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Company Member

Arif Toleugazin

Originally from Kazakhstan, Arif began his ballet training at the age of 11, at the iconic Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg, Russia where he studied under Denis Matvienko.
 Graduating from VBA in Classical Ballet and Pedagogy in 2022, Arif was invited to join both the Mariinsky and the Bolshoi Ballet, a dream he had since he was a little boy. However, watching the horrors of the Ukraine war unfold while being wholeheartedly anti-war, Arif realized he couldn’t in good conscience begin his ballet career in an aggressor country. Interested in getting exposure to a variety of American ballet styles, he auditioned for San Francisco Ballet School and received the prestigious Keith White Memorial Scholarship (awarded by Thomas E. Horn, President of the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center and Bob A. Ross Foundation).
 Graduating from SFBS in 2023, Arif was invited to join Ballet RI. He describes his new ballet home as a dynamic and artistically exciting place to be.

Nia Lessard

Raised in Framingham, MA, Nia began her ballet training at the Boston Ballet School at age 4. She continued her training at Northeast School of Ballet, and later with principal dancers Erica Cornejo and Carlos Molina. She also explored her contemporary movement during her summers at BalletX, Arts Umbrella, and with choreographer Juliano Nunes at Orsolina28. In 2020 she was accepted into Pacific Northwest Ballet’s Professional Division, where she performed with the company in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker and Kent Stowell’s Swan Lake. After graduating from the Professional Division, Nia joined Grand Rapids Ballet as an Apprentice for the 2022/23 season. While at GRB she performed in numerous corps de ballet roles including George Balanchine’s Serenade and Who Cares?, as well as demi-soloist roles in James Sofranko’s A Dreamer and Penny Saunders’ Jump Cut. 

Jayden Towers

Born in South Florida, Jayden Towers began studying dance at the age of three at her parents’ dance studio. Jayden has attended intensives with Miami City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Joffrey Ballet, the Harid Conservatory, and Ellison Ballet. In 2019, she was accepted into the Harid Conservatory’s year round program. From then on, she trained on scholarship at Fort Lauderdale Youth Ballet, Alberta Ballet School, and Ellison Ballet. 

In 2021, she awarded third place in the contemporary and classical category at Youth America Grand Prix, as well as receiving an invite to attend finals. In previous years, Jayden has preformed roles including Kitri(Don Quixote), La Vivandiere, Queen of Dryads(Don Quixote), Soloist in A Fine Line by Juan Rodriguez, and many others. Jayden has had the privilege to train under Aram Manukyan, Edward Ellison, Evgenia Singur, Bat Udval, German Dager, Magaly Suarez, Victoria Schneider, Misha Tchoupakov, and Juan Rodriguez.

Chloe Olson

Chloe grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, beginning her early training at Larry Cervi’s before enrolling in Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School at the age of 7. She continued to train in the school all the way through to the Graduate program under the directorship of Terrence S. Orr and Susan Jaffe. In her time there, she enjoyed opportunities to perform with the main company and featured roles in the school productions. In 2021, she was awarded a grant from the National Society of Arts and Letters. Additionally, Chloe has attended summer programs at Chautauqua Dance Institution, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Houston Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, and the Washington Ballet. She is excited to be dancing with Ballet RI for a second season!