Mr. Rogers was born in Virginia in a southern military family. He began his early training at the age of nine in Germany under Maureen Gergun, a former Soloist from the Royal Ballet in London. Rogers then continued his formation at the Olaker Youth Civic Ballet in Chester, Virginia, under Christine Parks, an original member of the Ballet Society, which became the American Ballet Theatre.

Rogers was awarded full scholarships to the School of American Ballet in New York where he trained under renowned teachers Stanley Williams, Andrei Kramirevsky and Richard Rapp. On another full scholarship at the National Academy of Arts in Illinois, he completed his formation in the Vaganova, Bournonville and Cecchetti techniques, working with such great teachers as Petrus Bosman, Georgina Parkinson and Valerie Taylor of the Royal Ballet and Francesca Corkle of the Joffrey Ballet, Larissa Skylanskya, Flemming Halby and Toni Lander and Erik Bruhn of The Royal Danish Ballet.

The honor being one of the first recipients of the prestigious Princess Grace Foundation Award for Artistic Excellence in dance, ultimately lead Rogers to a long career as Principal dancer with Ballet West in Salt Lake City under the artistic directorships of Bruce Marks, John Hart and Jonas Kåge.

Rogers has danced all of the major principal roles in the classical repertoire from Albrecht to Siegfried as well as in the best contemporary works by renowned choreographers including Val Caniparoli’s The Lady of the Camellias and Lambarena, John Neumier’s Age of Anxiety, Eugene Loring’s Billy the Kid, John Butler’s Carmina Burana, Paul Taylor’s Company B, Antony Tudor’s The Leaves are Fading, Hans Van Manen’s Polish Pieces, and William Forsythe’s Artifact II.

Currently a Principal teacher the Ballet West Academy, company teacher for Ballet West, and a Master Teacher and Judge for the world renowned YAGP, he has also been an adjunct professor for the University of Utah’s Dance Department. Rogers also teaches at companies and schools nationally and internationally. His most current guesting was at Staatliche Ballettschule in Berlin.

Mr. Rogers was on faculty at BBSI from 2018 to 2025.

Originally from Reus, Spain, Rubén danced professionally with English National Ballet and San Francisco Ballet, where, after rising through the ranks, he became a Principal Dancer for nearly a decade. He performed lead roles in Giselle, Swan Lake, Onegin, and many more, working with world-renowned choreographers including George Balanchine, Christopher Wheeldon, and Alexei Ratmansky, as well as originating a number of roles.

As an educator, he served on the faculty of San Francisco Ballet School before assuming the position of Principal Teacher at the ABT Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School in New York City. He has also taught at esteemed institutions and companies including The Washington Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, and Pacific Northwest Ballet. Rubén brings a deep knowledge of classical ballet, a passion for excellence, and a commitment to nurturing dancers with both technical clarity and artistic integrity.

In 2025, Rubén was appointed Director of International Ballet Academy in Cary, North Carolina, where he leads a passionate and ambitious team committed to delivering world-class training to the next generation of dancers. He continues to collaborate with American Ballet Theatre as an ABT Education Consultant, contributing to global recruitment and teaching on the ABT Summer Intensive audition tours.

Mr. Martín was on faculty at BBSI from 2023 to 2025.

Mr. Frenette was born in Vancouver, Canada in 1994. He began his early training at the Goh Ballet Academy under the instruction of Ms. Fiona Smith. In 2008, his family relocated to California to further his professional ballet training with former ABT dancer Chris Martin and former Bolshoi Ballet Theatre dancer Dmitri Kulev. Patrick was a two-time recipient of the Senior Grand Prix award at the Youth America Grand Prix’s regional competitions. In 2011, he was also awarded the Mary Day award for Outstanding Artistry, and in 2012, he received second company offers to the Washington Ballet, Houston Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre. Mr. Frenette was awarded tuition scholarships to attend many professional training programs, including the JKO School at American Ballet Theatre, The San Francisco Ballet School, The Royal Ballet School, and The School of American Ballet.

Patrick attended SAB from 2012 to 2013, and was selected to perform in both the fall and spring sessions of the New York Choreographic Institute. While at SAB, Mr. Frenette was awarded The Rudolf Nureyev Foundation Scholarship. Patrick studied with esteemed teacher Jock Soto and graduated in the spring of 2013, performing a principal part in George Balanchine’s Divertimento No. 15.

Frenette joined ABT as an Apprentice in 2013 and became a member of the Corps de Ballet in January 2014. He was promoted to Soloist in 2024. His repertoire with ABT includes Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet, Hilarion and Wilfred in Giselle, the White Swan Act II Pas de Deux, Benno, Spanish in Swan Lake, Orion and Jaseion in Sylvia, Demetrius in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Evans and “Becomings” in Woolf Works, Mithridates in Of Love and Rage, a Demi Soloist in Theme and Variations, the Pas De Trois in Ballet Imperial, a role in Deuce Coupe, the English Prince, Wolf, Herald, and Canary Fairy Cavalier in Sleeping Beauty, Recruit, Bees, and Russian in The Nutcracker, a featured role in After You, Ranch Worker in Like Water for Chocolate, Svidrigailov in Crime and Punishment, Harlequin Doll in Coppélia, a featured role in Sinfonietta, Flute Boy, Notary’s Clerk, and The Cockerel La Fille Mal Gardée, Persian Men in The Golden Cockerel, the Three Ivans in Aurora’s Wedding, and roles in all of the Company’s full-length ballets.

He originated featured roles in Praedicere and Dream within a Dream (deferred) by Michelle Dorrance, Songs of Bukovina, Whipped Cream, Of Love and Rage, and Bernstein in a Bubble by Alexei Ratmansky, and Collage + Creed by Silas Farley. Mr. Frenette’s performances with American Ballet Theatre are sponsored by Susan Winokur and Paul Leach.

Patrick has performed in variety of galas including the Anaheim International Dance Festival, the International Ballet Festival of Miami, the YAGP Stars of Today meet the Stars of Tomorrow, and the Indianapolis City Ballet’s Young Stars of Ballet, which was filmed and nominated for an Emmy in 2012. Patrick performed Alexei Ratmansky’s Bolero in the celebrated Nantucket Dance Festival in 2015 as well as Festival Ballet Theatre’s Stars of Ballet Gala. Patrick performed in the 2017 Fall for Dance North, a celebration of Canada’s 150th year, in the World Premiere of Robert Binet’s Children of Chaos. Mr. Frenette performed the Grand Pas Classique Pas de Deux at the 2018 American Dance Competition Awards Gala of Stars.

He appears in the 2018 short film by rag & bone, WHY CAN’T WE GET ALONG, directed by Benjamin Millepied, Aaron Duffy, and Bob Partington. Patrick is featured in the film by Scott Gormley and NuArts Productions, Danseur. In April of 2021, Mr. Frenette made his principal guest artist debut with the Orlando Ballet as the title role in Jorden Morris’ Peter Pan. 

Mr. Frenette was on faculty at BBSI from 2016 to 2025. He also taught at BBSI’s predecessor, the 2015 Boys Only Workshop.

Christopher Hird is from England and studied at The Royal Ballet School. He toured Europe as part of a company headlined by the internationally acclaimed Ballerina Sylvie Guillem. After retiring from the stage, Hird worked as the Assistant to the Director of the British Ballet Organization, and later as Assistant to the Development Manager at The Royal Ballet School. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Dance from the University of Roehampton and a Diploma from Canada’s National Ballet School’s Teacher Training Program.

Hird joined Boston Ballet School in 2003 and was promoted to Artistic Manager and Head of Adult Programming in 2009. He has served on the international jury of the Youth America Grand Prix, the Japan Grand Prix, the Surrey Festival of Dance (Canada), the ADC International Ballet Competition, and the Seminário Internacional de Dança de Brasília. He has been a guest teacher for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Canada’s National Ballet School, Academy of Nevada Ballet Theatre, Cecchetti Council of America, and Harvard University.

The Sarasota Ballet appointed Christopher Hird as Education Director in July 2016. During his tenure, Hird has expanded the visibility of the Education Programs, and enhanced the Margaret Barbieri Conservatory, launching a new Trainee Program, as well as a summer exchange program with Canada’s National Ballet School and The Royal Danish Ballet. In addition, Hird oversees Community Engagement, at The Sarasota Ballet Studio Company, and has developed the Adult Program to offer more engagement opportunities.

Mr. Hird was on faculty at BBSI in 2025.

Davit Karapetyan is a renowned ballet dancer and the current Director of the School of Philadelphia Ballet and Philadelphia Ballet II. Originally from Yerevan, Armenia, Karapetyan began his dance training at the Armenian National Ballet School. He later advanced his studies at the Schweizerische Ballettberufsschule in Zurich, Switzerland, before joining the Zurich Ballet as a soloist.

In 2005, Karapetyan’s career took a major leap when he became a principal dancer with the San Francisco Ballet, where he performed for over a decade. He gained widespread recognition for his powerful performances in both classical and contemporary works, excelling in roles such as Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Romeo in Romeo and Juliet (featured in the Lincoln Center Movies’ Great Performances series with PBS), and the Nutcracker Prince in Helgi Tomasson’s choreography. He also performed in The Seawitch from The Little Mermaid, choreographed by John Neumeier, and in ballet Onegin as an Onegin, choreography by John Cranko, among many others. His dynamic stage presence, technical prowess, and artistry earned him critical acclaim and numerous accolades.

In addition to his successful performing career, Karapetyan was a winner in various
prestigious international ballet competitions, including the Prix de Lausanne, Jackson International Ballet Competition in Mississippi, the Armenian ballet competition Amadeos, and the Vaganova Ballet Competition in St. Petersburg. He has also served as a jury member for leading international ballet competitions such as the Prix de Lausanne, Youth America Grand Prix (YAGP), American Dance Competition International Ballet Competition (ADC|IBC), and the National Ballet Competition.

Karapetyan’s contributions to Armenian culture were acknowledged with an honor in the film Meran vor Aprink, which reflects the rich history of the Armenian people. The film won an Emmy Award from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, San Francisco Northern California Chapter.

After his retirement from dancing, Karapetyan transitioned into leadership roles, starting in 2017 with the Pennsylvania Ballet Academy. In 2022, he was appointed as the school director at the Philadelphia Ballet. In this capacity, he oversees the school’s curriculum and artistic vision, nurturing the next generation of dancers with a commitment to excellence. Under his direction, the school continues to thrive, solidifying its reputation as one of the top ballet training programs in the United States.

Mr. Karapetyan was on faculty at BBSI in 2025.

Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, Cameron McCune began his ballet training at the age of 8 at the Raleigh School of Ballet under the direction of Mary LeGere. He joined the school’s pre-professional company, Raleigh Dance Theatre, at age 13, and began studying privately the next year. McCune attended summer programs at the Raleigh School of Ballet, Miami City Ballet, and the School of American Ballet, and won a silver medal at the Youth America Grand Prix in 2012.

McCune joined ABT as an apprentice in 2013 and the corps de ballet in January 2014. His repertoire includes Village Notary in La Fille mal gardée, the Young Soldier in The Green Table, Spanish Dance in The Nutcracker, a Fairy Cavalier in Ratmansky’s The Sleeping Beauty, leading roles in Symphonic Variations and Thirteen Diversions, and featured roles in The Brahms-Haydn Variations, Deuce Coupe and Songs of Bukovina.

Mr. McCune is a National Academy of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer.

Mr. McCune was on faculty at BBSI from 2019 to 2022, 2024, and 2025.

José Carayol trained at the Real Conservatorio Profesional de Danza de Madrid on a National Scholarship under the mentorship of Carmen Roche, Victor Ullate and Orlando Salgado.  He went on to dance professionally with several companies around the world in leading roles, including Basilio in Don Quixote, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Don Jose in Carmen and Prince Florimund in Sleeping Beauty.  He has performed in national and international tours dancing a versatile repertoire by numerous prominent choreographers and artists, among them Alicia Alonso, Marta Garcia, Jiří Kylián, Nacho Duato, William Forsythe, John Neumeier, Roland Petit, Mats Ek and George Balanchine.

Towards the end of his dancing career, Mr Carayol turned his focus to teaching and went on to complete American Ballet Theatre’s National Training Curriculum teachers’ course in New York. Upon his graduation, he became an associate teacher of the ABT® Project Plié programme, which aimed to support diversity and inclusion around the United States of America, while spreading his passion for the art of classical ballet to the youngest generations. He was a teacher and Head of the Conservatory Program and men’s programme at Los Angeles Ballet Academy. During his time there, he was instrumental in developing the men’s programme further while creating a nurturing environment for students in a professional track in Southern California. In 2017, he became Ballet Master and Assistant Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Ballet Academy Youth Ballet.

José Carayol has taught internationally at many different schools and has been a regular judge for international competitions, including the Youth America Grand Prix. Being a passionate advocate of dance education, he has continued his pedagogical and teaching practices further by regularly attending seminars and teaching courses at The Royal Ballet School.

In 2019, upon invitation by Artistic Director Ashley Wheater MBE, he was appointed Head of Studio Company and Trainee Program at The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago. He worked closely with the artistic team to elevate the standards of excellence and equality, as well as create a competent curriculum that would help young dancers close the gap between school and company life.

Mr Carayol joined The Royal Ballet School as the Artistic Manager of the Foundation Programme in 2021. He was appointed Head of Artistic Programmes and Production in 2023.

Mr. Carayol was on faculty at BBSI in 2024.

Mr. Stark is a renowned ballet teacher and coach and has been called “Ballet’s Pied Piper” by the Sarasota Herald Tribune. His students are dancing in companies including New York City Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Dutch National Ballet, Royal Danish Ballet, National Ballet of Canada, American Ballet Theatre and Paul Taylor Dance Company, among others. Mr. Stark’s students have moved on to full merit scholarships in dance academies including the School of American Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, and the Royal Ballet School of England.

He has coached gold medal winners for International Ballet Competitions (IBC) in New York City, Cape Town, Seoul and Helsinki. Additionally his students have won the Grand Prix at the Youth America Grand Prix New York finals, the Princess Grace Award, audience favorite at the Prix de Lausanne, and best male dancer at the Eric Bruhn Competition. Stark was named outstanding teacher at the 2014 New York finals of Youth America Grand Prix and has four times lead academies to be awarded outstanding school in previous years.

Stark’s professional mentor and coach was Fernando Bujones who hired Stark as assistant to the artistic director at Ballet Mississippi and later as school director at Orlando Ballet. He has staged the works of Mr. Bujones. Stark lead Orlando Ballet School for a decade expanding it to four locations, founding Orlando Ballet II and was twice haled in The New York Times where his students were called “breathtaking” and noted for displaying “a joyous appetite for movement.”

He is the founding artistic director of Next Generation Ballet (NGB) in Tampa. NGB has grown to have an international reputation winning many awards and accolades. Stark co-presented four annual ballet galas with Youth America Grand Prix including “Ballet’s Greatest Hits” that was streamed to movie theaters internationally and hosted by So You Think You Can Dance judge Nigel Lythgoe.

Stark staged/choreographed a series of critically acclaimed full length ballets including Cinderella, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty and Coppelia. Original children’s ballets include Snow White and Rumpelstiltskin. This repertoire has been danced by organizations including Washington Ballet, Orlando Ballet, Next Generation Ballet and Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet.

Mr. Stark was on faculty at BBSI in 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2021.

Igor Antonov was born in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. Upon graduation from the Kiev Choreographic Institute, he joined the Donetsk Ballet (Ukraine) as a soloist. In 1990, he was invited to join Richmond Ballet, where for five seasons he danced leading roles in works by George Balanchine, John Butler, Antony Tudor, William Soleau, Malcolm Burn, and Stoner Winslett. During that time, he was also a medalist and best couple award winner at the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi.

Emma Lee Frenette is a native of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She is the Artistic Director of Boys Ballet Summer Intensive, a program specifically designed for men in ballet, and on Faculty at Colorado Ballet Academy. Ms. Frenette is a fully certified teacher of the American Ballet Theatre National Training Curriculum. She is also the Co-Owner of the dancewear company, Fleecys. She received her Associate in Arts degree with a 4.0 GPA and honors in 2016 from Wake Technical Community College, and graduated summa cum laude from Walden University in 2019 with a B.S. in Business Communication.

Ms. Frenette was on faculty at International Ballet Academy from 2014 to 2018, and was the Ballet Mistress at IBA 2019 to 2025. She was on faculty from 2018 to 2019 at the Eglevsky Ballet in New York, under Artistic Director Maurice Curry. She has choreographed pieces for the students of International Ballet Academy, Eglevsky Ballet, and the Dmitri Kulev Classical Ballet Academy. She appears in NuArts Productions’ documentary film by Scott Gormley about male dancers, Danseur. In 2021, she served on the jury at the Canada Dance International Competition. Ms. Frenette performed with both the Carolina Ballet and the Orlando Ballet. 

Ms. Frenette began her ballet studies at the Goh Ballet in Vancouver, Canada with Fiona Smith and Meifang Lin. She continued her training in the United States with Chris and Laura Martin, Dmitri and Jennifer Kulev, Kim Marsh, Dierdre Miles Burger, and Olivier Muñoz. Emma attended summer intensives at the schools of American Ballet Theatre in New York, San Francisco Ballet, Boston Ballet, Orlando Ballet on scholarship, twice attended the Bolshoi Ballet on scholarship, and twice attended The Royal Ballet School in London’s Summer course. Ms. Frenette has performed numerous roles from various ballets such as Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Paquita Grand Pas Classique, Don Quixote, Le Corsaire, Giselle, Les Sylphides, The Nutcracker, Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, Coppélia, and Carmen.

Ms. Frenette has been a part of BBSI since 2016.

Born in Gallup, New Mexico, and raised in Phoenix, Arizona, Jock Soto is of Navajo and Puerto Rican heritage. Inspired by Edward Villella’s performance in Jewels, he began ballet at age five and later trained at the School of American Ballet, where George Balanchine invited him to join the New York City Ballet in 1981. Soto rose to principal dancer in 1985, performing leading roles in works by Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Peter Martins, and Christopher Wheeldon, among others.

Over his distinguished career, Soto originated numerous roles and appeared as a guest artist with companies such as the Kirov Ballet and the Bolshoi Theatre. From 1996 to 2015, he served on the permanent faculty of the School of American Ballet, and he continues to stage ballets worldwide. 

Christopher Sellars grew up at Orange County Dance Center and received most of his training from his parents Anthony and Terri Sellars. After attending California State University, Long Beach for one year, he moved to Philadelphia to further his training at the Rock School for Dance Education.

He landed his first job with Ballet West II in 2005. In 2006 he joined Ballet West where he quickly rose through the ranks and was promoted to First Soloist in 2013. Throughout his 15 year career, he performed many Soloist and Principal roles. Notable were his title role in Prodigal Son, Fancy Free, Rubies Pas de Deux in Balanchine’s Jewels, the principal role in Balanchine’s Who Cares, and Prince Desire in The Sleeping Beauty.

Christopher has also had the privilege to work with critically acclaimed choreographers like Val Caniparoli, Nicolo Fonte, Edwaard Liang, and Helen Pickett. In addition to his dance career, Christopher Sellars was the Interim Artistic Director of Ballet West II for two seasons and taught for the Ballet West Academy along with teaching master classes all over the United States. In 2020, he joined the Principal Faculty at Ballet West Academy and became the Trainee Division Coordinator.

Christopher is an honored judge for Youth America Grand Prix, and his influence on students’ training extends throughout the country. As choreographer, Christopher has twice received the Outstanding Choreography Award from the Youth America Grand Prix and has choreographed multiple works through many outlets including internationally for the Berlin State Ballet School.

Ballet West was Christopher’s home 17 years and he is grateful to Artistic Director Adam Sklute for offering many opportunities for his development, leadership, and artistic creativity. Now, with his wife Kathryn Morgan, he is continuing his parents’ legacy in Huntington Beach, California as the Owner and Director of Dance Academy of Southern California and Ballet Repertory Theatre. His mission is to bring dance training into the next generation and share the joy of the art form with students and the community.

Mr. Sellars was on faculty at BBSI in 2025.