About AC Ballet Dancers

Our Dancers

Our company is composed of professional dancers who are highly accomplished, energetic, positive, and caring people from all around the globe. Under ACB Artistic Director and Choreographer Phyllis Papa the Atlantic City Ballet dancers participate in an intensive rehearsal and performance schedule.

Our Company Dancers

Tiziano Villani

Italy

Tiziano was born in Italy and studied at ASD Scuola di Danza Nijinsky and Scuola del Balletto di Toscana. He has performed for the English National Ballet, Royal Ballet, San Francisco Ballet, Accademia danza di Berlino and Ecole Superieure de danse de Cannes Rosella Hightower.

Federica Sestili

Italy

Federica started studying in Roseto Degli Abruzzi, Italy, with Dorina Di Marco at Isadora Duncan. She graduated from the National Academy of Dance in Rome and came to the US as a trainee at the Princeton Ballet School. She has appeared as Clara, Flowers, and Snow in Nutcracker. She also appeared in Don Quixote before coming to AC Ballet in 2016.

Caitlin Mc Elroy

USA

Caitlin received her early training at Lowe Dance Studio and moved to Boca Raton, Florida to train at The Harid Conservatory at the age of 16. Caitlyn spent two years in the Graduate Program at Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, having the opportunity to perform in the North American premiere of Derek Deane's Alice in Wonderland.

Claudio Cirsone

Italy

Claudio is from Cerignola, Italy and received his early training in Bari, Puglia, at Unika, and then at the Scuola del Teatro dall’Opera in Rome. He was accepted as a trainee with the Ajkun Ballet in NY and later performed with the America Repertory Ballet in Princeton, where he appeared as the Nephew/Prince in “Nutcracker,” and Espada in “Don Quixote.”

Jari Pignataro

Italy

Jari Pignataro is from Italy and studied classical dance at the Opera Theater of Rome and the National Dance Academy. In 2014 he was chosen by the Director of the Tanz Akademie in Zurich, Oliver Matz, for an internship. He has appeared in numerous productions, including The Nutcracker with Carla Fracci, Carmen with Andrea Bocelli, Don Chisciotte and Pulcinella.

Promise Smith

USA

Promise Smith did her training at The Rock School for Dance Education, American Ballet Theatre, Orlando Ballet, Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, and Chautauqua. She received multiple awards at the Youth America Grand Prix and was a top 20 finalist at YAGP New York. From 2014-2016 at 18 years old, Promise joined the Joffrey Ballet’s studio company and performed with the main company in various productions, including Christopher Wheeldon's Swan Lake and Robert Joffrey’s The Nutcracker. In 2016 she joined Charlottesville Ballet and performed many lead roles before joining Atlantic City Ballet in 2021.

Kirra Matthews

USA

Kirra Matthews began her ballet training at the ACBT Performing Arts Academy under direction of Artistic Director Phyllis Papa. Kirra then attended high school at the Kirov Academy of Ballet of Washington, DC and graduated as Valedictorian with a certificate for four years of Vaganova training. Upon graduation Kirra was invited to join the corps de ballet of the Universal Ballet Company in Seoul, South Korea.

Ionut Zaharia

Ballet Master

Romania

Ionut graduated from the Ballet Height School in Bucharest, Romania. He danced with the National Theatre from Bucharest and Oleg Danovski Theatre.

Andrea Vanderwielen

USA

Andrea started training at age five under Phyllis Papa at the ACBT Performing Arts Academy. At 15, she was invited to be a trainee for ACB, where she had the opportunity to dance alongside the company in numerous performances. At 16, she attended the Rock School for Dance Education in Philadelphia for their pre-professional program. At 17, she became an apprentice with the Atlantic City Ballet. Jari Pignataro is from Italy and studied classical dance at the Opera Theater of Rome and the National Dance Academy. In 2014 he was chosen by the Director of the Tanz Akademie in Zurich, Oliver Matz, for an internship. He has appeared in numerous productions, including The Nutcracker with Carla Fracci, Carmen with Andrea Bocelli, Don Chisciotte and Pulcinella.

Brenton Taft

USA

BIO Coming Soon

Taylor Garcez

Brazil

BIO coming soon.

Ladislas Tirol

USA

BIO Coming Soon.

Thales Gea

Argentina

Thales began his career with classical dance studies in 2006 at the Oficina da Arte dance school. In 2012, he moved to Rio de Janeiro to join the Brazilian Dance Conservatory. Thales joined Companhia Brasileira de Ballet in 2013 as a soloist. In 2017, he joined the Ballet del Parque del Conocimiento, Misiones Ballet, in Posadas, Argentina. where he was promoted to Soloist, and in 2020, he was promoted to Principal Dancer. In 2022, he was invited to join Moravske Divadlo as a Corps dancer in the city of Olom

Haruna Watanabe

Japan

Haruna began dancing at four years old at Ballet Studio de Fées in Okazaki, Japan. After attending the summer program at the  Staatliche Ballettschule Berlin, she was offered a spot to train in their year-round program for the 2019-2020 season. She attended the Ellison Ballet Professional Training Program in 2021 and graduated in 2023. In 2022 she participated in YAGP Tampa and placed Top 12 Pas de Deux, YAGP New York and placed in the Classical Top 12, Contemporary 2nd place and Pas de Deux 1st place. She also appeared in the Cancun Ballet Festival Gala Performance.

To Be Named

TBD

To be determined.

Our Apprentice Dancers

Sami Sinopoli

USA

Sami began dancing at the age of three, and started training under Phyllis Papa at the age of eight. She danced competitively throughout the state of New Jersey from ages eight to eighteen winning many titles and awards in styles such as lyrical, tap, musical theater, and jazz. She has also trained in Los Angeles, New York, Indiana, and Pennsylvania at well known intensives including the Joffrey Ballet School. 

Mai Motooka

Japan

BIO Coming Soon.

Carolina Lisboa

Spain

Carolina Lisboa is a Brazilian ballerina who began her dance training in Academia de Ballet Elisa, where she developed a strong classical ballet foundation. Her talent and hard work led to the opportunity to perform alongside the principal dancers of the Royal Danish Ballet. Carolina has also competed in various international ballet competitions, where she received multiple awards. One of these competitions earned her a scholarship to the prestigious Sanctuary of the Arts in Miami, a professional training program that immerses dancers in a diverse range of styles including ballet, jazz, modern, and contemporary. This unique training has been integral in shaping her versatile career and bringing her to the professional stage today. 

Atsuha Tanikawa

Japan

Atsuha began dancing when she was 4 years old. In 2019 she participated in the performance of the Balletto di Siena (Italy) in Japan. In 2020 she received admission to train at the Novosibirsk State Choreographic School (Russia). Atsuha has won numerous awards including placing in the Top 12 at the Semi finals of World Ballet Art Competition. 



Ellody Peters

Australia

Ellody was born in Sydney Australia where she began her early classical training at Tanya Pearson Academy. At the age of 15, she was accepted as a ballet trainee at the Joffrey Ballet School New York, where she was under the guidance of Era Jouravlev. Ellody then furthered her training at Princeton Ballet School, graduating in 2024. She has appeared in various ballets including the Nutcracker and Ethan Stiefel’s ‘Classic Beauty’ with the American Repertory Ballet. 


Taylor Garcez began his dance journey through a social outreach program, where he quickly stood out and was awarded scholarships to prestigious private ballet schools in his region. His performance and dedication also earned him a scholarship to attend the renowned Summer Program at the American Academy of Ballet (AAB) in New York in 2017.

Yuzuka Ogata

Japan

Bio to be supplied

Isabela Huyer

Brazil

Isabela Huyer started dancing at the age of three, trained at Ballet Vera Bublitz, under Carlla Bublitz and later joined the Joffrey Ballet School trainee program, training under Era Jouravlev and Stacy Caddell. She has participated in competitions such as YAGP finals, VKIBC finals and MAB NYC finals and joined intensives in American Ballet Theatre, Opus Ballet and Paris Marais Dance School. Isabela has performed with Connecticut Ballet in Nutcracker and with Grand Kyiv Ballet in Swan Lake.

Yuna Nakamura

Japan

BIO Coming Soon.

Sawaka Machida

Japan

Sawaka began training with Sym’s Ballet in Tokyo and was a member of Goh Ballet Youth Company in Vancouver where she performed numerous key roles and achieved a diploma certificate. She has won numerous awards, including 3rd place in the Tanzolymp International Ballet Festival Berlin, Top 12 Youth America Grand Prix San Diego Semi-final, USA and 1st place in the FLAP National Ballet Competition Japan.