VISCB Faculty
Mary Carmen Catoya
BALLET AND VARIATIONS
Prima ballerina of Miami was born in Venezuela. She began her training at the age of six in Caracas and began her professional career at the age of 13. She danced with the Youth Ballet of Venezuela, the Contemporary Ballet of Caracas, Cleveland Ballet and as a principal with the National Ballet of Caracas, where she was coached and trained by Ballet Master Vladimir Issaev. She danced as a principal at the Miami City Ballet from 1999 to 2015. Ms. Catoya has danced extensively abroad at many festivals and galas in America, Asia, Europe and the US.
A multi awarded ballet dancer Mary Carmen have been coached and trained by remarkable artists such as Jose Pares, Vicente Nebrada, Vladimir Issaev, Rafael Portillo, Zane Wilson Karelia Moreno, Elena Madan Vera at the Ballet Nacional de Caracas, Dennis Nahat at Cleveland Ballet, Ileana Lopez, Violette Verdy, Jean Pierre Frohlich, Maria Cagliari, Mary Ashley and Edward Villella at Miami City Ballet. Her latest performances include, Poland, Mexico, Peru, Cuba and Indonesia next to her ballet master Vladimir Issaev.
Lusian Hernandez
BALLET AND CONTEMPORARY
Kirsty Walker
BALLET
Born in the United Kingdom, Kirsty Walker trained full-time at Elmhurst Ballet school after completing 3 years as a Junior associate of the Royal Ballet School. During her 8 years at Elmhurst, Kirsty had the opportunity to work with Studio Wayne Mcgregor as well as performing lead roles such as Aurora in Sleeping Beauty and soloist roles in Swan Lake and Paquita as part of Elmhurst Ballet Company. Following her graduation from Elmhurst in 2019, Kirsty joined Orlando Ballet as a Trainee where she performed alongside the company in productions such as Victoria Morgan’s Cinderella and Robert Hill’s Vampires Ball, The Nutcracker and Requiem. She has attended numerous summer intensive programs including those at The Royal Ballet School in London, Orlando Ballet, English National Ballet
A resident of Miami Dade sin 2010, Lusian was born in Barquisimeto, Venezuela where she started her ballet training at the Fundacion Escuela de Ballet Clasico del Edo. Lara. She has participated in international dance festivals including the Festival Danza Joven in Colombia and attended the Metropolitan Ballet Theatre in Minneapolis. She was awarded Bronze Medal at the International Ballet Competition
She has performed the repertoire of the company including Yanis Pikieris’ Danzon, and Issaev’s The Nutcracker, Chipollino, Suite of Waltzes, Dr. Ouch!, Shostakovich Suites, Vicente Nebrada’s Pentimento, Alberto Mendez’s Tarde en La Siesta, A Celebration to Klimt, Coppelia, Paquita, and Glinka Suite Fantastique among others.
She has completed the Progressive Ballet Technique Certificate and she is looking forward to obtain the Vaganova Teachers Certificate of Vladimir Issaev. She has been a guest teacher at the R. Schottland Summer Intensive Program in Lima, Peru for the last 3 years. Her students have been awarded in several important competition in the US including the Miami International Ballet Competition and the Universal Ballet Competition. She has been part of the faculty of Arts Ballet’s Summer Intensive Program for the last four years.
Gentry George
CONTEMPORARY
Gentry George was born in Miami, Florida in 1990. At age eight he began studying with Linda Agyapong at the Community Book and Dance Academy. Gentry also trained with Sylvia Padron at Charles R. Drew Middle School, and with Vladimir Issaev at Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida. He was a scholarship student at The School at Jacob’s Pillow, The Ailey School, and The Miami Conservatory’s Thomas Armour Youth Ballet. In 2008 he graduated from New World School of the Arts High School.
George is a recipient of a Level 1 YoungArts award, and is featured on HBO’s “Masterclass,” also starring Jacques d’Amboise. In 2012 Gentry graduated from the Juilliard School and began dancing with Ailey II of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Later that year he was featured in the NY Post as “one of three men to watch in Ballet.” George was also a member of Lustig Dance Theatre, as well as the Dance Theatre of Harlem, under the Direction of Virginia Johnson.
In 2013 he founded Washington Heights NYC’s premiere dance company Zest Collective. In New York Zest has performed at SummerStage, The United Palace, HarlemStage Gatehouse Theater, The Wassaic Project, and Fort Tryon Park. In 2020 George relocated to South Florida and was appointed Rehearsal Director of Miami’s leading contemporary ensemble, the Peter London Global Dance Company. He now teaches at his Alma Mater New World School of the Arts (NWSA) in both the Dance and Musical Theatre Divisions.
Yasamin Haghayegh
BALLET
She began her ballet training at Vladimir Issaev School of Classical Ballet at the age of 10. Since then, Yasamin has expanded her extensive repertoire by performing in all of the company’s productions such as The Nutcracker, Firebird, Doctor Ouch!, Petrouchka, Taiko, Suite of Waltzes, Fuga con Pajarillo, Harlequinade, Fairy Doll, Chipollino, A Celebration to Klimt, among other classical and neoclassical pieces, as well as contemporary pieces by choreographers J. Garant, Yanis Pikieris and Edgar Anido. She has also consistently demonstrated her vigorous dedication to her training, by attending all Summer Intensive Programs of Russian Technique. She has traveled around the world with the company to participate in various renowned dance festivals in Germany (2008), Denmark (2009), Mexico (2010), Poland (2012) and Germany (2014).
Veronika Perepeletsina
CHARACTER DANCER
Graduated from the Moscow State University of Culture and Arts as Dance Teacher and Choreographer. She is a highly established character dancer, with a particular expertise in Russian Dance. She was a dancer of the honorable A. V. Alexandrov Academic Song and Dance Ensemble of the Russian Army and of the very famous State Academic N.S. Nadezhdina Choreographic Ensemble “Beriozka”. Her technique combines elements of Russian dance and folk culture, bringing a new and exciting dimension to every performance.
Paola Nava
BALLET
Born in Maracaibo, Venezuela where she started her ballet training at the Escuela de Ballet Clasico Grazyna Yeropunov. Later in 2015, she relocated to the US where she continued her training at Vladimir Issaev School of Classical Ballet. Since then, she has performed along company members at Arts the Ballet Theatre of Florida. Her repertoire includes The Nutcracker, Firebird, Coppelia, Danzon among others. She has also participated in the Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida’s Summer Intensive program of Russian Technique under the tutelage of Vladimir Issaev, Yelena Zabalkanskaya and Valentina Biczyna. She has also been part of the summer camp teaching ballet and other styles of dance. Paola is a recent graduate of Vladimir Issaev School of Classical Ballet.
Isabella Kennedy
BALLET
She started her ballet training at Vladimir Issaev School of Classical Ballet and has recently graduated. Since a young age, Isabella demonstrated her passion for dance. She has performed an important repertoire of both classical and neo classical ballets including The Nutcracker, Firebird, Coppelia, Danzon among others. She has also participated in the Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida’s Summer Intensive program of Russian Technique under the tutelage of Vladimir Issaev, Andrei Bossov, Yelena Zabalkanskaya, Valentina Biczyna among others. She is looking forward to become an elementary and ballet teacher in the near future.
Remina Tanaka
BOYS
Was born in Sendai, Japan. His early ballet training started at Soki Ballet International, under Kenichi Soki and Kumi Soki. He also trained at Academié Princesse Grace in Monaco and San Francisco Ballet School. In 2019, he joined Orlando Ballet where he was part of their productions of Vampire’s Ball, The Nutcracker, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Moulin Rouge, Peter Pan, and The Robert Hill Collection. He also performed as a pianist with Orlando Ballet in the production of Vampire’s Ball, Uncorked, Ballet Ball and The Robert Hill Collection. Since joining Arts Ballet Theatre of Florida in 2021, Mr. Tanaka has performed Vladimir’s Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux and Coppelia Pas de Deux at the International Ballet Festival of Miami, and soloist roles in The Nutcracker, Viva Espana, Coppelia, among others.