DANCERS
Festival Ballet Theatre Dancers
Alexander Fost competed as a young dancer and was awarded Mr. Dance USA (2006), and Mr. Dance International (2007) in Tokyo, Japan. After high school, Alexander focused on classical training, was recognized as one of the Top 10 Finalists in International Youth America Grand Prix (2008). Since his early successes, Alexander has been dancing ballet professionally on a national scale. Aside from live theater and ballet, he has also appeared as an actor and dancer on multiple TV shows on Disney and ABC. He was also a finalist on the eighth season of FOX’s hit dance show So You Think You Can Dance. Alexander is now teaching and choreographing in addition to dancing.
Olivia Harrigan began her ballet training at the age of three at Southland Ballet Academy, under the guidance of Salwa Rizkalla. She has performed in numerous Festival Ballet Theatre ballets including Giselle, Coppélia, Don Quixote, Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker and various mixed repertoire pieces. Ms. Harrigan is currently attending California State University, Long Beach as a health science major. She is an intern at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Long Beach and has her EMT license. She is the public health chair for The Flying Samaritans, a club that sets up a health clinic every month in Valle de las Palmas, Mexico to help the underserved communities. She aspires to become a pathologist.
Joseph Hetzer is a California native who started his classical training at South Bay Ballet in 2012. He went on to attend the USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance and USC Marshall School of Business, to further develop his artistic and administrative ambitions. While in school, he has been mentored by William Forsythe, Desmond Richardson, Zippora Karz, and a number of other notable individuals who have helped strengthen his technique and artistry. He has further trained at the Royal Danish Ballet School, Jacobs Pillow Ballet Program, Joffrey Ballet Chicago, and the Art-of programs. He prides himself on his work ethic, ability to learn choreography fast, and professional attitude inside and outside of the studio. Joseph is very honored to participate in this year’s Nutcracker and wishes everyone a happy holiday season.
Greyson Myles began his classical ballet training at age 9 and expanded into many other dance styles at age 12. Greyson started performing with Festival Ballet Theatre in December 2015. He is an award winning competitor in a variety of dance competitions from his youth. Greyson is currently attending UCI as a double major in both Dance and Exercise Sciences. While at UCI, Greyson joined the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and was awarded the William J. Gillespie Scholarship for Ballet Studies. He has performed in many classical ballets such as Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, La Bayadère, Valse Fantaisie, and The Nutcracker. Greyson has also performed in other contemporary works, such as “The Secret Garden,” Choreographed by Josie Walsh, and “Alice in Wonderland,” Choreographed by Robert Sund.