Our Dancers

Micheal Bushman

Micheal Bushman was born in Los Angeles, California. He received his training from Wilhelm Burmann, Ballet West, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Manhattan Youth Ballet, and Lisa Cuizon at Cuizon Ballet Center. He also danced Ballroom with Meagan Mendoza, competing, and winning multiple awards. Mr. Bushman moved to New York to train with Wilhelm Burmann and Manhattan Youth Ballet. While there he danced in many Balanchine ballets such as Divertimento No 15, Western Symphony, Serenade and Who Cares?. He then furthered his studies at the Pacific Northwest Ballet, where he danced the lead role of Beast and Prince in Bruce Wells’ Beauty and roles in George Balanchine's The Nutcracker, and Kent Stowell’s Swan Lake. Mr. Bushman joined Ballet West II in 2022 where he performed in Les Noces, The Sleeping Beauty, John Cranko's Onegin, Willam Christensen’s The Nutcracker, and the pas de trois in Paquita. This is his first season with Diablo Ballet. Photo by Beau Pearson.

Nicole Ciapponi

Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Nicole Ciapponi trained with Goh Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet School, and The San Francisco Ballet School. She was a top finalist at the Youth America Grand Prix in 2009 and received the silver medal and the Sandra Faire & Ivan Fecan award for theatricality at the Genée International Ballet Competition in 2008. Ms. Ciapponi joined the San Francisco Ballet in 2010 and the Joffrey Ballet in 2015. She has danced principal roles in Helgi Tomasson’s Giselle, The Nutcracker, Romeo & Juliet, Swan Lake and 7 for Eight, George Balanchine’s Coppélia, Scotch Symphony, Symphony in C, Theme and Variations, Divertimento No. 15, The Four Temperaments, Serenade, Tarantella and Stravinsky Violin Concerto; Rudolf Nureyev’s Raymonda—Act III, Christopher Wheeldon’s Cinderella, Number Nine and Ghosts and in ballets by Gerald Arpino, Nicholas Blanc, John Cranko, William Forsythe, Robert Joffrey, Jiri Kylian, Edwaard Liang, Wayne McGregor, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Justin Peck, Yuri Possokhov, Alexei Ratmansky, Jerome Robbins, and Myles Thatcher. She performed the Flames of Paris Pas de Deux at The Arts of Classical Ballet School in 2012 and the Pas de Deux from Le Corsaire with Tiit Helimets and Company on tour in Estonia. Ms. Ciapponi's joined Diablo Ballet in 2022 performing roles in Gerald Arpino's Confetti, Penny Saunders' Sur le Fil and Julia Adam's The Nutcracker Suite and A Midsummer Night's Dream. She is a faculty member of Diablo Ballet School.

Marco Clemente

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Marco Clemente began his dance training at the Ruth Page School of Dance under the directorship of Larry Long and Dolores Lipinski-Long. After his graduation he went on to dance with Dayton Ballet, Minnesota Ballet, and Ballet Nebraska. In addition to company work, he has also performed as a guest artist with Visceral Dance Chicago, South Chicago Dance Theatre, and Chicago Repertory Ballet. Mr. Clemente joined Diablo Ballet in January 2023 performing roles in Gerald Arpino's Confetti, Penny Saunders' Sur le Fil and Julia Adam's A Midsummer Night's Dream and Stanton Welch's Orange. 

Lizzie Devanney

Lizzie Devanney was born in Bel Air, Maryland and began her training with Dance Conservatory of Maryland and continued with University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA.) After graduating from high school in 2019, she was invited to join the professional division at Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB). She has attended summer programs at Pacific Northwest Ballet, Carolina Ballet, Boston Ballet, School of American Ballet, and Next Generation Ballet. In 2020, Ms. Devanney was selected for the Royal Danish Ballet – PNB Exchange Program and was one of 25 young dancers awarded a scholarship from the American Friends of the Paris Opera & Ballet to support her continued training. Her repertoire includes Kent Stowell’s Cinderella, Ethan Steifel’s The Nutcracker, Helen Pickett’s Petal, Kingdom of the Shade’s from Natalia Makarova’s La Bayadére and George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, Concerto Barocco and Serenade. Ms. Devanney has previously danced with Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and Oakland Ballet. This is her first season with Diablo Ballet.  

Amanda Farris

Amanda Farris was born and raised in Central California, training in ballet with Central West Ballet, Valley Oak School of Dance, and during summers with Boston Ballet. Ms. Farris was a medalist in the Russian Pointe USA national ballet competition in 2004. She attended Long Beach State on a full academic scholarship where she studied both cultural anthropology and dance. There, Ms. Farris trained in modern dance and ballet under world renowned faculty. After graduating summa cum laude, she joined The Georgia Ballet where she quickly rose to dancing principal roles, many of which were created on her. Some featured roles include those in Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Pas de Quatre, Janusz Mazon’s Pinnochio and The Firebird, and Alexandre Proia’s The Four Seasons. Since joining Diablo Ballet in 2014, Ms. Farris has danced in works by Julia Adam, Val Caniparoli, Lew Christensen, Robin Dekkers, Sonya Delwaide, Sean Kelly, Trey McIntyre, Bruno Roque, Danielle Rowe, Penny Saunders, Christopher Stowell, Sally Streets, Norbert Vesak, Stanton Welch, Michael Wells, the Pas de Deux in La Fille Mal Gardee, Black Swan Pas de Deux, Flames of Paris, The Sleeping Beauty, Coppélia and George Balanchine's Apollo and Who Cares?. Ms. Farris has designed and created Diablo Ballet's costumes including Julia Adams' Cinderella's Wedding and Coppélia. Her choreography, Elevator Operator, was chosen as Diablo Ballet's first Dance Laboratory winner. She has enjoyed being a Teaching Artist with Diablo Ballet's PEEK Outreach Program and she is the President of Diablo Ballet's Prima Ballerina Club. In 2019 she joined Diablo Ballet School's faculty.

Luis Gonzalez

Luis Eduardo Gonzalez was born in Bogota, Colombia and received his training from Ms. Maniya Barredo, former prima ballerina of Atlanta Ballet and current director of Metropolitan Ballet Theatre. He received the Star Student award at Regional Dance America’s SERBA, took third place at the Regional Youth American Grand Prix competition in 2008, first place pas de deux at the American Ballet Competition in 2013, and was selected to compete as the only representative of Colombia in the 2014 Jackson International Ballet Competition. Mr. Gonzalez began his professional career with The Houston Ballet II, where he had the opportunity to dance works by Stanton Welch, George Balanchine, Claudio Munos, Ben Stevenson among other renowned choreographers, and toured both nationally and internationally. He then joined Orlando Ballet, where he danced for three seasons, performing and originating works by director Robert Hill. His roles included Peter and the Wolf, Ravel’s Bolero, Carmina Burana, and Swan Lake. In 2015 he joined the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago where he performed all over the world. Some of the ballets in his repertoire include Orphe and Euridice, Sylvia by John Neumeier, Mammatus by Anabelle Lopez Ochoa, The Nutcracker and Swan Lake by Christopher Wheeldon, Raku, Miraculous Mandarin, Anna Karenina by Yuri Possokhov, Glass Pieces by Jerome Robins, and Body of your Dreams. In 2019 he returned to Orlando Ballet and performed principal and soloist roles in works by Val Caniparoli, Victoria Morgan, Robert Hill, and Jessica Lang. In 2021 Gonzalez joined the Sarasota Ballet and danced works by Gemma Bond, Sr. Peter Wright, Sr. David Bintley, George Balanchine and Sr. Frederick Ashton. Simultaneously throughout his dance career, Mr. Gonzalez has been on faculty at the Joffrey Ballet School, Sarasota Ballet School, Orlando Ballet School, Metropolitan Ballet Theatre, and Mount Dora School of Ballet. He has a business degree with a focus in marketing and a minor in psychology. This is his first season with Diablo Ballet. Mr. Gonzalez is also a member of Diablo Ballet School's faculty.

Elijah Hartley

Elijah Hartley is from Montesano, Washington. He began his training in studios throughout Washington and Oregon. In 2017 he joined the Ballet West Academy. In 2021 Mr. Hartley was promoted to Ballet West II where he performed in numerous Ballet West productions, including: Jerome Robbins’ Glass Pieces, Willam Christensen’s The Nutcracker, Michael Smuin’s Romeo + Juliet, John Cranko’s Onegin, and Bronislava Nijinska’s Les Noces. This is his first season with Diablo Ballet. Photo by Beau Pearson.  

Olivia Powell

Jackie McConnell

Jackie McConnell, from Salem, Oregon, trained with Pacific Northwest Ballet School and received her Bachelor of Fine Arts from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She danced with Nevada Ballet Theatre, toured with the Portland-based company, Bodyvox, and continues to work bi-coastally with the contemporary ballet company, Cherylyn Lavagnino Dance in New York City. In the Bay Area, she has danced with Company C Contemporary Ballet, Post: Ballet, Garrett and Moulton Productions, Menlowe Ballet, Oakland Ballet and the San Francisco Opera. Since joining Diablo Ballet in 2015, Ms. McConnell has performed in works by Val Caniparoli, Lew Christensen, Robin Dekkers, Sean Kelly, Trey McIntyre, KT Nelson, Bruno Roque, Penny Saunders and Michael Wells. She has danced the Pas de Deux from Raymonda and Carousel (A Dance) by Christopher Wheeldon and in Apollo and Who Cares? by George Balanchine. She has also performed the title roles in Once Upon a Time and Cinderella's Wedding by Julia Adam. Ms. McConnell is a Teaching Artist with Diablo Ballet’s PEEK Outreach Program.

Alison Ramoran

Alison Ramoran trained at South Bay Ballet (now known as Ballet California) in Torrance, California, under the instruction of Diane Lauridsen. In 2017 she received the Daily Breeze “Making a Difference Award for Outstanding Achievements in the Arts” by the California Legislature Assembly at the Torrance Performing Arts Consortium. Upon graduating in 2018, she was given a contract with Oklahoma City Ballet’s second company. She was then promoted to apprentice in 2020, and corps de ballet in 2021. While there, she performed works by August Bournonville & Michael Pink, and was featured in ballets by Septime Webre, Robert Mills, Ryan Nye, Nicolo Fonte, Jerome Robbins, and Jessica Lang. Miss Ramoran joined Smuin Ballet in 2022, where she performed works by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Osnel Delgado, Rex Wheeler, Nicole Haskins, Val Caniparoli, Kate Skarpetowska, and Amy Seiwert. This is her first season with Diablo Ballet. 

Lucas Tischler

Lucas Tischler began dancing at the Metropolitan Ballet Academy in Pennsylvania. At age 12 he joined the School of Pennsylvania ballet and performed roles in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker and Christopher Wheeldon’s Carnival of the Animals with the main company. At age 16 he moved to Manhattan, New York to join Ballet Academy East. At BAE he worked with teachers such as Wendy Whelan, Maxim Beleserkovsky, and Darla Hoover. Mr. Tischler performed the principal male role in George Balanchine’s Donizetti Variations and works by Alan Hineline, Claudia Schreier, and Jenna Levin. During the summers, Mr. Tischler studied with the American Ballet Theater, Bolshoi Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, and Pennsylvania Ballet. At age 18 Mr. Tischler moved to Chicago to join The Joffrey Ballet as a trainee and had the opportunity to perform Episode 31 by Alexander Ekman . He then joined Oklahoma City Ballet and performed works by Robert Mills and Michael Pink. Mr. Tischler’s repertoire includes The Nutcracker, Dracula, Romeo and Juliet, La Sylphide, and The Firebird. Since joining Diablo Ballet in the Fall of 2021, he has danced in The Nutcracker Suite and Cinderella's Wedding by Julia Adam, Coppélia, Flames of Paris Pas de Deux and works by Penny Saunders and Michael Wells.

Alina Gonzalez 

Apprentice 

Alina Gonzalez received her training from Contra Costa Ballet, Berkeley Ballet Theater, Diablo Ballet School and summer intensives at the San Francisco Ballet School and Post: Workshop. She performed prominent roles in Alice in Wonderland by Robin Dekkers, Sugar Plum Fairy and Dewdrop Fairy in The Nutcracker and Russian Girl in Serenade by George Balanchine. She has also performed in La Bayadere, Paquita, Le Corsaire, The Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake. In 2019, Ms. Gonzalez became one of Diablo Ballet’s first Professional Trainee’s, where she has performed roles in The Nutcracker Suite and Cinderella’s Wedding by Julia Adam, Wayfaring Pilgrim by Michael Wells and Coppelia. She was promoted to Apprentice in the Fall of 2022. Ms. Gonzalez is a member of Diablo Ballet School's faculty.

Fiona Hutchens

Apprentice

Fiona Hutchens was born in New York City and began her classical ballet training at Southold Dance Theater in South Bend, Indiana. In 2016, she joined the Colorado Ballet Academy under the direction of Erica Fischbach. While in the academy she danced featured roles in many new works and full-length classical ballets including Myrtha in Colorado Ballet Academy’s production of Giselle at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House. Miss Hutchens was promoted to Trainee in 2019 and joined Colorado Ballet’s Studio Company in 2020. While in the Studio Company, she performed in all of the company productions and specialized outreach performance programs. Some of her favorite roles have been Nanine in Val Caniparoli’s Lady of the Camellias, George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, Clark Tippet’s Bruch Violin Concerto and Lucy in Michael Pink’s Dracula. Miss Hutchens has a passion for choreographing and has had her choreography featured in Colorado Ballet’s Fancy Footwork series. Her solo and small ensemble choreography for Colorado Ballet Academy students has been recognized at YAGP regional and final competitions. Miss Hutchens is an ABT NTC certified teacher and is a member of Diablo Ballet School's faculty. This is her first season with Diablo Ballet.