Ballet Ouvert Studio

NEWS

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

PICTURE DAY
Picture Day will take place on Saturday, February 11. We will be taking headshots of all the students on this day to be used in future show programs. The schedule was notified earlier in an email and it is also posted in the lobby.

PRESIDENT'S DAY
In observance of President's Day, the studio will be closed Monday, February 20th. We will reopen Tuesday, February 21.

TASTE OF MIAMI LAKES
Tell friends and family to come to this family event, which takes place on Saturday, February 25. We will have a booth and some of our kids will be performing.

DANCING FOR THE CAUSE
We are working diligent to prepare for our first annual fundraiser "Dancing for the Cause" which will take place on March 24, 2012 in the Miami Lakes Middle School located at 6425 Miami Lakeway North, Miami Lakes. All proceedings will be donated to Relay for Life. Tickets will go on sale next week.Please tell everyone you know about this entertaining way to help others and sale as many tickets as you can! Every donation counts.

WE HAVE EXPANDED!
Studio 2 is now open. We have added 1000 sq. feet of new dance space with special wood floors. The space has a modern and stylish atmosphere and already promises to be a fun and exciting place for our dancers.

We still have "Dancing for the Cause" t-shirts available at the studio. If anyone is interested in helping the Ballet Ouvert Team raise money for Relay for Life please come by the office and purchase a t-shirt. They are only $10.00 and were specially designed for the studio.

BALLET OUVERT IS OPEN FOR REGISTRATION AND CLASSES. Please pick up a registration form at the studios' front desk.

• Sonia Huelbes
• Artistic Director
• Ballet Instructor

Born in Havana, Cuba, Ms. Sonia completed her dance studies at the Escuela Provencial de Ballet de La Habana. Shortly thereafter she was chosen to become a member of the world recognized Ballet Nacional de Cuba and then as soloist in 1974.

As a member of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, she participated in various performances such as Giselle, Coppelia, Swan Lake, La Fille Malgardee, Romeo & Juliet, Edipo Rey and more to mention. She also toured internationally to a variety of countries such as France, Hungary, USA, Mexico, Russia, Monaco, Luxembourg, Finland, Greece, Italy, Canada, England, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Switzerland, Colombia, Ecuador, and others.

During her travels, she performed in prestigious theatres such as The Metropolitan Opera House, New York; Kennedy Center, Washington; Champs Elysees, Paris; Scala de Milan, Italy; Teatro Colon, Buenos Aires and Bolhoi, Moscow, among others.

• Alina Hernandez
• Ballet Instructor

Alina Hernandez began ballet lessons at a very young age graduating in 2004. During this time Ms. Alina danced soloist roles such as Lilac Fairy in Sleeping Beauty and Marzipan Princess & The Spirit in The Nutcracker, and also attended summer intensive programs at the American Ballet Theater. Her performance experiences include dancing in “Issaev’s The Nutcracker”, “Doctor Ouch!”, “Suite of Waltzes” and the premiere of “The Seasons.”

Ms. Alina graduated from the University of Miami with a bachelor degree in Elementary Education and Psychology and is currently a Kindergarten teacher in North Miami, FL.

• Vanessa Clara
• Jazz Instructor

Vanessa Clara was introduced to dance at the age of 9 and since then it has been her passion. She received Soloist titles at Star Systems, Show Stoppers, and American Artistic Awards. She has trained in areas such as Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Contemporary, Hip Hop and has professionally trained in LA Salsa style.

Vanessa attended Barbara Goleman Senior High School. She was Sr. Lieutenant for the Jewels Dance Team and helped them place nationally in Jazz and Hip Hop categories at National Dance Alliance. She was SGA President and graduated Top 15 of her class. She proudly attends the University of Miami and has been employed by Ballet Ouvert for the past year.

Vanessa is a caring and devoted teacher and currently teaches all levels of Jazz classes. Guide by her love for the arts she hopes to expose her students to the incredible and artistic world of dance and she feels that her dancers are her inspiration!

• Stephanie Kronick
• Ballet Instructor

Born and raised in Miami, Florida, Stephanie started studying ballet at the early age of 4. She studied classical ballet for 12 years, graduating in 2005. As a soloist Stephanie has performed in classical ballet roles such as the Spirit and Marzipan Princess in the Nutcracker, Pas de trois in Swan Lake, Lilac Fairy, Fairy of temperament, pas de trios in Sleeping Beauty, and Myrtha in Giselle. In 2007 Stephanie went on to study contemporary ballet with Brigid Baker for 2 years and has showcased contemporary choreographies throughout South Florida.

Stephanie strives to bring out the artist in each of her little student’s hearts! As well as teaching, she is studying at FIU to complete her B.A. in Hospitality Management and works at the Gansevoort Miami Beach Hotel.

• Lauren Diaz
• Pre-Ballet Instructor

Lauren began dancing classical ballet at the age of three. Since then she has expanded her repertoire to include Contemporary, Jazz, Hip Hop, and other styles. She attends performances of all kinds and conventions such as Jump and Showstoppers to find further inspiration. She has performed in various shows and competitions such as Hall of Fame, American Dance Alliance, among others.

Lauren is also a part of her high school dance team at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy. She believes there is nothing more gratifying than dancing and sharing her love for dance with others.

• Carin Luna
• Hip Hop

Carin Luna, has a tasteful range of dance experience. For four years, Carin was a Barbara Goleman Jewel, and even helped to take her high school dance team to win several national championships in Texas while being Co-Captain her senior year. She then moved on to sign with the Florida Marlins as a Marlins Mermaid, becoming part of the one and only dance team in the MLB. As of today, she has taught at various grade schools and dance studios and has worked with artists such as Dulce Maria, Trey Songz, Nicki Minaj, Pitbull, Ludacris, Santa Fe, and more.

She has also worked with internationally renowned choreographers in and out of Miami. Her goal is to help expand the mind and skill set of the students she teaches while they explore a different and modern craft.

• Jenifer Hernandez
• Hip Hop

Bio coming up soon

• Danay Rojas Fernandez
• Flamenco Instructor

Bio coming up soon

• Valentina Beristein
• Contemporary Instructor

Valentina Beristain was introduced to dance at the age of 4. Her love for dance inspired her to learn different styles of dance like jazz, contemporary, lyrical, ballet, hip-hop and musical theatre. She has performed in Los Angeles, Texas and Puerto Rico as well as Santiago, Chile where she participated in different T.V. shows and had a large following of young aspiring dancers around the country. She has participated in different television networks and has appeared in shows like Sabado Gigante, Premio lo Nuestro, Don Francisco Presenta, and Despierta America.

Valentina later on became a member of the Marlins Mermaids team to grow as a dancer and entertain Marlins fans. Her goal is to teach her students to grow into wonderful dancers, and to not be afraid to interpret through dance. She would love to see them pursue the art of dance in the future.

• Jigna M. Shah
• Bollywood

Jigna Shah began her dance career at the age of seven at a local temple function. She then started to train in Bharata Natyam (Indian Classical dance) as a hobby in 1995, which has become her foundation for dance. From then on it has been a journey for her as she started her own Indian dance team in High School, joined Nova Southeastern’s Bhangra and Raas state team to compete against many state universities, danced in modern contemporary shows at Nova Southeastern University, choreographed and performed at many weddings and parties, and taught Zumba at her local gym.

Alongside Bollywood dance, Ms. Shah has also studied Argentinean Tango, Belly Dance, Modern Dance, and Afro Modern. Ms. Shah is currently teaching Bollywood classes at Ballet Ouvert and also in Davie & Coconut Grove.