Ballet and Vaganova Ballet Academy before earning an M.F.A. from Jacksonville University.

He has danced with numerous ballet companies in the United States, including Boston Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, as a soloist with Colorado Ballet, a principal dancer with Columbia Classical Ballet and Soloist with the Houston Ballet from 2003-13. He has performed works by world-renowned choreographers including George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Twyla Tharp, Fredrick Ashton, Christopher Wheeldon, William Forsyth and Jiri Kylian. He has created roles in ballets by Christopher Bruce, Jorma Elo, Aszure Barton, Julia Adams, Stanton Welch and many others.

He has received the University of Oklahoma Weitzenhoffer Family College of Fine Arts Faculty Peer Recognition, 2016; Winner, Ballet Arkansas Visions Choreographic Competition, 2015; Winner, New York International Ballet Competition, 2000.