2012 Guest Choreographer

Randy James

Choreographer  Randy James is building an international reputation as an exceptionally gifted master teacher and an emotionally evocative choreographer, receiving commissions from dance companies, colleges and universities. The New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State honored him with a Choreographic Fellowship Award in 2004 and 1994 for recognition of his artistic excellence. Mr. James received the New Jersey Governor's Award in Arts Education and was named Distinguished Teaching Artist in 2002. He has been a guest artist at various institutions including the American Dance Festival, Jacob's Pillow, London Contemporary Dance theater and School, VII Annual International Contemporary Dance Conference and Performance Festival in Poland, Tage des Tanzas in Germany and Austria, Fine Five School in Estonia, Via Danse in Latvia, among others. Randy was born and raised in New Jersey and currently lives in Highland Park. He began his training at Rutgers University as a dance and theater major. His performance background includes summer stock, dinner theater, regional ballet companies and nightclub revues. He has also performed with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet at Lincoln Center in Aida and was principal dancer with Dan Wagoner & Dancers for eight years. James received his Bachelor of Arts from Empire State College and currently serves as an Associate Professor in the Dance Department at Mason Gross School of the Arts, Rutgers University. Randy will be setting a work on the artist of Roxey Ballet that will have it premier on June 3, 2012 at the “Fighting for the arts” Gala performance and fundraiser. You can see a preview of the work at the “Romance and Dance”  Series in February

Se-Yong Kim

Mr. Kim is a graduate from the Seoul High School of Arts. He attended the Sung-Kyun-Kwan University in Korea and majored in ballet (BA & MA). His passion toward study drives him to enter the Dance Education M.A. program with American Ballet Theatre (ABT) ballet pedagogy at New York University (NYU).  In the meantime, He was also assigned Ballet Master for Arzid Modern Dance Company and One Dance Project Group. Se-yong was awarded the gold medal in both the Korea Dance Association Competition and The Sung-kyun-kwan Dance Competition.  He performed as a principal in many classical ballets and his repertory expanded with contemporary works by George Balanchine, Nacho Duato, Paul Taylor and Mark Roxey.  As a professional dancer, He has danced with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet in Lincoln Center, the Albania Opera Ballet Theatre, the Ajkun Ballet Theater, the Loyola Ballet, the Baltimore Ballet, the National Ballet, the Albany Berkshire Ballet Company among others.  In addition Se-yong choreographed works which were performed at the Dance in ITALY Festival, the Seoul Fringe Festival, the Korea-Japan Dance Festival, the Dumbo Dance Festival and the Republic of Korea Marine Corps. Se-yong has known and worked with Mr. Roxey for more than six years and is happy to be a part of the company. He has performed in many lead roles in many ballet's created by Mr. Roxey. Some of Kim’s  favorites include Carmen, Dracula, JLS, Nutcracker, Pied Piper and more. He really appreciates all the inspiration and the great support Mr.  Roxey has given over the years.

Hyung Ji Yu

Hyung Ji Yu (Dancer) was born in Korea and has been studying ballet since 1990. She has received many awards in National Dance Competitions and a Scholarship for Outstanding Students at Sejong University, where she graduated in Korea. Hyung Ji was a dancer of the Korean Ballet Theatre, and performed many ballet classics such as Swan Lake”, “Nutcracker”, “Don Quixote”, and “Raymonda” in Korea. When she first came to New York, she attended Merce Cunningham dance school to train in modern dance as well as the MFA Choreography track at SUNY Purchase College. Hyung Ji has taught ballet, and has shown her work in various choreography festivals in New York. She has performed with many dance companies such as Amalgamate Dance Company, Albano Ballet Company, and joined Roxey Ballet Company in January, 2012.  Hyung Ji is passionate about both performing and choreographing.

Giovanni Ravelo

A Native of Colombia, Mr. Ravelo began his ballet training at Anna Pavlova School in Bogotá. He attended the Intensive Ballet Program at the renowned School of the National Ballet of Cuba for two years, and was a full time student of dance in the professional division of the Rock School for Dance Education.

Mr. Ravelo belonged to the National Ballet of Colombia, one of the most important folklore companies in the world. He was asked to perform in the role of "Romeo" by the Ballet Theatre of Scranton in the Spring of 2003. He later moved to the United States as a member of the Roxey Ballet in 2004, and during his three seasons with the company he not only performed classic and contemporary works created on him such as "Times Square Goodbye" and Lago in "Othello" and performed in the ground breaking production of "Wheels and Bodies in Motion" performed at the Joyce Theater in NYC. Giovanni is also a wonderful choreographer. He created several pieces for the Roxey Ballet company which include, "Frida", "Narcisa", "Bread for your Heart" and "In the Orchard". He's been a guest artist with Northeast Youth Ballet, Contrast Dance Theater, and Les Ballets Grandiva. Currently he is part of the international acclaimed all-male ballet troupe Les Ballets Trockadero de Montecarlo.

"After a three year absence from Roxey Ballet, Giovanni returned to a place that he calls home in 2010. “When I came to America, the amazing experiences and the artistic growth I achieved during my years at Roxey Ballet were invaluable. Now I have come back to teach and perform in the many ballets I treasure and love.

Jace Coronado

Jace Coronado is proud to be a returning member of Roxey Ballet.  He was most recently seen in the Big League National Tour of Guys and Dolls where he performed the role of Liver Lips Louis and was a featured dancer.  His Broadway Debut was made in December of 2009 in West Side Story directed by legendary playwright Arthur Laurents and performed at the Palace theatre.  Before making his move to New York, he was a soloist with Roxey Ballet in New Jersey and Ballet Memphis, in Memphis, TN where he performed various soloist and featured roles by choreographers such as George Balanchine,Trey McIntyre, Lila York, Thaddeus Davis, Camille Brown, Julia Adams, and many other renowned choreographers.  He also participated in the local regional theaters Playhouse on the Square and Theatre Memphis where he portrayed a wide variety of characters for which he received Ostrander Award nominatons such as Bernardo in West Side Story, Ali Hakim in Oklahoma, Aaron Fox in Curtains, and Fabrizio Naccarelli in The Light in the Piazza for which he won the Ostrander Award for Best Actor in a Musical.  He was voted Memphis' Top Artist for 2008 and received awards for his choreography for Altar Boyz (Playhouse on the Square) and Oklahoma! (Theatre Memphis).  He was also a soloist and toured with Ballet Trockadero (NYC) and has been a guest artist in with various companies in cities all over the United States.  He is proud to serve as a Ballet Master and dancer for The Roxey Ballet and his choreography credits include, Ballet Memphis, Northeastern Youth Ballet, Lebanon Ballet, The Latin Choreographers Festival (NYC), and various regional theaters throughout the mid-south.  He holds a B.F.A. in Dance and Vocal Performance from  West Texas A&M and is a Certified Stott Pilates Instructor.  

Julia Cobble

Originally from New Mexico, Julia started her ballet training at age six. She studied with Washington Ballet in Washington, DC most of her life, getting to perform with the company as a student in the company's productions of Giselle, Balanchine's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Serenade and The Nutcracker. She performed with Ballet Memphis and Ajkun Ballet Theatre where she had the opportunity to tour to Italy and Albania to perform Faust Walpurgis Night and Aegina of Spartacus. Julia is excited be a Veteran member of Roxey Ballet.

Sergio Alvarez

Sergio Alvarez is originally from Bogata, Colombia. He gained much of his training at Anna Pavlova Ballet School, Jacob’s Pillow Festival Summer Dance, Ballet Hispanico , Festival Art Academy,National Ballet of Colombia, International Ballroom Dance Workshop, and at the Contemporary Dance Workshop LIMON, Ballet School MILUZKA and the Rock School located in Philadephia, Pa. He has danced professionally with YAGP (Youth American Grand Prix), Ballet Anna Pavlova, in Bogota, Colombia and the National Ballet of Colombia, National Theatre of Colombia. He has performed in a wide variety of classic and modern works which include full length productions such as the Nutcracker, Corsaire, Don Quixote, La Fille Mal Gardee and Salome y Juan Bautista among others. This is Sergio’s first season with Roxey Ballet.

Jillian Mitchell

Jillian’s early ballet training began at Milligan School of ballet, under Karen Milligan. By age twelve, Jillian attended summer school at the world-renowned National Ballet School in Canada, at which point it was decided that professional boarding school was the path to a career in ballet. She continued to refine her technique until age fifteen when she was accepted to the Harid Conservatory. Her early high school years were spent at Harid where she rigorously studied ballet, pointe, repertoire classes, character and historical dance, jazz, modern, music theory, anatomy, nutrition, art and dance history. During her time there she had the privilege of working with prominent choreographer Mark Godden and performing ballets including La Bayadere, Concerto Barocco, Serenade, and the Nutcracker. Jillian spent her summer breaks attending school at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and American Ballet Theatre. After a two-year stay at The Harid Conservatory, Jillian went on to finish her training at Canada's Royal Winnipeg Ballet School. She maintained a demanding schedule in all forms of dance, completed her ballet examination and performed in Les Sylphides and Grand Defile' Classique. Upon graduation, Jillian was invited to join the New Jersey Ballet where she performed both in the corps de ballet and as a soloist in many ballets including; Paquita, Sleeping Beauty, Valse Fantasies, Don Quixote, Giselle, Flower Festival and Corsaire. In recent years, she has become passionate about teaching and aims to instill in her students proper coordination and technique, musicality and quality of movement. Jillian most recently danced in Philadelphia with the Rebecca Davis Dance Company, to explore a contemporary and modern vocabulary of movement. Mr. Roxey invited Jillian to join the 2010/11 in June. This is Jillian’s first season at Roxey Ballet.

Roberto Lara

Roberto Lara, a native of Mexico City, Mexico, began his training at the Escuela Nacional de Danza Clasica y Contemporanea. He has danced with Compania Nacional de Danza (Mexico), Ballet Nacional de Cuba, Ardentia Ballet, Somedance Company, Compania del Noroeste de Mexico, and Compania Rosas. In 2008 and again in 2010 he was bestowed with the award for Excellence in Classical Dance Performance from The National Foundation for Culture and the Arts of Mexico (FONCA). He was a member of the internationally acclaimed Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo touring throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia.  This marks Roberto Lara's debut  with Roxey Ballet.

Kristen Smith

Kristen Smith started dancing at age 3 in her hometown of Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. Her training continued at the Linn McDonald School of Dance under the artistic direction of Linn McDonald and Barbara Weisberger. She supplemented her daily classes at both Broadway Dance Center and at the Peabody Institute in Maryland. Kristen began assisting and teaching classes in her early teens teaching at her local studio, at Keystone Gymnastics Center, and at Marywood University Music Camp. She continued her education at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia under Wayne St. David, Scott Jovovich, Robert Burdon, Ronen Koresh, and many others, graduating in 2009 with a BFA in Jazz Dance Performance. She has held teaching positions at United Dance Productions in Bermuda, Pennsylvania Classical Ballet, Bucks County Dance Center, Dance Arts of Yardley, The Mill Ballet School, and Bucks County Playhouse children’s theater. She has taught classes in musical theatre dance, contemporary, modern, jazz, tap, Phusia, and ballet and has choreographed for Parkland High School, competitive gymnastic teams, The Mill Ballet School trainee program, and for her alma mater Linn McDonald School of Dance. Kristen has performed in numerous productions at the University of the Arts and at Bucks County Playhouse and she is so excited to be part of the Roxey Ballet Company.