Braulio Alvarez is a 16-year-old Mexico City native. He grew up in Mexico, learning English at a bilingual school and dancing at his mother's studio. At the age of 15, he moved to California to continue his dance studies at Idyllwild Arts. He has attended Boston Ballet's summer dance program and last year participated in the Prix de Lausanne, where he was offered a spot in Houston Ballet's summer intensive. Braulio has been inspired not only by famous dancers Maya Plisetskaya, Alexandra Danilova and Sylvie Guillem, but also by mentors Jean-Marie Martz and his mom. Some of his favorite companies are Paris Opera Ballet and Hamburg Ballet, where he will be dancing next year in the school, hoping to eventually become part of the company. Aside from ballet, Braulio loves reading, especially His Dark Materials trilogy, The Chronicles of Narnia and the Harry Potter series.
Abby Bushnell was born and raised in Boston. She started dancing at age 7 and trained with the Boston Ballet before coming to Houston. She is 16 years old and is going to be a senior in high school next year. She moved to Houston to hopefully fulfill her dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer, and next year Abby will be in HBII. Outside of ballet Abby loves to have fun with her friends and some of her most memorable times have been in Houston this past year. She says moving away from home was a big step for her, but is definitely something she is glad she did because of the opportunities that opened up. She has attended summer intensive programs including San Francisco Ballet, American Ballet Theatre and Houston Ballet. She tries to cover up any embarrassing moments by simply owning up to them, however, when she was Clara, her dress did come undone and her wig fell off!
Morgan Butler was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, and moved to the Woodlands when she was in first grade. She began training at the Payne Academy when she was in fifth grade. Two dancers have significantly influenced her: Sara Webb, because of her virtually flawless technique, and Jaquel Andrews, for her impeccable jumping abilities. Before dedicating herself to ballet, Morgan played the violin.
Claire Ann Riebe, a student at the Milwaukee Ballet School, has been dancing since the age of 8. She is now 18 and looking to dance professionally, though she's not sure where yet. Previous summer intensives include Joffrey Midwest in 2002, Pacific Northwest Ballet in 2004 and '05, and Houston Ballet in 2007. The dancer who has inspired her the most is Irina Dvorovenko of American Ballet Theatre, because of her performance in Swan Lake. Claire is a graduate of public school and enjoys the visual arts. She enjoys all kinds of fruit and loves ice cream.
Ian Scott Buchanan has danced at Houston Ballet for six months and will continue to dance as a member of HBA in the fall. Originally from Fairfax, California, Ian began his training with Dance Theater Seven under teacher/mentor David Roxander at age 8. Ian began dancing because of his love of performing and for its benefits in helping him focus. He has fully supportive parents and a younger brother named Tyler. He also has a Wheaton Terrior named Dunkin in California. Ian now lives in Houston and is enjoying his first summer away from home. He loves the color orange and enjoys reading science fiction books like "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" in his spare time.
Julie Elizabeth Smith is 18 years old and was born in Plano, Texas. When she was 8 years old, she injured her wrist doing gymnastics and searched for something easier, which she thought ballet would be. She found herself dancing in some small schools in Plano, Texas, and eventually ended up at Cincinnati Ballet, where she has been for the last 6 years. She has attended summer programs at Boston Ballet, Ballet International Indianapolis and Houston Ballet. Outside of dancing, Julie enjoys boating, skim skating, baking things like cookies, thrift shopping and music. She will audition this year and is interested in Nashville Ballet or Cincinnati Ballet. Her favorite color is a nice dark pink or coral, and her dog's name is Rufro.
Kristen Springer (AKA former Miss Teen Georgia) moved away from small-town Snellville, Georgia – population 10, slogan "everybody's somebody in Snellville" – to live on her own in Houston to pursue her dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer. Leaving high school and her family behind meant some drastic changes for Springer. At age 18, she now lives on her own, something most "normal" 18-year-old only dream of! Coming from a small town, Springer's dance training included one ballet class a week, an enormous contrast to her current schedule of four classes a day, plus rehearsals. Keeping her options open for the future, Springer participates in modeling, pageants and considers pediatric dentistry as a possible career option along with ballet.
Mark Tucker is a 19-year-old male dancer who has spent the past three years away from his native Honolulu, Hawaii, and has now graduated from the prestigious North Carolina School of the Arts. He enjoys eating Japanese mochi but hates the sound of dripping water and mosquitoes. When Mark is not dancing you can find him sipping a Coke on a sunny day or driving around listening to "Footloose" on his Ipod. Mark's relaxed style and hard work make him unique. He looks forward to his future plans, hopefully at HBA.
Travis Ward-Osborne is a 16-year-old dancer studying ballet at the Walnut Hill School in Massachusetts. His inspiration comes from American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Angel Corella. His favorite ballet to watch is Le Corsaire because of all the men's variations. Some of his favorite hobbies include video games and playing the guitar. His favorite cuisine is Italian. Travis loves jazz, hip-hop, tap and acting, so when asked if he would like to be a professional ballet dancer, he said "Yes, I’m keeping my options open, but look for me on Broadway!"
Laura Whitby was born in Princeton, New Jersey. She started dancing when she was 4 and was introduced to ballet at age 7. Laura saw dance as a hobby until she was 12, although now she wants to be a professional ballet dancer. She has been to summer programs such as the Princeton Ballet School, American Ballet Theatre, Kaatsbaan and Houston Ballet. She doesn't like competitions because she feels that dance as an art can't be judged. She loves Petipa ballets and would love to dance at Houston Ballet or ABT. She likes many dancers, especially Susan Jaffe, Julie Kent and Angel Corella. After her performing career, she would like to study at college, open her own studio or choreograph for a company.
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