AD BILLY BLANKEN
Billy grew up performing in Dayton, Ohio with the Muse Machine under the direction of Nat Horne and David Duising and dancing at the Gary Geiss School of Dance. He graduated with honors from Ball State University with majors in Acting and Dance Performance. While at Ball State, Billy danced with Anderson Young Ballet Theatre and Project in Motion. After graduation, he was invited to attend the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City . During that time he performed with the Joffrey Ensemble and produced the Joffrey School's first Student Choreographic Workshop.
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Billy started his professional career with the Amy Marshall Dance Company before joining Les Ballets Grandiva. Some of Billy's freelance credits include; principal guest artist with Brooklyn Ballet, Dances Patrelle, CoDa21 of San Juan, Puerto Rico, Catherine Gallant Dance, Atlantic City Ballet, York Dance Works, Mobile Ballet, Flexicurve, Northwest Florida Ballet, Lane & Co Arts, Eidolon Ballet, Sun Valley Ballet, the East Village Dance Project, Yuka Kawazu/Danse En L'air, Northeastern Ballet Theatre, Neville Dance Theatre, isadoraNOW, Ballet Mink Colbert, Ajkun Ballet Theatre, Safe Haven Ballet. and performing Michael Foley's work in the Howl on the Road Festival at Lincoln Center. He is a frequent collaborator with Project In Motion and has been commissioned to stage several of his works on their company.
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Billy is original collaborator, writer, producer, choreographer and performer of "the intimacies project" with dancer Jordan Marinov, filmmaker Bill Hayward and late Musician/ Playwright Anna Elman. ‘the intimacies project’ was featured at Port Authority by Times Square Alliance and several site specific venues in New York.
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Billy has taught at the SUNY Purchase College, Jakarta Intercultural School, the National School of Ballet in Tirana, Albania, the Logrea Dance Academy, the Fashion Institute of Technology, East Village Dance Project, Joffrey Ballet School, Ball State University, Flash Pointe Dance, Wright State University, the Gary Geiss Dance School, Northwest Florida Ballet, Northeastern Ballet Theatre, New York Dance Experience, and others. He currently teaches adult ballet classes in New York at Peridance and is adjunct faculty at SUNY Purchase.
MARCIEL GREENE
Originally from Indiana, Marciel's career began in NYC Theater. She quickly realized that she had a passion for all other types of production. She worked on everything from Fashion Week to the New York Photographer's Guild Gala.
Her credits include- Broadway: RACE, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Oleanna, Superior Donuts (Assistant). Other Theater Work; The Timing of a Day (Mind the Art Productions), My Fair Lady (Maine State Music Theater), Picnic (Ball State University), The Nutcracker (Ball State University), Surflight Theater's 2011 Summer season including RENT, Grease, Love Letters, ART directed by and starring Judd Hirsch, The Odd Couple, I Do! I Do!, and Same Time Next Year. Dance: Mariana Bekerman Dance Company, NY2Dance: Nejla Yatkin, Treeline Dance Company, Eidolon Ballet. Marciel was the 2009 Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival Award for Lighting Design Excellence Recipient and the recipient of the 2009 Eugene O'Neill Theater Center Lighting Design Fellowship. Marciel was the Technical Manager for Eyesight Fashion and Luxury and managed New York Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week productions from 2010-2013. Marciel has a degree in Theater Design and Technology from Ball State University.
JONATHAN PARKE
JP came to the business from the Rock ‘n Roll side of life. From regional one-nighters to Bus & Truck touring, he has experienced working for bands on their way up, at their height, and on their way to oblivion. Rock, country, jazz, classical, alternative, Rap, you name it, it was in the cards. The first non-equity tour of Crazy For You ’95 was his initiation to Broadway Theater Bus & Truck touring. Since then he has become a Sound Designer, Board Operator, Crew Chief, and Production Supervisor. Sound Design: Cirque Ingenieux (NETworks ’97-’99), Annie (NETworks ’99-’01), Notre Dame de Paris (Paris Hotel Theater-Las Vegas 2000) and Jekyl & Hyde (NETworks 2000). JP was the resident sound designer for The North Carolina Theater in Raleigh for 11 years, and Casa Manana Theater in Fort Worth, TX for 5 years. He finished off his touring career as head audio with the Tony Award®-winning show FELA! that ended back on Broadway in the summer of 2012. Hobbies include photography, model railroading,
sailing, and a love for the unexpected. JP & Marciel welcomed Nixon Ann Parke into their family 4/11/15 and she has become the inspiration of all their work.
LAUREN WOODS
Born in Mobile, Alabama, Lauren received her MFA in painting from the New York Academy of Art after completing her BA in studio art at Spring Hill College. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Art in the Department of Art & Art History at Auburn University, where she teaches figure drawing and painting. She has shown work regionally at the Huntsville Museum of Art, the Mobile Museum of Art, the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Art, and the Gadsden Museum of Art and exhibited nationally in galleries across the US. Her most recent projects are focused on combining her experience as a former ballet dancer with her current painting practice. She is presently collaborating with choreographers and musicians to develop immersive art experiences.
TANYA TROMBLY
Originally from Michigan, Tanya holds a B.A. in Dance from Mercyhurst University in Erie, PA. She danced with several professional companies across the country before settling in New York City to work as a freelance artist. Currently dancing with 5 companies, she has performed principal roles in Swan Lake, Beauty & the Beast, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, The Nutcracker and many more classical ballets along with original contemporary works. She is also the founder and owner of Anti-Bunhead Fitness. Through her patented Bulletproof Ballerina cross-training system and nutrition & lifestyle coaching, she works with dancers to help them reach their true potential as artists by nurturing the strength, confidence, and self-worth needed for peak performance. She is also an Adjunct Professor at Johns Hopkins University – Peabody Institute teaching a body conditioning course for the BFA Dance program.
More information at www.bulletproofballerina.com.
SABRINA PRETTO
Sabrina Pretto was born in Vicenza, Italy. After her initial training, she was
admitted to the prestigious Acadèmie de Danse Classique Princesse Grace in
Monaco, Monte Carlo. Upon graduation, she earned third prize at the
International Dance Competition in Spoleto, Italy. Her performance credits
include the English National Ballet, Stadttheater Koblenz in Germany, and Les
Ballets Grandiva.
In 2011, Sabrina joined Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, where she
danced lead roles such as Esmeralda, Giselle, and Swan Queen, performing
worldwide until her retirement in 2019. She now focuses on teaching; after
serving as a faculty member for two years at the American Youth Dance Theatre,
she currently teaches at the New York Community Ballet.
Additionally, Sabrina creates costumes for SMDT, with designs featured in
productions such as Sleeping Beauty (2021), Gershwin preludes (2023),
Goldberg Variations (2024)
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MACKENZIE BURTT
Mackenzie Burtt discovered her love for dance at a young age and started in jazz and tap when she was 3 and went on to begin her ballet and contemporary journey when she was 14 years old.
She has trained at Joffrey Ballet School, Ballet Arizona, Next Generation Ballet, Scotland's Ballet West, and Broadway Dance Centers Professional Program. In winter of 2019 she was a part of Complexions Contemporary Ballet's Pre Pro Company and performed with them in their 26th season at The Joyce in NYC.
In her professional career, she has worked with companies all around the Northeast such as Connecticut Ballet, Brooklyn Ballet, City Ballet of Boston, Neglia Ballet and Jersey City Ballet. She also toured around the USA in 2024 with Grand Kyiv Ballet and is a current project based dancer in California with Ballet Project Orange County. She has also done jazz and contemporary works for Steven Blandino’s company treadFAST and Danielle Diniz’s company Signature Steps.
She is so excited to be dancing with Sheep Meadow Dance Theatre again this season!
Faith Wood
Originally from Fort Myers, FL, Faith Wood received her early training from Gulfshore Ballet. She continued her training at Texas Christian University’s School for Classical & Contemporary Dance where she recently graduated with her BFA in Ballet and Strategic Communication. She now resides in Brooklyn, NY working as a freelance dancer, Pilates Instructor, and General Manager of Immediate Family Records. Her performance highlights include works by internationally acclaimed choreographers Sidra Bell, Kevin Thomas, William Isaac, Joy Bollinger, and Adam Mckinney.
More information at https://fpwood01.wixsite.com/faith
Blake Brown
Blake Brown is from Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she trained at the Colorado Youth Ballet under the guidance of Patricia Hoffman. She earned scholarships at the American Academy of Ballet, the Joffrey Ballet Academy, and State Street Ballet. Blake's professional career began with Ballet Idaho as a guest artist in "The Nutcracker" before joining State Street Ballet. In 2016 she joined the American Swiss Ballet and the Ravensquid Ballet Compagnie in Paris, France, for the Fall/Winter season of 2022.
Blake has performed both classical ballet and contemporary works across the United States and Europe, taking part in multiple international tours and festivals in the US, France, Italy, and Switzerland. Some of these experiences include performances with Orsolina 28, City Dance NY, Metropolitan Ballet, Jersey City Ballet, CXID Opera Ukraine, and more.
Her repertoire includes Myrtha in "Giselle,” soloist roles in "Swan Lake" and "The Nutcracker," and works by choreographers Jiri Kylian and William Forsythe. Blake is currently working as a freelance artist in NYC. She is excited to join SMDT as an understudy.
Devon Darrow
Devon Darrow is a freelance dancer based in New York City. She trained with New Mexico Ballet Company, Texas Ballet Theater, and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of the Arts in English Language and Literature. Devon has also lived and worked abroad in Paris.
In her professional dance career, Devon has worked with Richmond Ballet, and in New York, Dances Patrelle, CityDanceNY, and Ballet Neo. Devon has performed roles in ballets including Romeo & Juliet, Cinderella, Dracula, the Nutcracker, George Balanchine’s Rubies, and various other works. Outside of dancing, she has also worked as a software engineer and project manager working with companies ranging from online media organizations to digital agencies with clients ranging from the luxury fashion sector to the art gallery world.
Devon is very excited to be joining Sheep Meadow Dance Theatre this fall.
Ava Desiderio
A New York native, Ava Desiderio is a mover, educator, and choreographer. In the past, they have performed with Alabama Ballet and Eglevsky Ballet, working with choreographers such as Gabrielle Lamb, Dennis Nahat, and Garrett Smith. Since returning to New York, Ava has participated in stage and film productions with Sarah Marazzi-Sassoon, Lavy/Verbal Animal, and Francis Patrelle in addition to her own self produced work. They are also a company member with Sheep Meadow Dance Theater, led by Billy Blanken.
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Past choreographic opportunities include NYC Emerging Artist Project, Syracuse City Ballet, Miami City Ballet School, the Philadelphia Youth Ballet, Steps on Broadway and Columbia University with additional commissions by Norte Maar.
DR. NICK VIRZI
Dr. Nick Virzi is a composer from New York City whose work includes acoustic, electronic, and electro-acoustic music, as well as intermedia pieces and multichannel installations. His recent pieces explore the relationships between humans and the natural world, numerology and rhythmic structure, and ethnography and identity. His practice includes field recording in nature preserves, orchestration of rhythmic frameworks based on complex numerical systems, and ethnographic research focused on collecting and adapting archival media. Nick’s music has been performed throughout the USA and internationally by leading artists such as cellist Séverine Ballon, soprano Tony Arnold, the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet, the JACK Quartet, the Spektral Quartet, Splinter Reeds, Quince Contemporary Vocal Ensemble, Ensemble Liminar, Distractfold, the Ekmeles Vocal Ensemble, the TAK Ensemble, and Ensemble Dal Niente. He has been a featured composer at international festivals including Gaudeamus Muziekweek and the Impuls Academy and at venues such as the Juilliard School in NYC and the Royal Academy of Music in Aarhus, Denmark. His recent projects include “Convergent Boundaries” for Percussion Trio and Electronics, an electroacoustic piece commissioned by the Novalis Music and Art Festival and premiered by Line Upon Line Percussion. Dr. Virzi completed his D.M.A. in Music Composition at Stanford University, where he studied with Mark Applebaum and Brian Ferneyhough. He recently completed the H&S Dean’s Fellowship at Stanford University, where he was a Lecturer in the Department of Music and the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA).
MOLLY von Gutzeit
As a cellist known for her “solidity and verve” (San Francisco Classical Voice), Molly Aronson enjoys a varied career as a soloist, chamber and orchestral musician, and educator. She has performed across the U.S. and internationally with highlight engagements including performances at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center, the Embassy Series, Bargemusic, Chamber Players International (New York), the Luzerne Festival Series, New York Composers Circle, Chateau Festival (Paris and Berlin), among many others. As a proponent of new music, Molly frequently premieres, performs, and records music by contemporary composers. She has worked with influential composers such as Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Moravec, Guggenheim Fellow Felipe Salles, Shelley Washington, and frequently records with the American Composer’s Alliance.Molly has performed with popular artists including the Eagles, Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli, and Michael Bublé at distinguished venues such as Radio City Music Hall and Madison Square Garden. She has worked with Grammy-award winning producers and engineers recording on albums with many classical, jazz, and pop musicians, and can be heard on the Arabesque and Naxos Labels and movie soundtracks for Warner Brothers and Sundance films. Using music as a vehicle for positive change, Molly has performed at the United Nations, in nursing homes and dementia wards, schools, prisons, and has organized multiple fundraisers for causes related to Autism. She believes that opportunity begins with exposure and accessibility, and aligns herself with organizations and patrons that support young musicians in need. Molly currently maintains a large private studio of cellists, many of whom have been competition winners, and been admitted to major conservatories and music degree programs.