Jun Masuda Guest Artist Dance Open: 2019

Born and completed basic choreographic education in Japan, Jun moved to Monaco to enter the prestigious Princess Grace Dance Academy. As a student of Japanese ballet school, Jun performed in nearly every classical ballet interpreted by Keiko Nakagawa: Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadere, Le Corsaire, Paquita, Coppélia, Don Quixote, Nutcracker. At the Princess Grace Dance Academy he broadened his repertoire with roles in productions by Marco Goecke, Jeroen Verbruggen and Grigory Chicherin. His talent has been recognized and awarded many times: at the age of 14 June won gold medal at Youth America Grand Prix 2014 Junior Division, then a golden medal at Tokyo National Dance Competition 2015 Junior Division and silver medal at IBC Varna 2016 Junior Division.

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Victoria Jaiani Soloist of The Joffrey Ballet Dance Open: 2019

Born and raised in Tbilisi, Victoria received basic choreographic education in her home town. As a scholarship student, she continued her studies at the Joffrey ballet school in New York. After three years of training and working with the touring Joffrey Ensemble Dancers, Victoria was invited to join the Joffrey Ballet. Her particular quality as a dancer is her talent to perform repertoire across genres. Her roles of delicate and loving Giselle, powerful Snow Queen in Nutcracker and joyful, almost comical Cinderella in F.Ashton’s production are equally successful. Also the repertoire of Victoria includes roles in Round of Angels by Gerald Arpino, Age of Innocence by Edwaard Liang, Pretty BALLET by James Kudelka and others. A unique combination of antique beauty, natural grace and magnificent ballet technique allow Victoria to play complex characters both in classical and modern ballet that is so appreciated by choreographers, critics and audience.

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Alberto Velazquez Soloist of The Joffrey Ballet Dance Open: 2019

Cuba gifted us many talented ballet dancers and Alberto Velazquez is a distinguished representative of the constellation of Cuban renowned artists. He began his ballet studies in Havana, then moved to Mexico where he finished a ballet school. When Alberto was student, he became famous as a gold medalist in pas de deux and a finalist in the Youth America Grand Prix National Finals in 2006. He also performed for the 50th Anniversary Gala of the Spoleto Festival in Italy and the 12th International Ballet Festival in Miami, Florida. In 2008 Alberto joined the prestigious Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School at American Ballet Theatre on full scholarship, which has strongly contributed to his career development: in 2009 he already became a member of ABT II under the artistic direction of Wes Chapman and in 2011 joined the Joffrey Ballet in Chicago. His repertoire included roles classical ballets interpreted by contemporary choreographers — Christopher Wheeldon’s Swan Lake, Robert Joffrey's The Nutcracker, Stanton Welch’s La Bayadère, Yuri Possokhov’s Don Quixote, Krzysztof Pastor’s Romeo & Juliet and others. Also his repertoire includes roles in Wayne McGregor’s Infra, William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated, Edwaard Liang’s Age of Innocence, Kurt Jooss’ The Green Table, Jiří Kylián’s Forgotten Land and many others.

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Virna Toppi Principal Dancer of Teatro alla Scala Dance Open: 2019

She started studying dance at the age of 8 in Collegio arte e Danza in her hometown Milan, and three years later she have been admitted at La Scala Theatre’s Academy Ballet School. All her life turned to be connected with this legendary theater: in 2012 she joined the ballet company, after two years she became a soloist and in 2018 was promoted to principal dancer. Young and charming Virna Toppi performs brilliantly in ballets of all world repertoires: passionate Kitri, tender Odette and fatal Odile, sophisticated Raymonda, easterly exquisite Scheherazade, careless Manon, mysterious Titania… However, her repertoire is not limited with classical ballet: she successfully performs in Maurice Béjart’s Bolero, George Balanchine's Jewels, Roland Petit’s The Young Man and Death and many others. Virna is a winner of the International Dance Award Leonide Massine 2017, Oscar della Danza 2017 (Dancer of the Year), Premio Danza&Danza 2018 and many others that confirms unanimous view of critics and audience: Virna Toppi is one of the most promising young ballet dancers in Italy.

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