Santiago Castañeda
Medellin, Colombia
Santiago Castañeda was born in Medellin, Colombia and began his ballet studies at the age of 8 at Andrea Wolff Ballet. After completing high school, Mr. Castañeda moved to Miami and continued his training at the Miami City Ballet School on scholarship. As a student at MCB, Santiago had the opportunity to perform several Balanchine ballets and classical ballets such as Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia and Ballabile. Mr. Castañeda has had the pleasure of originating roles in works choreographed by Gerald Ebitz Durante Verzola, Ariel Rose and Pam Tanowiz. In 2014, Santiago participated in the Youth America Grand Prix finals where he won two scholarships to the Harid Conservatory and Houston Ballet School. In 2018, Santiago joined Miami City Ballet as an apprentice. As an apprentice, Santiago has performed George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, Jewels “Diamonds”, Midsummer Night’s Dream and Slaughter on Tenth Avenue. He also performed works by Jerome Robbins, Twyla Tharp and Justin Peck. This is Santiago’s third season with Collage Dance Collective.
LUISA CARDOSO
Salvador, Brazil
LUISA CARDOSO is a native of Salvador, Brazil. She began her training at Ebateca Escola de Ballet, directed by Juliana De-Vecchi. In 2014 she moved to Miami, FL after receiving a scholarship to attend the Miami City Ballet School pre-professional program, directed by Darleen Callaghan. While a student with the Miami City Ballet School, she had the opportunity to perform works by George Balanchine such as Western Symphony, Stars and Stripes, and Theme and Variations. Ms. Cardoso has also worked with choreographers Maribel Modromo, Olivier Pardina, Maria Torija, Geta Constantinescu, Ebtiz and Lourdes Lopez. In 2016 she graduated from Miami City Ballet School and moved to Memphis, TN to join Collage Dance Collective. This is Luisa’s seventh season with the company.
RICKEY FLAGG II
WINDSOR, CONNECTICUT
RICKEY FLAGG II was born and raised in in Windsor, CT. At 16 he attended the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts and was also part of the Hartt School Community Division under the direction of Miguel Campaneria. Rickey continued his training with Mr. Campaneria in Cary, NC dancing roles in Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Spring Waters pas de deux and excerpts from Raymonda. Mr. Flagg has choreographed solos for the Youth American Grand Prix and World Ballet Competition, several of which placed in the contemporary category. In 2012, Rickey was awarded a full scholarship to attend Dance Theatre of Harlem’s Professional Training Program under the direction of Virginia Johnson. Upon completion of the training program at DTH, Rickey was offered a contract with Charlotte Ballet II. This is Rickey’s eighth season with Collage Dance Collective.
Sebastian Garcia
Bronx, New York
Sebastian Garcia, a Bronx, New York native, began his formal dance training at the Harlem School of the Arts in New York under the direction of Aubrey Lynch. He then attended the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School under the direction of Cynthia Harvey, where he became a recipient of the En Avant Award from 2017-2018. This gave him opportunities to perform such works as Sleeping Beauty and work with esteemed choreographers including Alexei Ratmansky and Jessica Lang. After graduating from high school, Sebastian studied at The Rock School for Dance Education on full scholarship under directors Bo and Stephanie Spassoff. There Sebastian performed lead roles in the school’s Nutcracker as both the Snow Prince and Arabian Prince. Sebastian’s career has included performances at the famed Apollo Theater, The Lyric Opera of Chicago, Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. This is Sebastian’s second season with Collage Dance Collective.
Maya Hawkins
Memphis, Tennessee
Maya Hawkins began dancing at the age of three at the Ballet Memphis School. At 15, Maya joined the Collage Dance Corps where she had the opportunity to perform works by Sidra Bell and Kevin Iega Jeff. Following her high school graduation, she studied at the School of Pennsylvania Ballet under the direction of Arantxa Ochoa, and in 2015 she joined The Washington Ballet as a trainee where she performed in Septime Webre’s Carmen, The Nutcracker, Coppelia, and George Balanchine’s Serenade. Maya was a trainee at Cincinnati Ballet from 2016-17 dancing in Kirk Peterson’s Coppelia, Victoria Morgan’s The Nutcracker, and excerpts from Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake. She then danced with Charlottesville Ballet in Virginia for 3 seasons, where she performed various roles in the Nutcracker and in works by Keith Lee. Maya has attended summer intensives on scholarship at Dance Theatre of Harlem, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Orlando Ballet, Milwaukee Ballet, Carolina Ballet and Alonzo King Lines Ballet. This is Maya’s second season with Collage Dance Collective.
Lauren Huynh
Plano, Texas
Lauren Huynh, born and raised in Plano, Texas, began her training at the Hathaway Academy of Ballet. She was later awarded the Nordan Fine Arts Scholarship at Texas Christian University (TCU), where she graduated with a BFA in Ballet and Modern Dance, as well as a minor in General Business. During her time at TCU, she was selected to travel to Rwanda to continue TCU’s long-term relationship with Godelieve Mukasarasi and the SEVOTA Institute, was awarded the TCU Mission Statement Scholarship, and received the Senior Legacy award honoring her antiracist work and activism. She has performed choreography by George Balanchine, August Bournonville, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Francesca Harper, Jennifer Archibald, Gabrielle Lamb, LeeWei Chao, Adam Barruch, among others. Lauren has attended summer programs at BalletX, Oregon Ballet Theatre, and Joffrey Ballet as well as Alonzo King LINES Ballet and Dance Theatre of Harlem on full scholarships. During the spring of 2021, Lauren joined Bruce Wood Dance as an Apprentice. This is Lauren’s second season with Collage Dance Collective.
Kendall Lockhart
HOUSTON, TEXAS
KENDALL LOCKHART, originally from Houston, Texas, started her training with the pre-professional dance company, Ballet Forte, at Fort Bend Academy of Dance. She later attended Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of the Arts BFA program where she additionally studied communications and advertising. During her four years at SMU, Kendall trained under the directors of Complexions Contemporary Ballet and performed new works choreographed by both Dwight Rhoden and Desmond Richardson. She also performed the works of choreographers Bridget Moore, Danny Buraczeski and Adam Hougland. In the 2019-2020 year, Kendall joined Ballet Dallas under the direction of Carter Alexander. This is Kendall’s third season with Collage Dance Collective.
Nia Lyons
chicago, Illinois
a Chicago native, has trained with The Dance Theatre of Harlem, Chicago Multi-Cultural Dance Center, and Chicago High School for the Arts. Nia’s diverse training includes classical ballet, modern, African, Latin, jazz, and hip hop and has taken her around the world to numerous countries, including Barcelona, St. Thomas, and South Korea. This is Nia’s third season with Collage Dance and comes to us from the Dance Theatre of Harlem School in New York. She looks forward to inspiring and mentoring young dancers while continuing to break barriers herself.
FÁBIO MARIANO
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
FÁBIO MARIANO was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and started dancing when he was 14 years old. He trained at Maria Olenewa Dance School and performed in big productions of ballet and opera at Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro such as The Nutcracker, The Rite of Spring, Aida and Marguerite & Armand. Taught by renowned Brazilian and Russian teachers from Kirov Ballet, he graduated in 2014. In Brazil he performed classical and contemporary works by different choreographers with Caetano Cia. De Dança, directed by Thiago Caetano and Companhia Jovem de Ballet do Rio de Janeiro, directed by Dalal Achcar and Marisa Estrella. Fábio joined Corpo de Baile Campos dos Goytacazes in 2014, where he performed classical and contemporary works. He also choreographed a contemporary ballet for the company. In 2016, he moved to the USA to join Atlantic City Ballet (NJ) and performed soloist and leading roles in full length productions of The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Dracula and Carmen. Aside from dancing, Mr. Mariano has been a ballet teacher for more than 10 years. In 2020, he co-founded the online platform Blacks in Ballet alongside Ingrid Silva and Ruan Galdino to highlight ballet dancers of color. Fábio Mariano has been an artist with Collage Dance since 2017 and is in his sixth season.
MIYESHA MCGRIFF
Kansas City, Missouri
MIYESHA MCGRIFF is a Kansas City, Missouri native. She trained at the Kansas City Ballet School where she was a company apprentice for the 2006-2007 season. She then attended and graduated from the University of Missouri – Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Dance, May of 2011. After graduating, she danced at Dallas Black Dance Theatre II for the 2011-2012 season in Dallas, Texas. She then went to dance with Wylliams/Henry Contemporary Dance Company for the next four seasons. In the summer of 2014, She relocated to New York to pursue her dance career. Since she has moved to the Big Apple, she has danced with a few project-based companies and continues to grow in her artistry. In 2017, Miyesha joined Collage Dance Collective of Memphis, TN as a company member and is in her sixth season.
Summer McNeill
Atlanta, Georgia
Summer McNeill, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, began her training at Georgia Metropolitan Dance Theatre under the direction of Kathryn Macbeth. In 2016, she continued her training under Sharon Story at Atlanta Ballet’s Centre for Dance Education. She performed in Atlanta Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker and Snow White. As a graduate of Cobb County’s Center of Excellence in the Performing Arts Magnet Program at Pebblebrook High School, she received several awards and accolades, such as Most Outstanding Female and Most Promising Dancer. In 2018, Summer was awarded a scholarship to attend The Ailey School in New York City. Summer performances include “Memoria,” January Explosion, Global Harmony, and The 92nd Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. In 2020, Summer worked on several projects around metro Atlanta with Dance Canvas and later on the next year danced as a protegé with Terminus Modern Ballet Theatre. This is Summer’s first season with Collage Dance Collective.
LEONARD PEREZ
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
LEONARD PEREZ, from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, has trained in Spanish dance with the Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater and in ballet and modern dance at the Ruth Page School of Dance. He has studied on scholarship at Northeastern Illinois University and has been awarded full scholarships to summer intensive programs at Dance Theater of Harlem, The Ailey School, River North Dance Chicago, Thodos Dance Chicago, Deeply Rooted Dance Theater, and The Ruth Page School of Dance. He danced with Milwaukee Ballet II during the 2015–2016 season and has performed works by Ron de Jesus, Michael Pink, Septime Webre, Randy Duncan, Ruth Page, Lee Wei Chao, Ilya Kozadayev, Brian MacDonald, Victor Alexander and Spanish dance duo Angel Rojas and Carlos Rodriguez. Leonard has performed in the Chicago Dancing Festival, Jacob’s Pillow International Inside/Out Dance Festival, Dance for Life Chicago, and St. Louis’ Spring To Dance Festival. He has also danced professionally with Dayton Ballet where he performed works by Gina Patterson and Jiri Kylian and Indianapolis Ballet where he performed works by Joshua Bergasse and George Balanchine. This is Leonard’s fourth season with Collage Dance Collective.
lauren philson
Houston, Texas
Born and raised in Houston, Texas Lauren began studying ballet, tap, jazz, and musical theater at the age 3. At age 12, she was accepted to the Houston Ballet Academy on scholarship. A year later she was invited to train in the Professional Division full-time. As a student, she performed in Ben Stevenson’s and Stanton Welch’s The Nutcracker. After her family relocated to Colorado, she finished her training at Colorado Ballet Academy on scholarship and performed as Myrtha in the academy’s spring production of Giselle. She also performed in Colorado Ballet’s The Nutcracker and Septime Webre’s The Wizard of Oz. Miss Philson attended summer programs at American Ballet Theatre (NYC), School of American Ballet, Boston Ballet SDP, Colorado Ballet Academy, and Houston Ballet Academy. She is thrilled to return for her third season with Collage Dance Collective.
Caio Rodrigo
Rio de Janeiro, brazil
Caio Rodrigo, a native of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, began his ballet training at Projeto Social da Prefeitura Municipal de Piraí. He has also trained at the Escola Estadual de Danças Maria Olenewa, belonging to Theatro Municipal of Rio de Janeiro and the Centro de Movimentos Deborah Colker. In 2014 he was awarded a full scholarship to train at the Miami City Ballet School, where he had the opportunity to work with choreographers Olivier Pardina, Maria Torija, Geta Constantinescu and Gerard Ebitz. Mr. Rodrigo has danced professionally with Projeto Ballet Gacemss and Rumo Cia de Danca in Brazil and with Atlantic City Ballet in New Jersey. With Atlantic City Ballet he performed soloist and leading roles in such ballets as Romeo and Juliet, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Midsummer Night’s Dream and Raymonda. This is Mr. Rodrigo’s fifth season with Collage Dance.
João Pedro Silva
Bahia, Brazil
João Pedro Silva is a native of Bahia-Brazil. He began his formal dance training when he was 12 years old at the Ballare Studio of Dance. At the age of 15 he relocated to Rio de Janeiro to continue his ballet training at Dance School Alice Arja and after one year got an apprenticeship with the Cia of Ballet from Rio de Janeiro where he performed many principal and soloist roles in ballets including A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Nutcracker, Swan Lake and Carnival of the Animals. He has competed in national and international dance competitions including the American Dance Competition where he was awarded scholarships for the Colorado Ballet Academy, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, Sarasota Ballet School and Orlando Ballet School. At 17, he moved to the United States to study at the Miami City Ballet School and after a few months he got to do his first performance with the company in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This is Mr. Silva’s second season with Collage Dance Collective.
Nya Ham
Memphis, Tennessee
Apprentice
Nya Ham, born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, began dancing at the age of six with the Collage Dance Conservatory. In 2013, Nya was hand-selected by Kevin Thomas, artistic director of Collage Dance for the Collage Youth Ensemble. There she studied under and performed work by esteemed choreographers including Joshua Manculich, Kevin Iega Jeff, Darrell Grand Moultrie, Endalyn Taylor and Kevin Thomas, to name a few. Nya joins the Collage Dance Collective as an apprentice for the 2022-23 performance season.
