Dancers
Michael Trusnovec
MICHAEL TRUSNOVEC hails from Yaphank, New York. He began dancing at age six, and attended the Long Island High School for the Arts. In 1992 he was honored by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (youngARTS) and was named a Presidential Scholar in the Arts. In 1996 he received a B.F.A. in Dance Performance from Southern Methodist University in Dallas. Professionally, he danced with Taylor 2 from 1996 to 1998, and has appeared with Cortez & Co. Contemporary/Ballet, and CorbinDances. Fall 1998 marked his debut with the Paul Taylor Dance Company. Mr. Trusnovec received a 2006 New York Dance and Performance Award (The Bessie) for his Body of Work during the 2005-06 Taylor season.
Photo: Paul B. Goode
Amy Young
AMY YOUNG grew up in Washington state. She spent her senior year of high school studying at the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan prior to entering The Juilliard School in New York, where she earned a B.F.A. in 1996. She joined Taylor 2 in August of that year. Ms. Young enjoys teaching and has been on the faculty of Alaska Dance Theatre in Anchorage, Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts Camp, Metropolitan Ballet of Tacoma and The Taylor School. She also dances with TAKE Dance Company. Ms. Young made her debut with the Paul Taylor Dance Company at the Paris Opera House in January 2000.
Photo: Paul B. Goode
Robert Kleinendorst
ROBERT KLEINENDORST is originally from Roseville, Minnesota. He graduated from Luther College in 1995 with a B.A. in voice and dance. After moving to New York, he danced with the Gail Gilbert Dance Ensemble, and Cortez & Co. Mr. Kleinendorst also performed with Anna Sokolow's Players Projects at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC. Having studied at The Taylor School since 1996, he joined Taylor 2 in August 1998. Mr. Kleinendorst joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company in Fall 2000.
Photo: Paul B. Goode
James Samson
JAMES SAMSON is a native of Jefferson City, Missouri where he began his dance training at age eight. He received a B.F.A. in dance with a minor in business from Southwest Missouri State University, then went on to study as a scholarship student with the David Parsons New Arts Festival, Pilobolous Intensive Workshop, and the Alvin Ailey Summer Intensive where he was selected to perform in Paul Taylor’s Airs set by Linda Kent. Mr. Samson has danced for Charleston Ballet Theatre, Omaha Theatre Company Ballet, Omega Dance Company, New England Ballet, Connecticut Ballet and the Amy Marshall Dance Company. He joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company in February 2001.
Photo: Paul B. Goode
Michelle Fleet
MICHELLE FLEET grew up in the Bronx and began her dance training at age four. She attended Ballet Hispanico of New York during her training at Talent Unlimited High School. There she was a member of The Ballet Hispanico Jr. Company. Ms. Fleet earned her B.F.A. in dance from Purchase College in 1999 and received her M.B.A. in business management in 2006. She has performed in works by Bill T. Jones, Merce Cunningham, Kevin Wynn, and Carlo Menotti. Ms. Fleet joined Taylor 2 in Summer 1999. She made her debut with the Paul Taylor Dance Company in September 2002.
Photo: Paul B. Goode
Parisa Khobdeh
PARISA KHOBDEH, born and raised in Plano, Texas, trained under Kathy Chamberlain and Gilles Tanguay. She earned her B.F.A. from Southern Methodist University and, while a student at SMU and the American Dance Festival as a Tom Adams Scholar, worked with choreographers Robert Battle, Judith Jamison and Donald McKayle, among others. She also attended Taylor and Graham Intensives in New York City. Ms. Khobdeh has choreographed dances to benefit human rights organizations, as well as for independent films. In July 2006 she made her New York theatrical debut at the Stella Adler Studios in the lead role of Lanford Wilson's Burn This. She premiered with the Paul Taylor Dance Company at the American Dance Festival in Summer 2003.
Photo: Paul B. Goode
Sean Patrick Mahoney
SEAN PATRICK MAHONEY was born and raised in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. At age 12 he began training with Fred Knecht and by attending Princeton Ballet School on scholarship. He became an apprentice at American Repertory Ballet (ARB) and then became a featured dancer with the company. After graduating high school in 1993, he was chosen as one of the first members of Taylor 2. Mr. Mahoney later danced for David Parsons, Alex Tressor and Geoffrey Doig-Marx and was in Radio City's Christmas Spectacular. He returned to ARB under the direction of Graham Lustig and married his dance partner, Peggy Petteway. Mr. Mahoney rejoined Taylor 2 in Summer 2002. His debut with the Paul Taylor Dance Company was in January 2004.
Photo: Paul B. Goode
Jeffrey Smith
JEFFREY SMITH was born in Rhode Island and began his performing career singing and tap dancing. Upon entering the Boston Conservatory as a musical theater major, he had the opportunity to perform works by Paul Taylor, José Limón, Sean Curran and Anna Sokolow and later switched majors to graduate with a B.F.A. in dance performance. After graduating in 2001, he became a member of the Martha Graham Ensemble performing featured roles in Diversion of Angels, El Penitente, and the duet from A Dancer's World, and Bertram Ross's Nocturne. During this time he participated in The Taylor School Winter and Summer Intensives and became a member of Taylor 2 in March 2005. Mr. Smith made his debut with the Paul Taylor Dance Company in Cleveland in May 2005.
Photo: Paul B. Goode
Eran Bugge
ERAN BUGGE is from Oviedo, Florida where she began her dance training at the Orlando Ballet School. She went on to study at the Hartt School of the University of Hartford under the direction of Peggy Lyman, graduating Summa Cum Laude with a B.F.A. in ballet pedagogy in 2005. She attended The Taylor School and the 2004 and 2005 Taylor Summer Intensives. Ms. Bugge has performed in works by Amy Marshall, Katie Stevinson-Nollet and Jean Grand-Maître. She was also a member of Full Force Dance Theatre and the Adam Miller Dance Project. She joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company in Fall 2005.
Photo: Paul B. Goode
Francisco Graciano
FRANCISCO GRACIANO, a native of San Antonio, Texas, began dancing and acting at an early age. He received a B.F.A. in dance from Stephens College for Women (male scholarship), and scholarships from the Alvin Ailey School and The Taylor School. He has been a member of TAKE Dance Company, Connecticut Ballet, Ben Munisteri Dance Company, Cortez & Co. Contemporary/Ballet, Pascal Rioult Dance Theater, and Dusan Tynek Dance Theater, among others. He also appeared in the operas Aida and White Raven directed by Robert Wilson. Mr. Graciano joined Taylor 2 in February 2004 and made his debut with the Paul Taylor Dance Company in Granada, Spain in Summer 2006.
Photo: Paul B. Goode
Laura Halzack
LAURA HALZACK grew up in Suffield, Connecticut and began her dance training at the age of four with Brenda Barna. She furthered her training at The School of the Hartford Ballet and studied at the Conservatory of Dance at Purchase College. Ms. Halzack graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in History from the University of New Hampshire in 2003. She then studied at the Hartt School and at The Taylor School's 2004 Summer Intensive. She has performed with the Amy Marshall Dance Company and Syren Modern Dance and has enjoyed teaching in her home state. Ms. Halzack studied at The Taylor School for two years before joining the Paul Taylor Dance Company in Summer 2006.
Photo: Paul B. Goode
Jamie Rae Walker
JAMIE RAE WALKER began her ballet and modern dance training at age eight in Levittown, Pennsylvania and later she performed with the Princeton Ballet, now American Repertory Ballet. In 1991 she began training at the Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet where she performed principal and soloist roles in many Balanchine ballets. In 1992 she was awarded a scholarship by Violette Verdy at the Northeast Regional Dance Festival in Illinois. Ms. Walker joined Miami City Ballet in 1994 and performed principal and soloist roles in Balanchine and Taylor dances until 2000. In 2001 she received a scholarship to attend The Taylor School and was part of the original cast of Twyla Tharp's Broadway show, Movin' Out. Ms. Walker joined Taylor 2 in Fall 2003, and became a member of the Paul Taylor Dance Company in Summer 2008.
Photo: Tom Caravaglia
Michael Apuzzo
MICHAEL APUZZO grew up in North Haven, Connecticut. He studied economics and theater at Yale University, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2005. He began his dance training while in college, performing and choreographing in undergraduate organizations. After being dance captain for an original production of Miss Julie choreographed by Peter Pucci, Mr. Apuzzo debuted professionally at the Yale Repertory Theater. He has performed in numerous musicals and at equity theaters across the county, and recently finished performing in the National Tour of Twyla Tharp’s Broadway show, Movin’ Out. He holds a second-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do. He made his debut with the Paul Taylor Dance Company at New York City Center in Spring 2009.
Photo: Tom Caravaglia
Aileen Roehl
AILEEN ROEHL is an American who grew up in Heidelberg, Germany, where she began her dance training at the Heidelberg School of the Arts with Isabel Christie and Carolyn Carattini. Under Mrs. Christie’s direction she danced many roles including Puck, The Firebird, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty and Nikia in La Bayadere. She received her B.F.A. from the University of Hartford’s Hartt School where she performed works by Martha Graham, Peggy Lyman, Katie Stevenson-Nollet, Jean Grand-Maitre, Kirk Peterson, Alla Nikitina, Ralph Perkins, and Adam Miller. Aileen was a member of the Amy Marshall Dance Company from September 2005 through May 2010, and was the Company’s resident costume designer. She joined the Paul Taylor Dance Company in June 2010.
Photo: Tom Caravaglia
Michael Novak
MICHAEL NOVAK was raised in Rolling Meadows, Illinois, where he started his dance training at age ten at the Bonnie Lindholm School of the Dance. He continued his training on scholarship at The University of the Arts, the Pennsylvania Academy of Ballet, and Springboard Danse Montreal, and, in 2009, graduated magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Columbia University with a B.A. in Dance. He has performed featured roles in repertory by Bill T. Jones, James Kudelka, Vaslav Nijinsky, and Stephen Petronio, and has worked for numerous choreographers, including Gina Gibney, Daniel Gwirtzman, and Bonnie Scheibman. Mr. Novak started studying at the Taylor School in 2008 and participated in the Taylor Summer Intensive before joining the Company in Summer 2010.
Photo: Tom Caravaglia
Heather McGinley
HEATHER McGINLEY grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. Through her early training with Lisbeth Brown she attained a Diploma in the Cecchetti Method of Classical Ballet. She graduated from Butler University with a B.F.A. in dance performance in 2005. She was a member of Graham II for two season and went on to perform with the Martha Graham Dance Company from 2008 to 2011. Ms. McGinley toured Italy in the original cast of the theater piece Seeking Picasso, dancing lead roles including Graham's Deep Song. She participated in the 2010 Intensives at The Taylor School, and joined the Paul Taylor dance Company in Spring 2011.