JESSICA HE is from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. She received her early ballet training at Inland Pacific Ballet Academy. Jessica moved to Philadelphia in 2012, at age 14, to enter the pre-professional training program at The Rock School for Dance Education on full scholarship. While there, she received multiple awards and merit scholarships at such competitions as the Youth America Grand Prix and the World Ballet Competition. Jessica danced with Houston Ballet’s second company for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons, touring internationally and performing a varied repertoire, including Stanton Welch’s A Dance in the Garden of Mirth and Brigade, George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante, Ben Stevenson’s Sleeping Beauty Act III and John Neumeier’s Yondering. Last year, in her debut season with Atlanta Ballet, she performed the lead female in Craig Davidson’s world premiere of Remembrance/Hereafter, as well as featured roles in George Balanchine’s Who Cares?, Helgi Tomasson’s 7 for Eight and Yuri Possokhov’s Don Quixote. Special thanks to Jessica’s Pas de Deux Society patrons, Vanessa and Robert Delmer. AIRI IGARASHI was born in Gunma, Japan. At age 7, she began her training at the Reiko Yamamoto Ballet School and continued her training under John Neumeier at The Ballet School of the Hamburg Ballet in Germany, where she performed in Neumeier’s The Nutcracker and danced the role of Princess Florine in Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty. She won first place at the All Japan Ballet Competition in 2011 and third place in 2015. She was a semifinalist at the Prix de Lausanne International Ballet Competition in Switzerland in 2013 and 2015. Airi joined Atlanta Ballet last season, performing the role of Marya in Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker, Amore in Yuri Possokhov’s Don Quixote and one of the soloist roles in the world premiere of Craig Davidson’s Remembrance/Hereafter. Airi’s favorite performances include Swan Lake, Le Corsaire, Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty, Václav Kuneš’ Double Beethoven and Victor Gsovsky’s Grand Pas Classique. Special thanks to Airi’s Pas de Deux Society patrons, Jacqueline Flake & David Dase. DARIAN KANE is from northern California. She received her dance training with Stuart Carroll and Sharon Newton at Capitol Ballet Center in Sacramento. From 2015 to 2018, she danced with BalletMet 2 and BalletMet under the direction of Edwaard Liang, performing in Edwaard Liang’s Age of Innocence, Ohad Naharin’s Minus 16, and Gustavo Ramírez Sansano’s Carmen as Cigaretta. Kane has danced the soloist roles of Zulma, Fairy of Beauty, and both Doll and Spanish in The Nutcracker. She attended summer intensives with Boston Ballet, Ballet Hawaii and on scholarship at Marin Dance Theatre with Margaret Swarthout. She is excited to join Atlanta Ballet this season. Special thanks to Darian’s Pas de Deux Society patrons, Adrienne & Scott Hardesty. SAHO KUMAGAI is from Sapporo, Japan, where she began dancing at age 9. In 2009, she moved to the United States to study at the Boston Ballet School and Pacific Northwest Ballet School Professional Division under the direction of Peter Boal. In 2014, she placed among the 20 finalists at the Prix de Lausanne International Ballet Competition in Switzerland. After dancing with Charlotte Ballet II, she joined Atlanta Ballet as an apprentice in 2014. Last season, her first as a Company dancer, she performed First Duet in Craig Davidson’s Remembrance/Hereafter, Cupid in Yuri Possokhov’s Don Quixote, and in Tara Lee’s blink and Ohad Naharin’s Minus 16. Special thanks to Saho’s Pas de Deux Society patron, Mr. Dante S. Stephenson. LUCAS LABRADOR‡ was born in Cosquín, Argentina, and began his dance training at age 16. He spent two seasons at Ballet Nacional de Argentina under the direction of former Royal Ballet principal dancer Inaki Urlezaga. Lucas toured Argentina, Spain and Portugal, performing roles in Swan Lake, Carmen, Paquita, La Traviata and Giselle. In 2016, he accepted a full scholarship to study at The Rock School in Philadelphia. In January 2017, he won first place in the pas de deux category at the Youth America Grand Prix in Atlanta, and second place in the ensemble category at the New York City finals. Most recently, as a member of Atlanta Ballet 2, his repertoire included leading and starring roles in Beauty & the Beast and Atlanta Ballet’s Nutcracker, plus roles in Swan Lake and Don Quixote. Lucas is grateful to be an apprentice with Atlanta Ballet this season. 36
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