Company

A product of the School of American Ballet and New York City Ballet, Gloria Govrin was the vanguard of the
tall-is-terrific look of modern ballet. Ms. Govrin’s strength, stature, and stamina made her a star soloist for many
years. George Balanchine often choreographed roles specifically for her because of her stage presence and
unique abilities. Roles such as Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Coffee in The Nutcracker, the
Princess in Firebird, and La Bonne Fée in Harlequinade were so stamped with Ms. Govrin’s identity that the
entrances and exits on the score were marked with her name rather than that of the role. Mr. Balanchine also
established her in high-profile roles and ballets such as Stars and Stripes, Western Symphony, Apollo, Agon,
Dewdrop in The Nutcracker, and many others.

Upon retirement, Gloria opened her own school and company in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. In 1986, Robert
Weiss asked her to join Pennsylvania Ballet as a teacher, and from there she became Principal Teacher at The
Rock School, the official school of Pennsylvania Ballet. There, Gloria choreographed showcases, conducted
audition tours, created and presented lecture demonstrations, taught company classes, and assisted in staging
Balanchine repertoire. In 1999, she was invited by Helgi Tomasson to become Associate Director of the San
Francisco Ballet School. During her eight years there, she trained many students who went on to professional
careers with San Francisco Ballet, as well as many other companies worldwide.

Following her tenure in San Francisco, Ms. Govrin was recruited to serve as Artistic Director of Eastern
Connecticut Ballet. During her 18 years of leadership, she elevated the school’s artistic reputation and training
program, with students earning acceptance into many of the nation’s most prestigious summer intensives and
year-round professional training programs. Under her direction, numerous former students went on to dance
with internationally recognized ballet companies and continue to enjoy successful careers throughout the
professional dance world.

Over the years, Gloria Govrin has been an invaluable mainstay in the ballet world. People still refer to her
strength and commanding stage presence as a dancer, but she has yet to find a greater passion in this art than
teaching. Ms. Govrin is considered one of the leading masters of ballet technique, and she is excited to bring
her years of experience, artistry, and dedication to the students at Ballet RI.

Parren Ballard is a graduate of the Alabama School of Fine Arts, where he trained with Dame Sonia Arova and Thor Sutowski. He began his professional career at the age of seventeen with Cincinnati Ballet before embarking on an international performing career spanning more than twenty years. As a soloist, he performed leading roles with Basel Ballet, Deutsche Oper am Rhein, English National Ballet, and Houston Ballet.

Following his performing career, Mr. Ballard devoted himself to the training and development of young dancers. As a faculty member of Boston Ballet School, he taught numerous students who went on to join distinguished companies, including Boston Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, English National Ballet, Houston Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada, the Royal Swedish Ballet, Zurich Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Ballet West, Orlando Ballet, Sarasota Ballet, and Kansas City Ballet.

Mr. Ballard has also served as a guest teacher for Atlanta Ballet, Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet, and Pittsburgh Ballet. As a private coach, he has prepared prize winners for the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland, the USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, the World Ballet Competition in Orlando, and the International Dance Festival in Berlin.

He later served as Rehearsal Director with Compañía Nacional de Danza in Madrid, Spain, where he taught company class and coached the principal dancers. Most recently, he taught in the Trainee Program at The Washington School of Ballet.

Mr. Ballard is pleased to join Ballet Rhode Island as Artistic Faculty, where he looks forward to sharing the breadth of his professional performance and teaching experience while helping to prepare the next generation of artists.

coming soon…

Christopher Anderson trained as a student under the tutelage of Marika Besabrasova at the Academie de Danse de Princess Grace. He also trained at North Carolina School of the Arts and finished his training at San Francisco Ballet School, under the guidance of Richard Cammack and Anatole Vilzak. He joined San Francisco Ballet where he had an illustrious 16-year career as a Soloist, working with and performing works by William Forsythe, David Bintley, Jiri Kylian, George Balanchine, and Mark Morris to name a few. Christopher went on to dance as an International Guest Artist before finishing his dance career as a Principal Dancer with Alberta Ballet. After retiring, he continued his lifelong journey with ballet as a full-time faculty member of Boston Ballet School for 16 years, honing and developing his pedagogical skills before joining the Ballet RI team. At Ballet RI Christopher continues to share his passion for Ballet as an Artistic Coach, Director of SDI and as Principal of the Core Division of the School of Ballet RI.

Internationally acclaimed dancer and award-winning choreographer Yury Yanowsky spent over two decades as a Principal Dancer with Boston Ballet, earning praise for his bravura technique, magnetic stage presence, and remarkable versatility across both classical and contemporary repertoires. A sought-after guest artist, he has performed with The Royal Ballet, National Ballet of Prague, National Ballet of China, and Pennsylvania Ballet.

Winner of First Prize at the Prix de Lausanne and Silver medals at both the Varna and U.S. International Ballet Competitions, Yanowsky trained under Carmen Delgado de Robles, Anatol Yanowsky, and the Ballet Nacional de Cuba.

Yury’s choreographic voice emerged early in his career, and over the past decade his works have been commissioned by companies and festivals worldwide, including Boston Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Richmond Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Portland Ballet, Bundes Jugend Ballet, Jacob’s Pillow Gala, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. His ballet Smoke and Mirrors was hailed as a “visual and choreographic masterpiece” and named “Best in Dance” by The Arts Fuse. In 2015, he won the Choreographic Prize at the prestigious Erik Bruhn Competition, and in 2021, his new full-length Nutcracker for Ballet RI was praised by The Boston Globe as “awe-inspiring,” achieving both critical and box-office success.

Yanowsky’s artistry extends beyond the ballet stage, he has served as Movement Consultant for American Repertory Theatre, Movement Director for Boston Lyric Opera, and founder of Dance YaNOWsky, a touring company devoted to his creative vision. A passionate teacher and coach, he has worked with dancers at Boston Ballet, Harvard University, Boston Arts Academy, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, and Centro Coreográfico de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

In 2020, Yanowsky became Artistic Curator and Resident Choreographer for Ballet Rhode Island, where he oversees all artistic productions and continues to create works that are relevant, resonant, and deeply collaborative.

Audrey Lukacz, originally from Portsmouth, NH began her training with Portsmouth School of Ballet. During high school, Audrey transferred to online classes and traveled into Boston, MA to further her training – taking classes at the Dance Complex and Green Street Studios.

In 2019, Audrey graduated from Butler University’s Dance Department with a B.A. in Dance Pedagogy. Her degree includes training in the Vagonova, Checetti and RAD syllabi, as well as training in classical Modern techniques, and Laban Movement Analysis. Upon graduating, Audrey joined Ballet Rhode Island (formerly Festival Ballet Providence) as a trainee under the directorship of Kathleen Breen Combes.

In 2021, Audrey was promoted to Apprentice and then in 2023, was promoted to Company Artist.

At the same time Audrey began work with the Company she began teaching at School of Ballet RI. She began her teaching career in the Young Children’s Program, teaching Creative Movement, Pre-Ballet and Beginner Ballet for three years. In 2023, Audrey began work in our Core Program, first teaching our Primary 1 Division and then moving on to teach our Primary 2 Division, as well as Pointe and Pre-pointe to its respective levels. Audrey also acts as our School of Ballet Rhode Island Administrator and Social Media Manager.

coming soon…

Nicole C. Laliberté has performed with FioDanz, Sidelong Dance Co., Boston Dance Co., EBA Dance Theatre, and Honolulu Dance Theatre. She’s danced, taught, and choreographed in Rhode Island, Boston, New York, Hawaii, Virginia, Georgia, North Carolina, and St. Petersburg, Russia. Of note, she has taught and staged works at Providence College, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, James Madison University, Darton College, Greensboro Ballet, and the Youth America Grand Prix, among others. Holding an MFA in Choreography from UNCG and a BFA in Dance from The Boston Conservatory, Nicole currently is on faculty at South County Movement Center and Ballet RI, where she joyfully teaches adult classes and is the Lead Educator for BRI’s ProviDANCE program. Her students frequently cite Nicole’s ability to present material with a healthy sense of humor and creativity, catering to multiple learning styles. Nicole is also a Guild Certified Feldenkrais® Practitioner and a recipient of a 2022 RISCA Individual Project Grant in Choreography. Her ongoing project, a video archive featuring local French Canadians sharing stories from their youth, is sponsored by a mini grant from RI Humanities.

coming soon…

Katey Tidwell moved to RI from Houston, TX in 2021 and immediately began teaching for Ballet RI. Katey graduated magna cum laude with a BA in Dance from The University of Houston. Upon graduating, she began teaching dance at Houston Ballet and Theatre Under the Stars. At both organizations, she taught in schools for Community Engagement as well as onsite classes. Katey has attended teacher trainings with Axis Dance Company in Oakland, CA and Kennedy Center’s VSA Intersections: Arts and Special Education Conference in Atlanta, GA. Since 2013, Katey has taught dance to students with and without disabilities of all ages in various styles including ballet, jazz, tap, modern, and musical theatre.