Alexander Dutko received his pre-professional training on full scholarship at the Nutmeg Conservatory of the Arts, School of American Ballet, and the Kirov Academy in D.C. In 2001, Alexander was named an A.B.T. National Training Scholar. He was the first male dancer to win the regional Youth Grand Prix award at YAGP, the world’s largest international ballet competition, and was among the “Top 6” finalists at the 2003 Youth America Grand Prix’s New York City Finals in Lincoln Center. In 2004, Alexander was the first of 10 dancers invited to join the inaugural class of the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre. While at the school he was given the opportunity to dance in the 10th Anniversary Studio Company Gala at Lincoln Center, in the premiere of Jessica Lang’s Veiled Calling. Upon graduating from the school, Alexander accepted a corps de ballet position in Miami City Ballet, under the direction of Edward Villella, performing and touring nationally in such ballets as Balanchine’s Prodigal Son, Symphony in C, Serenade, Western Symphony, and the Nutcracker, Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room, Paul Taylor’s Funny Papers, and Villella’s Don Quixote and Giselle. In the spring of 2007, Alexander choreographed his first ballet Venia for Miami City Ballet. In the fall of 2007, he became a member of Ballet Gamonet- Maximum Dance Company in Miami, performing soloist and principal roles in new works by Jimmy Gamonet de los Heros and Jerry Opdenaker. In 2009, Alexander became a principal dancer with the American Repertory Ballet where he has performed numerous soloist and principal roles in Douglas Martin’s: The Nutcracker, title role in the Firebird, Midsummer Night’s Dream, Romeo and Juliet, and Rite of Spring, Gerald Arpino’s Confetti and Viva Vivaldi, Patrick Corbin’s Follia, Kirk Peterson’s: The Eyes That Gently Touch, Afternoon of the Faun, Raymonda and Tears of the Moon, Twyla Tharp’s: Baker’s Dozen, Philip Jerry’s: Our Town and Mary Barton’s: Straight Up with a Twist and 5 Men and a Concerto. In 2011, Mr. Dutko performed as a soloist in the Career Transitions Gala at City Center in NYC, which was hosted by Nigel Lythgoe and Chita Rivera. In 2014, he became the founding Artistic Director of BalletCNJ in Hamilton, NJ. While Director, he started NJ’s first Daytime Professional Training Program in addition to overseeing the school’s Professional Programs. His students went on to compete in YAGP, YAGP Finals, and the Miami International Ballet Competition, where they won top prizes, medals, and scholarships including the Hope, Youth Grand Prix, Grand Prix awards. At these competitions, he received the Outstanding Teacher award for three consecutive years in addition to Outstanding Choreographer. In 2022, Alexander traveled to the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland, where his student was selected as a finalist and is now in the corps de ballet of the Paris Opera Ballet. Mr. Dutko’s former students have gone on to train with the world’s top schools and have become professional dancers with the San Francisco Ballet, Philadelphia Ballet, Joffrey Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, and the Paris Opera Ballet to name a few. Alexander continues his dedication to inspiring, mentoring, and training the next generation of top performers, passionate dancers, and unforgettable artists.
Donald Tolj is currently a ballet faculty member at Southern Dance in Florida and a Guest Artist at the Dreyfoos School for the Arts. He was on the resident faculty of The Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton Florida for 2 years. He returned to Florida from the UK where for 4 years he was Artistic Administrator and a ballet faculty member at the Elmhurst School for Dance in Association with the Birmingham Royal Ballet. While in the UK Mr. Tolj was a panel member on the first international symposium on Dance Psychology hosted by the University of Birmingham, UK., a dance and movement consultant for the Bio-mechanics of Dance Project at Coventry University, and completed his Level 2 Certification in Pilates. He started his career at the Cincinnati Ballet while attending the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Don received a BA in Visual and Performing Arts from The University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 1977. During his 20 year international performing career, he worked with the Who’s Who of both Ballet and Contemporary dance. He was a dancer with Maryland Ballet, Richmond Ballet and Southern Ballet Theatre, dancing Principal and Soloist roles in the most of the Classic repertoire as well as having roles created for him by leading choreographers. Donald has been the Artistic Director of The Chamber Ballet and Evansville Dance Theatre, Louisville Ballet’s Civic Company, as well as the Director of their affiliated schools. Concurrently he spent 14 years on the summer faculty of the prestigious Governors School for the Humanities and the Visual and Performing Arts in Richmond VA, instructing a range of interdisciplinary arts and humanities subjects as well as dance. He has many former students in companies world wide, including, New York City Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Singapore Dace Theatre, Estonian National Ballet, Teater (Theatre) Vanemuine, Magdeburg Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Slovak National Ballet and others.
Nanako Yamamoto was born and raised in Japan, where she began her training at the Geijutsuza Ballet Studio “Jardin des Arts,” performing such roles as Clara in The Nutcracker, Rose Adagio in The Sleeping Beauty and the title role in Cinderella. In 2005, she was selected to attend the prestigious Royal Ballet Summer School, then auditioned for and was accepted to the Elmhurst School for Dance in Association with the Birmingham Royal Ballet. While a student, she performed in the Birmingham Royal Ballet’s National Tour of Firebird, Fokine’s Petrushka, Petipa’s Raymonda, and David Bintlye’s Beauty and the Beast. She performed for his Royal Highness Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall and for the grand re-opening of Birmingham’s town hall. Since graduating in 2009, she has performed with New Tampa Dance Theatre, Dance Theatre of Tampa, Ballet Fleming, in Giselle with Boca Ballet Theatre alongside Julie Kent and Marcelo Gomes, and as soloist in La Bayadere with Gillian Murphy, Jose Manuel, and Daniel Ulbricht. In 2013, Ms. Yamamoto joined American Repertory Ballet. While with the company she has performed soloist roles in The Nutcracker, Fantasy Barouque, Romeo and Juliet and Rite of Spring and has danced in world premiers, including the ARB’s production of Firebird.
Tamara “La Garbancito” Carson is the founder and Artistic Director of KC Flamenco, establishing Kansas City as a welcoming and supportive community for all who embrace the expressive art of flamenco. Trained as a dancer from a young age, it was her deep immersion in the vibrant cultural landscape of Spain that truly resonated with her artistic soul. Her professional apprenticeship with the esteemed Meistro Lombardero in Barcelona provided the bedrock for her distinctive technique and teaching philosophy. Since that pivotal experience, Tamara has passionately dedicated herself to promoting the rich heritage of Spanish art and culture, with a particular focus on the captivating art form of flamenco. Alongside her dedicated students and talented musicians, she actively performs and teaches throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area, sharing the dynamism and spirit of flamenco. Her respected standing within the broader flamenco community has attracted renowned flamenco artists to Kansas City, enriching the local scene with special performances and workshops. Demonstrating her commitment to cross-cultural artistic exchange, Tamara has also maintained a long-standing relationship with the Kansas City Ballet, serving as their staff flamenco instructor for two decades. In this role, she imparts the fiery technique and expressive power of flamenco to classically trained dancers, broadening their artistic horizons.
William Walker began dance training at the age of 14, at the Chamber Ballet (now the Virginia Regional Ballet) in Williamsburg, Virginia. He went on to receive the Artist Merit Award from the Virginia School of the Arts, and was a Regional Dance America scholarship recipient. He also trained with the Allegheny Ballet Company, and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet. He has danced professionally with the Richmond Ballet, Starr Foster Dance Project, Chris Burnside and Dancers, Charisma Dance Theater, and has guest taught and performed throughout Virginia and beyond as far reaching as central Mexico, the coast of Columbia South America and Southern Spain. He is a certified teacher in the Wolf Trap teaching method for children. William taught for eleven years Ballet, Jazz, Modern, Latin, Flamenco and Techno Hip-Hop at Henrico County High school’s Center for the Arts, and The School Of The Latin Ballet Of Virginia in which he was the Junior Company Director and veteran dancer of it’s professional company The Latin Ballet Of Virginia. He is most pleased to be returning full circle to teach at the studio where he was first given the opportunity to discover the world of dance and to pass along the joys and strength that it has given him to aspiring young people.