Company Artists
Erika Overturff
Artistic Director & Founder
Artist Sponsor: Midlands Choice
Erika Overturff is the founder and artistic director of Ballet Nebraska. Erika began her training in Iowa at the Academy of Ballet, continuing her studies at summer programs including North Carolina School of the Arts, American Ballet Theater, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, and the Kirov Academy. Erika earned her BFA in ballet performance and teaching from the University of Utah, which she attended on a full scholarship. She graduated cum laude in just three years and was chosen outstanding senior by the ballet department faculty.
Erika went on to dance with Montgomery Ballet, Alabama Ballet, and Omaha Theater Ballet. She has performed principal and soloist roles in a wide range of classical and contemporary repertoire. Erika has also been a faculty member and guest teacher for schools throughout the United States.
As a choreographer, Erika has received critical praise for her work. She served as répétitrice for Montgomery Ballet and resident choreographer for Omaha Theater Ballet. As part of Ballet Nebraska’s collaboration with Joslyn Art Museum for Momentum, she recently choreographed the ballet Connemara and is creating a new ballet Cleopatra. Additionally, Erika created Ballet Nebraska’s lively and entertaining new version of the holiday favorite The Nutcracker, which will debut to Omaha-area audiences this December.
Matthew Carter
Ballet Master
Artist Sponsor: John & Gayla Thal
Matthew Carter began his training with Sharon Filone at the Lake Erie Ballet School and Sandra Barnett at Little’s Dance Studio. He went on to study on scholarship at North Carolina School of the Arts, Miami City Ballet School, and the Chautauqua Festival Dancers. Matthew has danced professionally with Ohio Ballet, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, Lake Erie Ballet, and Omaha Theater Ballet. He has also performed as a Guest Artist with Hawaii Ballet Theatre, Neglia Ballet Artists, and Ballet Tucson. Matthew has been choreographing since the age of 16 and has premiered works with numerous schools, professional companies, and theaters. He is the co-director of Motion41 Dance in Omaha and continues to serve as a guest teacher for schools throughout the country. Matthew returns for his second season at Ballet Nebraska as ballet master.
A native of New Jersey, Erin Alarcón received her dance training under Christine Taylor and Luba Gulyaeva of New Jersey Civic Youth Ballet, where she performed a number of classic roles and contemporary works. Erin earned her Bachelor of Arts in dance performance at Mercyhurst College under the direction of Tauna Hunter. During the summers, she studied with Eglevsky Ballet and The Joffrey Ballet. She has worked with a number of guest artists including Laura Alonso, Bruce Marks, Vivi Flindt, and Bill Evans. Erin has also studied abroad with Valerie Valentine of the Dutch National Ballet. Erin previously danced professionally with SoMar Dance Works and Ballet Concerto. She performed leading roles in both Giselle and The Sleeping Beauty, as well as solo roles in Ballet Nebraska’s Momentum and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Erin is returning for her second season with Ballet Nebraska.
Claire Goodwillie
Company Dancer
Claire Goodwillie began her ballet training at Omaha Theater Ballet School of Dance. She spent summers training with the renowned Pacific Northwest Ballet and Ballet Austin. She has also trained in Banff, Canada. Claire appeared in numerous Omaha Theater Ballet productions as both a student and apprentice, including The Sleeping Beauty, The Firebird and Coppélia. Her favorite roles include young Clara in The Orpheum Nutcracker, Evil Rat Queen in Erika Overturff’s The Nutcracker, as well as Helena in Oskar Antunez’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Claire was featured in the role of Sugar Plum Fairy in a Christmas production at Omaha Theater Company. She has also performed with Opera Omaha and Omaha Symphony. Claire is a founding member returning for her second season at Ballet Nebraska.
Natasha Grimm
Company Dancer
Artist Sponsor: John Ritland & Greta Vaught
Natasha Grimm began her ballet training at Omaha Theater Ballet School of Dance. She also received a scholarship to Kansas City Ballet, and toured with Manhattan Dance. Additionally, Natasha danced in productions with Omaha Symphony and Opera Omaha. Natasha began her professional career at Omaha Theater Ballet where she danced first as an apprentice, and later as a company member for three seasons. She was dubbed by Examiner.com as “one of the most lithe and physically appealing dancers to grace the stage” in her role of Coral Snake in Omaha Theater Ballet’s final production, The Rainforest. A founding member of Ballet Nebraska, Natasha has performed lead roles, including Sugar Plum Fairy in Erika Overturff’s The Nutcracker and Titania in Oskar Antunez’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Natasha returns for her second season with Ballet Nebraska. More about Natasha…
Alberto Liberatoscioli
Company Dancer
Artist Sponsor: Clyde & Deborah Overturff
Originally from Italy, Alberto Liberatoscioli received his ballet training in the Vaganova and Balanchine styles, also studying modern dance. He was a member of National Theater in Brno, Czech Republic and Slovak National Ballet where he performed in classical repertory including Le Corsaire, La Bayadère and Swan Lake, as well as neoclassical works and opera premieres. Alberto also danced with Columbia Classical Ballet in South Carolina, and later Omaha Theater Ballet. He appeared as a guest artist at Boulder Ballet, Ballet Fantastique and Lincoln Midwest Ballet dancing lead roles in The Nutcracker, The Sleeping Beauty and as Lando in As You Like It. Alberto received his teaching certification from American Ballet Theater in New York City and has taught master classes in Rome. He has also taught dance to students in Omaha and Lincoln. Alberto holds a law degree and a masters in Human Resources. He recently won first prize in the 2010 Una Manciata di Lettere literature contest in Taranto, Italy for his book Ombre alla Ribalta. Most recently, Alberto performed solo roles in Momentum, The Nutcracker and A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Ballet Nebraska, where he is a founding member returning for his second season.
Bret Samson
Company Dancer
Artist Sponsor: Dr. James Liu & Rebecca Liu-Huang
Bret Samson began her dance training at Lake Shore Dance with Amy Aichele and Gwen Agee in Saukville, Wisconsin. She continued training with Melissa Anderson and Rafael Delgado in Milwaukee, where she later became a founding member of their performance group. Bret continued to complete her training at Steps on Broadway in New York City. Bret has performed in numerous ballets by accomplished choreographers, dancing roles in Harrison McEldowney’s Swing, Swing, Swing! and Oskar Antunez’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream, as well as works by Kennet Oberly and Jean-Paul Commélin. Bret has performed with Milwaukee Ballet II, Madison Ballet and Omaha Theater Ballet. A founding member of Ballet Nebraska, Bret returns for her second season.
Kelsey Schwenker
Company Dancer
Boulder, Colorado native Kelsey Schwenker began her classical ballet training with Ballet Nouveau Colorado, where she was a five-year member of its student company directed by Julia Wilkinson Manley. She has attended summer intensives with Kansas City Ballet, Burklyn Ballet Theatre, Boulder Jazz Dance Workshop and Paul Taylor Dance Company. Kelsey received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in ballet performance, graduating summa cum laude from the University of Oklahoma, where she trained with Mary Margaret Holt, Donn Edwards, Steve Brule and Jeremy Lindberg. Kelsey has performed in notable works including Rodeo, Divertimento No. 5, The Firebird, Afternoon of a Faun and Les Biches. Kelsey returns for her second season with Ballet Nebraska. More about Kelsey…
Born in Moldova in Eastern Europe, Denis Vezetiu received his professional training at the Academy of Ballet of Moldova. He went on to dance with a number of prestigious companies. He danced as a soloist with the National Opera of Bucharest and the National Theatre of Moldova. As a dancer with Chisinau National Theatre, Denis toured extensively in Europe and the United States. His varied repertoire includes The Sleeping Beauty, Coppélia, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Le Corsaire and La Bayadère. Since 2008, Denis served as a principal dancer with Manassas Ballet in Virginia, performing leading roles in a variety of classical and original ballets. This is his first season with Ballet Nebraska.
Sasha York
Company Dancer
Artist Sponsor: OrthoWest
Originally from Chelyabinsk, Russia, Sasha York trained at Paavola School of Dance in Flint, Michigan. He later returned to Russia, where he trained with Urey Urivich. Sasha was accepted into the pre-professional program at Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, where he performed in company productions of Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, Peter Pan, and Alice in Wonderland.He has worked with many well-known choreographers such as Harrison McEldowney, Viktor Plotnikov and Septime Webre. Sasha performed the lead role in McEldowney’s Swing, Swing, Swing!, Snow King in Erika Overturff’s The Nutcracker, and Oberon in Oskar Antunez’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream. He previously danced for two seasons at Omaha Theater Ballet. Sasha joined Ballet Nebraska in 2010 as a founding member and returns for his second season. More about Sasha…
Angela Zolczynski
Company Dancer
Artist Sponsor: J. Michael Hemmer
A native of Rapid City, South Dakota, Angela Zolczynski is a graduate of the prestigious Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, Massachusetts. She received her ballet training from Michael Owen of American Ballet Theater. Angela performed with Omaha Theater Ballet for six seasons, dancing in numerous works including The Firebird, The Sleeping Beauty, Romeo and Juliet and Coppélia. Angela has performed many soloist roles, including her recent portrayal of Hermia in Oskar Antunez’ A Midsummer Night’s Dream. A dedicated instructor, Angela has taught ballet, jazz, and tap in Omaha for seven years, and she also currently leads youth rehearsals for Repertory Ensemble. Angela is a founding member of Ballet Nebraska returning for her second season.
Teresa began her dance training at Mary Lorraine’s Dance Center in Omaha. She also trained at Omaha Academy of Ballet and Motion41 Dance. Teresa spent summers training with Kansas City Ballet, the prestigious North Carolina School of the Arts, and Kaatsbaan International Dance in Tivoli, New York. Teresa was a founding member of Ballet Nebraska II in the Company’s debut season. She has danced company roles in the Calendar Girls scene in Harrison McEldowney’s Swing, Swing, Swing! and in the flower corps in Erika Overturff’s The Nutcracker. Teresa joins Ballet Nebraska this season as a first-year apprentice.
Mandy is a recent graduate of the University of Utah where she earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in ballet performance. She began her training in classical ballet and acro-gymnastics in her home state of Missouri. She was a member of resident performing companies Utah Ballet and Character Dance Ensemble. Mandy also appeared professionally as a guest artist with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet in 2008. Mandy toured internationally in Japan and Costa Rica, and throughout the state of Utah. She has performed classical repertory including, Swan Lake, Cinderella, La Bayadère, Giselle and The Firebird, and numerous contemporary works. This is Mandy’s first season as a Ballet Nebraska apprentice.
Chesterfield, Missouri native Andrea received her classical ballet training at St. Louis Ballet School with Gen Horiuchi and Ellen Costanza. She performed as a student apprentice in numerous roles in Swan Lake and The Nutcracker with St. Louis Ballet. Andrea received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance, with a dual emphasis in ballet and modern from the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and Dance in May 2011. Andrea appeared in Anthony Tudor’s Dark Elegies, Bernard Gaddis’s Deitas as a principal, as well as Les Petits Riens by Gen Horiuchi, Shostakovich Jazz Suiteby Ron Tice, and Untitled by Thaddeus Davis. During summers, she studied with Nashville Ballet, Carolina Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, Ballet Chicago and St. Louis Ballet. Andrea appeared professionally in 2010 as guest artist for Dimensions Dance Theater as Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. She also taught advanced classical ballet for two years at Creative Arts Academy. Andrea joins Ballet Nebraska this season as an apprentice.
