Spotlight on Dance
A mixed repertory program
SAT. MAY 17, 7:30 PM
SUN. MAY 18, 2:30 PM
FALLON THEATRE, FSU
ArtisticDirector NataliaBotha
BalletMaster CharlesHagan
Stage Manager
Production Manager
Company Coordinators
Wardrobe Coordinators
Wardrobe Assistants
Company Pianist
Fundraising
Company Photographer
Poster Photography
Lighting Director
Sound Engineer
Videographer
Stage Crew
Scott Freese
Charles Hagan
Caroline Holden
Nikki Smith
Bianca Simmonds-Calhoun
Jayne Gerard
Cathy Neel
Leah Benoza
Claire Borschel
Irina Grigoryan
Elaine Hwang
Ginger Wheeler
Bailey Wheeler Gruver
Sudarat Songsiridej
Alison Denny
Melissa Donaldson
Dave Barfield, The Lonely Fox
Todd Teagarden
Zach Cramer
Christopher Flood
Jackson Nolder
Liana Rieger
Leah Skinner
For the safety of our dancers, out of courtesy to our audience and to protect the art of our choreographers, no photography or video is allowed. Please silence and darken all cell phones.
Build original choreography to awaken a range of emotions.
Develop and entertain new audiences.
Educate and inspire dancers of all ages and abilities.
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We ask for your support to help us continue to grow so we may create new works, reach new heights and enlighten new audiences to the extraordinary and beautiful world of dance. By supporting our efforts, you are helping to preserve the art of dance through the education and inspiration of today’s youth. In every culture, art provides the life-giving veins of expression and growth. Pas de Vie means “step of life” – with each one we take, let us dance to celebrate its beauty and wonder.
With Love from Charles Hagan and Natalia Botha and all of the Pas de Vie Family
The Company
AdvancedCompany
Liam Anderson
Anastasia Atayants
Tori Bulecza
Hanna Benoza
Rick Clark
Kate Denny
Josef Drinkard
Amalia Garces
Kaitlyn Gerard
Apprentices
Charles Hagan
Maddie Holden
Isabel Lin
Hailey Nolder
Gabrielle Peammon
Nicholas Peammon
Nikki Smith
Sylvie Williamson
Maria Atayants
Ava Grace Bilello
Leighton Calhoun
William Calhoun
Melissa Denny
Oliver Holden
Eli Kern
Iris Lee
Junior Company Guests
Reese Donaldson ~ Emaline Smith
Gabriel Williams PT, DPT, MFA
267 John Knox Rd Suite 204
Tallahassee, FL 32303 gabe@bigbendpt.com bigbendpt.com (850)850)583
Choreography
Program
Tarantella
NataliaBothaandCharlesHagan
Music LouisMoreauGottschalk
Costumes
BocaBalletTheatre
Isabel Lin ~ Joshua Ethridge
Maddie Holden ~ Liam Anderson
Oliver Holden ~ Anastasia Atayants
*HaileyNolder*NicholasPeammon
Hanna Benoza ~ Tori Bulecza ~ Kate Denny
Hailey Nolder ~ Gabrielle Peammon ~ Sylvie Williamson
Maria Atayants ~ Ava Grace Bilello ~ Melissa Denny ~ Iris Lee
Eli Kern ~ Nicholas Peammon
Leighton Calhoun ~ William Calhoun
The Critic
Music
Choreography
Costumes
The Ballerina
TheCritic
Franz von Suppé
Natalia Botha and Charles Hagan
FSU, Boca Ballet Theatre, Pas de Vie
Anna Jeong
CharlesHagan
TheDirector NicholasPeammon
TheCorpsdeBallet
IsabelLin~HaileyNolder~ToriBulecza
RickClark~LiamAnderson~OliverHolden
*Kaitlyn Gerard
Music
*Maddie Holden *Nicholas Peammon
Le Corsaire Pas de Deux
RiccardoDrigo
Choreography TraditionalafterMariusPetipa
Staged by NataliaBotha
Costumes JayneGerard&CathyNeel
KaitlynGerard~JoshuaEthridge
Music Choreography
Costumes
Mother
Father
De Profundis
Arvo Pärt
Natalia Botha
FSU, Pas de Vie
JanetHughes
CharlesHagan
Son RickClark
Wife
Child
SeahHagan
ReeseDonaldson
~ Intermission ~
Coppelia Act II
Music Choreography
Costumes
Dr.Coppelius
Swanhilda
Franz
Léo Delibes
Marius Petipa
Fran Tejero
Charles Hagan
Anastasia Atayants
Josef Drinkard
Friends
Hanna Benoza ~ Kate Denny ~ Maddie Holden
Hailey Nolder ~ Gabrielle Peammon ~ Sylvie Williamson
*MelissaDenny*IrisLee
Dolls
Coppelia Doll
Chinese
Scottish
Spanish
Fairy Soldier
Astrologer
Anna Jeong
Ava Grace Bilello
Melissa Denny
Iris Lee
Maria Atayants
Eli Kern
Oliver Holden
Withdeeprespect&appreciationforthelateFredrickFranklinwho passedonhisvastknowledgeofrepertoireandcharacterizationtous.
Music
Choreography
Staged by Costumes
Steam Heat
Richard Adler and Jerry Ross
Bob Fosse
Charles Hagan
Pas de Vie
Gabrielle Peammon ~ Liam Anderson ~ Hailey Nolder
Choreography
Costumes
Tuned in Time
NataliaBothaandCharlesHagan
ClaireMartyWalker
Music
LedZeppelin
BlackSabbath
Donovan
JimiHendrix
Simon&Garfunkel
RoyOrbison
TheBeatles
Black Mountainside
Planet Caravan
Laleña Foxy Lady
The 59th St. Bridge Song
In Dreams
Good Night
Black Mountainside
Maria Atayants, Ava Grace Bilello, Hanna Benoza, Tori Bulecza
William Calhoun, Leighton Calhoun, Kate Denny, Melissa Denny
Joshua Ethridge, Maddie Holden, Oliver Holden, Eli Kern
Iris Lee, Isabel Lin, Hailey Nolder, Nikki Smith
Nicholas Peammon, Gabrielle Peammon, Sylvie Williamson
Nikki Smith ~ Maddie Holden ~ Kate Denny
*Gabrielle Peammon
Laleña
Hanna Benoza *Hailey Nolder
LiamAnderson~NicholasPeammon~OliverHolden
Foxy Lady
Seah Hagan
Rick Clark ~ Nathaniel Davis
Feelin’ Groovy
Liam Anderson, Anna Jeong, Nicholas Peammon
Isabel Lin, Tori Bulecza, Hanna Benoza, Maddie Holden
Gabrielle Peammon, Kate Denny, Hailey Nolder
Eli Kern, Sylvie Williamson, Iris Lee, Melissa Denny, Ava Grace Bilello, Maria Atayants, Oliver Holden
Leighton Calhoun, William Calhoun
In Dreams
SeahHagan~NathanielDavis
KaitlynGerard~RickClark
AnastasiaAtayants~JoshuaEthridge
GoodNight Ensemble withLittleMoon~EmalineSmith
*LiamAnderson
Artistic Director
NataliaBotha,borninPretoria,SouthAfrica,beganher traininginCanadaasachosenscholarattheRoyalWinnipeg BalletSchool.Atage11,shewasawardedafullscholarship forthesummertoattendtheJoffreyBalletSchoolinNew York.Alsoonscholarshipandunderthecontinuedtutelage ofhermother,GwynneAshton,theesteemed, world-renownedteacherandcoach,Ms.Bothastudiedatthe NationalAcademyofArtsinChampaign,Illinois,training bothintheUnitedStatesandabroadwithmanyfamousteachersand choreographers.ShesoonbecameamemberoftheNationalBalletofIllinois. Tofurtherhercareer,Ms.BothajoinedthePittsburghBalletTheaterin1976 underthedirectionofPatrickFrantzandlaterPatriciaWilde.Duringhertenure, shedancedmanysoloistandprincipalrolesofvariedrepertoirefromthegreat classics(Giselle,SwanLake,SleepingBeautyandTheNutcracker)tooriginal contemporaryworksbyAlvinAiley,AgnesdeMille,DomiReiterSoffer,Ohad Naharin,andGeorgeBalanchine.Nataliahasperformedlocallyasaguestartist withFSUDanceRepertoryTheaterandEveningofDance.Currently,Ms.Botha teaches,directs,andchoreographslocallyforPasdeVieBallet,sheandher husbandCharlesHaganalsostagedanoriginalwork,Totemotion,for ChattanoogaBallet.
Ballet Master
Charles Hagan began his early training with Sylvia Watters in his hometown of Evansville, Indiana. At age 16, he was awarded a full scholarship to attend the National Academy of Arts under the direction of Michael Maule. After graduating from the Academy, Mr. Hagan joined the National Ballet of Illinois and in a short time became soloist. In 1978, he joined Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and in 1980 was named soloist. Because of this versatility in dance, mime, makeup, and dramaticability,Mr.Haganwaspromotedtoprincipalcharacterdancerin1985 –atitlecreatedforhim.Duringhistenure,hedancedalltheprincipalcharacter rolesalongwithmanyleadingclassicalrolesrangingfromthe“BlueBirdPasde Deux”(SleepingBeauty),“PasdeTrois”(SwanLake),“PeasantPasdeDeux” (Giselle)andavarietyofBalanchinerepertoire.Hismanyguestappearances includeareturninvitationwithPittsburghBalletTheatre,PrinceSigfriedfrom SwanLakewithSouthernBalletTheatre(nowOrlandoBallet)andnumerous Nutcrackerengagements.Ontheadministrativeside,Mr.Haganservedlocally, statewideandnationallyfortheAmericanGuildofMusicalArtistsanda companymanagerforPittsburghBalletTheatreontour.Mr.Haganhas performedlocallyasaguestartistwithFSUEveningofDanceandTallahassee BalletCompany.InadditiontohispositionasballetmasterforPasdeVie Ballet,heteacheslocally,choreographsandservesasballetmasterforBallet TheatreSouth.
Guest Artists
Nathaniel Davis was born in Toronto, Canada, and started his training at the age of 17. He attended the New World School of the Arts College, graduating with cum laude honors in 2015 with a BFA in dance. He has worked with the Peter London Global Dance Company in Miami, Florida, Artichoke Dance Company in Brooklyn, New York, and currently Momix Inc in Washington, CT, since 2017. He has performed works choreographed by Peter London, Robert Battle, Moses Pendleton, Daniel Ulbricht, George Balanchine, Jose Limon, Kyle Abraham, Bill T. Jones and Darshan Bueller. Nate has also been personal trainer certified by the American Council on Exercise since 2019.
Janet Hughes began dancing as a child in Michigan, and as a teenager performed with both the Lansing and Kalamazoo ballet companies. After graduating FSU with a BFA in Dance, she moved to Atlanta where she performed professionally for eight years with Lee Harper & Dancers and Company Kaye. During this time, she also choreographed, taught classes, and served as Secretary for the Dance Coalition of Metro Atlanta. Returning toTallahassee, Janet joined FSU’s Dance Repertory Theatre under the direction of Lynda Davis. She received an MFA in Dance, performing works by modern dance innovators such as Vaslav Nijinsky, Charles Weidman, José Limón and Alwin Nikolais, and choreographing for Days of Dance and the Florida Dance Festival. After taking a few years off to stay home with her daughters, she taught dance at TCC for ten years and was a founding member of Women’s Dance Project, where she performed, choreographed, taught classes, wrote grants, organized concerts and collaborated with local musicians Velma Frye, Frank Lindamood and Jon Copps on new works. Janet has also taught for Artists-inSchools, served on the board of FSU Friends of Dance, and performed with Pas de Vie Ballet alongside her daughters. She currently teaches mat and barre classes at Lifelong Fitness Pilates, makes art and charity quilts, and is an active member of Quilters Unlimited of Tallahassee.
Proud to Support
Returning Dancers
Rick Clark began his love of movement and dance at the age of 10 as a clogger and martial artist. In college he took up interest in competing in country western dance and got noticed by the Director of Mobile Ballet. He was offered a scholarship to dance with their company and performed with them for three years before moving to Tallahassee in 1998 where he joined Pas de Vie. Over the past 26 years he’s performed a variety of corps de ballet and principal roles with Pas de Vie. He also performed as a guest artist throughout the southeast with several other regional companies. His career highlights include lead roles in the Nutcracker, Spring Waters, Vessel, Hoedown, Last Call, Giggling Rapids, Danzon, Elemental Rhythm, Flight, Queen’s Game and many others. Throughout that time he continued to compete on the United Country Western Dance Association circuit and won two world titles in the classic division and tied for the World Championship title in the Showcase Division with fellow dancer Seah Hagan. He enjoys spending time with friends and family, gardening and works as an administrator and teacher for Common Ground School.
Joshua Ethridge began his dance training at the age of five and, by ten, joined Pas de Vie Ballet under the esteemed instruction of Charles Hagan and Natalia Botha. His memorable performances with the company include the Arabian solo from The Nutcracker, The Tragedy of the Queen’s Game, the high-energy Giggling Rapids from The River, and the nostalgic Tuned in Time. Joshua has also broadened his experience internationally, training with the Pollino Danza Company in Italy. More recently, he has been
training and touring with the New York Dance Project, working under the direction of Davis Robertson. Beyond his dedication to dance, Joshua enjoys biking, music, cabinetry, video games, and programming. A 2022 graduate of Tallahassee State College, he is delighted to be back performing with his Pas de Vie Ballet family.
Seah Hagan, born and raised in Tallahassee, Florida, is a third generation dancer. She began her training at the Southern Academy of Ballet Arts under the tutelage of Natalia Botha and Charles Hagan. As an Advanced Company member with the Pas de Vie Ballet, she performed in many classical and contemporary roles as soloist and principal. She is currently the nonprofit’s administrative assistant to the Board of Directors. In addition to ballet and modern training, Seah is also an accomplished ballroom dancer, having competed in multiple world championships.At age 18 Seah began her professional dance career with the world-renowned company MOMIX. Since joining in 2017 she has toured across the United States, Canada, Europe, South America and Asia performing in four original shows- VIVA MOMIX, Opus Cactus, Alice, and Back to MOMIX; where she has performed featured solos in each. She was heavily involved in the creation of their newest show, Alice. Seah holds a leadership and management position within the company as Dance Captain. Seah is a dedicated scholar, graduating Summa Cum Laude at the age of 16 from Florida State University Schools. Seah holds an associates degree from Tallahassee State College and is continuing her education at the University of Florida where she is working towards a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration while dancing full time. Prior to MOMIX, Seah worked for the State of Florida at the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission.
Anna Jeong, originally a Pas de Vie company member of 12 seasons, is now a rising sophomore at the University of Utah pursuing a BFA in Ballet and a BA in Writing & Rhetoric Studies. At the U, she has had the incredible opportunities to perform in Sayoko Knode’s “In her Runes” and the principal role of Nikiya in “La Bayadère.” Anna is a member of the Utah Character Dance Ensemble with which she recently travelled to Germany to study Sorbian dance forms. She is also a part-time account coordinator at the Moore Agency. Previously, Anna has had the privelege and pleasure of attending summer programs at Orlando Ballet, Boca Ballet Theatre, Louisville Ballet, and at Ballet West this upcoming summer. This spring, she is excited to be returning to the stage with her Pas de Vie family.
Nikki Smith began her ballet training at age 4, at The Classical Ballet Center of Tampa, under the direction of Haydée Gutiérrez. When she was 12, she moved to Tallahassee and continued her training at the Southern Academy of Ballet Arts with Gywnne Ashton, Natalia Botha, and Charles Hagan. During this time, she also performed with Pas de Vie Ballet as an Advanced Company dancer, where several roles were choreographed on her. Upon high school graduation, Nikki attended the University of Florida, majoring in Health Studies, and danced regularly with the dance department and Floridance, UF’s student run company. While at UF, she was selected to perform with UF’s dance faculty on multiple occasions, and was also a guest artist with Santa Fe Community College, performing several original works choreographed by Alberto Alonso and Momentum Ballet. After completing PA school, Nikki returned to Pas de Vie, performing again as an Advanced Company dancer and now as an occasional guest performer, for both The Nutcracker and Spotlight on Dance. You can also find her backstage and in the studio trying her best to help with costumes and assisting with the Junior Company. Nikki is currently a Family Practice Physician Assistant with Tallahassee Medical Group. She is thrilled to have passed her love of ballet and Pas de Vie down to her daughter, who is currently a Junior Company dancer. She is grateful for her mom, who introduced the love of ballet to her, Natalia and Charles who have continued to nurture it, and the support of her husband who has put up with this hobby for so long. Pas de Vie is truly a second family to her.
Principal Dancers
Anastasia Atayants began dancing at the age of 6 and started her training at Pas De Vie Ballet at the age of 13. Since joining the company, she has had the opportunity of dancing in various productions, her favorites including The Nutcracker, Raymonda, and original works like Sur La Plage, and Saturday Night HoeDown. She has also had the privilege of attending The Russian Orlando Ballet summer intensive and Suzanne Farrell's Summer Program at FSU. Currently a senior, Anastasia is in the dual enrollment program taking classes both at Chiles High School and FAMU. She’s also part of the externship program, where she externs at Hoy + Stark Architects, an architecture firm. She is passionate about dance and looks forward to continuing to grow and share her love for the art.
Josef Drinkard began dancing at the age of 12 with HipHop, Tap, Jazz, Clogging and Gymnastics. Becoming fascinated with ballet, he began taking as many ballet classes as he could, and at age 15 was selected to be a member of Pas de Vie Ballet. He also attended Joffrey Ballet School’s summer session where he received a scholarship to join their intensive training program in New York city. Josef has enjoyed many notable roles in the Nutcracker such asWaltz of the Flowers, Snow King, Spanish & Russian, along with several original choreographic works, Vessel, Simian Line, Lalena & Danzon. When Josef is not dancing, you will find him working at the Courthouse in the Leon County Clerk’s Office or hanging out with his family and friends. Josef enjoys playing video games, Dungeons and Dragons, Magic the card game and Vanguard.
Kaitlyn Gerard began her training under the expert tutelage of Natalia Botha and Charles Hagan. Over her past 13 years in the company, she has danced in the annual production of The Nutcracker, performing a variety of roles from Tiny Angel, to Sugar Plum Fairy. Since 2018, Kaitlyn has been a member of Spotlight on Dance, performing repertoire from classical ballets such as Giselle and Raymonda. Additionally, she has enjoyed performing many of Pas de Vie’s original works, including Sur la Plage, Vessel, Last Call, and The Critic. Currently, Kaitlyn is continuing her passion for movement as a sophomore at the FSU School of Dance. Here she was recently a part of Suzanne Farrell’s restaging of Divertimento No. 15 and Caleb Mitchell’s When We’re Older.
Isabel Lin began dancing at age 3, where she learned to compete in numerous dance styles. At age 10, she began studying at Pas De Vie Ballet under the instruction of Charles Hagan and Natalia Botha. While dancing at Pas De Vie, Isabel has performed in their annual productions of The Nutcracker and Spotlight on Dance. She is grateful for the many opportunities provided to her. Isabel is beyond thankful for all the irreplaceable friendships that she has made and the knowledge she has gained through this company. Currently, Isabel is studying at the University of Central Florida, obtaining a degree in Criminal Justice. On the side, Isabel loves teaching the Creative Movement class at Pas De Vie and being a TA at a local studio.
Advanced Company
LiamAnderson ToriBulecza HannaBenoza KateDenny
AmaliaGarces Maddie Holden HaileyNolder GabriellePeammon
NicholasPeammon SylvieWilliamson
Apprentices
Junior Company Guests
MariaAtayants AvaGraceBilello
LeightonCalhoun
WilliamCalhoun
MelissaDenny OliverHolden EliKern IrisLee
ReeseDonaldson EmalineSmith
Thank you to all of our 2024-2025 Season Sponsors
Pas de Deux ($1000+)
BowStern Marketing Communications
Capital City Endodontics
Jayne and Greg Gerard
Laura González Morris, Math Matters
Skyline Building and Investments, Inc.
Pas de Bourrée ($500+)
Jeff and Maria Anderson
Jessica Lowe-Minor, Superior Realty Group
Gaylynn Resener
Jan Rosene
Chris and Crystie Voehl
Pas de Poisson ($250+)
A.T. Home Contractors
The Bilello Family
Del and Leah Benoza
Capital City Bank
Thomas and Angel Eason
Chris and Kellie Kraft
Tim Murphy
Harry and Cathy Neel
The Peammon Family
Emaline, Allen, and Nikki Smith
The Vaccaro Family
Pas de Cheval ($100+)
TheBrennanFamily
LarisaFernandez
JillHarper
TheHoldenFamily
RamaKasturyandSirishKondabolu
KarlaandLutzKern
TheLemonsFamily
NancyOlds
RadcliffeEngineering,Ocala,FL
Mrs.DeloriseRush&inMemoryofPastorF.R.Rush
Glenn,CraigandGriffinStanley
VandanaTripathi
MarkWheeler
InMemoryofPatriciaWurst
Pas de Chat ($25+)
PaigeApgar
PatriciaInmon
TalayaJessie
LawsonandLawsonElectric
LewisLongman&Walker
PatrickLui
JohnNewton
YechielNagar
LaShunOsborne
JohnandAmyToman
GretaWhite
Danny&RebeccaWink
KarismaZ.
Classroom Sponsorship
ThomasandAngelEason
Board of Directors
Caroline Holden, President
Nikki Smith, Vice President
Alison Denny, Secretary
Natalia Botha
Charles Hagan
Tanya Peres-Lemons
Crystie Voehl
We wish to thank the Council on Culture and Arts (COCA), Visit Tallahassee, and the City of Tallahassee for their generous and ongoing support of Pas de Vie Ballet.
https://modere.io/VPGydx
