Company

Ballet Arkansas II

Lauren McCarty Horak

Lauren McCarty Horak, a native Arkansan, received her early dance training at Shuffles and Ballet II Dance Studio. She graduated with honors from Butler University in 2006 with a BFA in Dance Performance and has since then been pursuing her dance career in Chicago, Boston, New York, Indianapolis and Little Rock. Lauren has performed with Chicago's Theatre at the Center in their production of CATS (Victoria), as well as Arkansas Repertory Theatre's production of Hello Dolly! She also performed Sawnee Ballet Theatre's (Atlanta, GA) production of Les Sylphides. Before returning to Little Rock, Lauren studied with the modern company Dance Kaleidoscope, under the direction of David Hochoy and taught ballet classes at various studios in the Indianaplois area. Over the past two seasons with Ballet Arkansas, Lauren has had the opportunity to dance the role Clara in The Nutcracker and has also performed in Love Stories, Kisetsu, Risk and Snapshots: Siblings Journey by Arleen Sugano, Amici Per Sempre by Shawn Stevens, Pressing On by Kiesha Lalama-White and Fab 4X6 by Ron de Jesus. Lauren also teaches ballet and modern at Shuffles and Ballet II.

Leslie Dodge

Leslie Dodge, began her dance training at a young age in Indianapolis, Indiana. In 2010, Leslie graduated with high honors from Butler University with a Bachelor's in Dance Pedagogy. For Butler Ballet, Leslie performed in Coppelia, Cinderella, Antony Tudor's Dark Elegies as well as lead roles in original works by Susan McGuire an Cynthia Pratt. In 2009 she performed as the lead Arabian in The Nutcracker, and , in 2010, as Odette in Swan Lake. Additionally, Leslie assisted in choreographing and coordinating a Laban-inspired movement choir organized by Cynthia Pratt, which was later adapted for the ORANJE Festival along with musical group Basilica. While at Butler, Leslie also taught dance and movement classes for the Butler Community Arts School throughout the Indianapolis area. Most recently, Leslie performed as the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker as a part of Dancers' Studio, Inc. in Columbus, IN.

Toby Lewellen

Toby Lewellen, began his serious dance training at the Peoria Ballet Academy in 2002 under the direction of Erich Yetter and Rebekah von Rathonyi. He performed in various performances such as A Midsummer Night's Dream, Giselle, The Firebird, Dracula, and The Nutcracker. There he also competed in the Youth American Grand Prix in 2006, where he was named one of the top twelve males. Toby is a recent graduate of Butler University with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Dance Arts Administration. He furthered his technique there under the instruction of Michelle Jarvis, Derek Reid, Tong Wang, Marek Cholewa, Stephan Laurent, Cynthia Pratt, and Susan McGuire. There he performed in Anthony Tudor's Dark Elegies, as the Nutcracker Prince in The Nutcracker, the Lead Mazurka male in Swan Lake, as well as lead roles in various faculty works at Butler University.

Anna Maris

Anna Maris, a native of Little Rock, Arkansas received her dance training from Shuffles an Ballet Arkansas. In 2005, Anna graduated with a BA in Dance and Psychology from Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana. While pursuing a graduate degree at the University of Iowa, Anna had the privilege of performing Jose Limon's Psalm under the direction of Nina Watt. Anna was chosen to work with renowned choreographer and theater artist Martha Clarke on a newly created work entitled "In the Night," which premiered at the University of Iowa in the fall of 2010 through the Iowa Partnership in the Arts. As a member of the University's resident repertory company, Anna performed and toured across Iowa in work by guest Carl Flink and faculty choreographers Eloy Barragan and Armando Duarte. In January 2011, Anna traveled to Chennai, India for a three-week intensive study of the classical Indian dance form Kuchipudi under the expert teaching of Madhayapeddi Murthy. Since recently completing her Masters in Fine Arts in Dance Performance, Anna has moved back to Little Rock and is thrilled to be dancing with Ballet Arkansas. Anna loves taking and creating opportunities to participate in collaborative projects involving the larger community in making and sustaining hopeful and creative changes through the arts.

Sean Porter

Sean Porter, a native Arkansan, received his dance training from The Center for the Arts under the instruction of Michael Tidwell. Sean continued his dance training at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock where he received his BA in Theater Arts and Dance. Sean has been a member of the Tidwell Project dance company for multicultural youth for the past nine years. Over the past eight years Sean has mentored students toward self-development and personal achievement through coaching and choreographing for Cheer City United. In addition, Sean has expanded his breadth of choreography experience by working with various high schools throughout the state of Arkansas

Jake Catlett, Trainee

Jake is a senior and has been studying dance for the past eight years. He's performed in The Nutcracker for seven years, and this is his third year dancing with Ballet Arkansas. Jake has attended summer intensives at the Joffrey Ballet School in NY, Joffrey South in Georgia, Long Beach Ballet in California and Magnus Mid-west in Michigan.

A. Michelle Alexander, Ballet Mistress

Michelle Alexander has danced professionally with the koresh Dance Company of Philadelphia, The Pennsylvania Ballet's Nutcracker, the Delta Festival Ballet of New Orleans, the Shoji Tabuchi Show, Legends in Concert, Dixie Stampede, Moving People Dance Theatre of Sante Fe, Urban Ballet Theatre and The Pearson Widrig Dance Theatre of NYC in association with Tulane and Komenka Folk Dance Ensemble. Michelle has taught at such organizations as New Orleans Center for Creative Arts/Riverfront, New Orleans Ballet Association, Nevade Ballet Theatre, University of Nevada Las Vegas Recereation Center, and Arkansas Festival Ballet. She has won critical acclaim for her modern and contemporary ballet choreography, including performances at "Dance in the Desert," and event held annually in Las Vegas, NV and "Vertigo," performed by the Arkansas Festival Ballet. She currently teaches a wide range of classes a Shuffles and Ballet II.