Ephrat "Bounce" Asherie

Ms. Asherie has trained extensively in ballet and modern dance but found her artistic home in breaking, hiphop, house and voguing.  She began breaking in 2002 under Richard Santiago (aka Breakeasy) and soon after was introduced to house music.  She has been greatly influenced by the New York club scene ever since.  Ephrat has performed and taught throughout the US and Europe, as well as in Peru, South Africa and Israel. She has appeared on NBC, MTV, Comedy Central and at Carnegie Hall, Madison Square Garden and DTW.   Ephrat is a regular guest artist with Rennie Harris Puremovement and has worked with Bill Irwin, Buddha Stretch and Cori Olinghouse among others.  Her work has been presented at Dixon Place, The Bushwick Starr, The Flea, The Motherlode Theater and the Bendheim Performing Arts Center.  Ephrat is on faculty at Broadway Dance Center and dances with her crews FoxForceFive and MAWU.  She recently finished working on the show Magnifico, choreographed by Pilobolus.  She has a B.A. in Italian Language (summa cum laude) from Barnard College.

Lauren Etter

Ms. Etter trained at the Ballet School of Stamford in Connecticut where she began teaching and choreographing under the mentorship of Stephanie Marini, along with Michael Vernon and Peter Anastos. She danced children's roles in George Balanchine's The Nutcracker and American Ballet Theater's Othello and Le Corsaire, spent four summers at Chautauqua Dance, and was a scholarship student at the American Dance Festival. She holds a BFA in Dance from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, and has worked with such choreographers as Ronald K. Brown, Brook Notary, John Jasperse, Deborah Jowitt, and James Sutton. Lauren teaches in the Young Dancer Program at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York City, is a faculty member at the Ballet School of Stamford, and continues to present her own work.

Irene Hogarth-Cimino

Ms. Hogarth-Cimino was born in South Africa, training in the Cecchetti Method with Joy Shearer, Patricia Mcintosh and Faith Devilliers, and graduated with a Performing Art's Diploma from the University of Cape-Town. Ms. Hogarth-Cimino continued her training in New York at the School of American Ballet, the Joffrey School and the Martha Graham School, attending workshops with Twyla Tharp, coaching with Gelsey Kirkland and Charla Genn, and the Paris Opera Ballet Seminars. She danced soloist and principal roles with South Africa's Cape Town Ballet and NAPAC Dance Company before joining the American Repertory Ballet, under directorship of Septime Webre. Ms. Hogarth-Cimino joined Ballet Hispanico in 2000 and performed with the company for eight years before transitioning into an artistic and administrative role as the Artistic Assistant to founder, Tina Ramirez; Ballet Mistress and teacher for the school and company; and more recently as Ballet Hispanico's Deputy School Director. In 2008 she worked in collaboration with Gelsey Kirkland and Michael Chernov to develop and implement the ballet curriculum for Ballet Hispanico's pre-professional training program. Ms. Hogarth-Cimino began teaching in 1995 under the mentorship of one of South Africa's leading teachers of children, Natalie Stern, and has taught master classes and been a guest teacher at numerous schools and companies, including American Repertory Ballet; Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company, Israel; UC Santa Barbara; Marymount College, NY; The Julliard School; Alvin Ailey School; Princeton Ballet School; Steyvesant High School and La Guardia High School of the Performing Arts.

Era Jouravlev

Era Jouravlev studied at the famed Perm State Choreography Academy in Russia under directorship of such notable mentors as L. Sakharova and L. Ulanova and went on to become a Principal Dancer in the Perm State Opera and Ballet Theatre. Era toured internationally with the Stars of the Kirov and Bolshoi Ballet: L. Semeniaka, A. Fadeechev, O. Chenchikova, L. Kunakova, M. Daukaev. She has toured with American Ballet Theatre Principal Nina Ananiashvili in Japan and South Korea. Also she has toured with Bolshoi Theatre Principals E. Maksimova and V.Vasiliev in Tokyo and with N. Pavlova and V. Gordeev in Moscow. During a summer tour in China Era danced with the “Stars of American Ballet”. Since 1995 Era joined the New Jersey Ballet and became a Principal Dancer. She has performed the ballets of George Balanchine, Agnes de Mille, Paul Taylor, Antony Tudor, and worked with contemporary choreographers Johan Renvall, Margo Sappington, Robert Weise and Robert North. Era has performed many Principals roles in classical and contemporary repertoires and was given the unique opportunity to learn the classical pas de deux “Papillon” directly from International Kirov Star Irina Kolpakova and worked with American Legend Mr. Edward Villella on famous George Balanchine’s “Tchaikovsky pas de deux”. As an accomplished dancer and experienced teacher, Era Jouravlev would like to share her knowledge with passion for young dancers.

Andrei Jouravlev

Mr. Jouravlev studied at the famed Perm State Choreography Academy in Russia and went on to become a Principal Dancer in the Perm State Opera and Ballet Theatre. He won a Diploma and the Silver Medal in international ballet competition in Russia.

Mr. Jouravlev toured internationally with the “Stars of the Kirov and Bolshoi Ballet”. He has been in performances in England, Italy, Japan, China, Czechoslovakia, Poland, South Korea and Germany. Mr. Jouravlev has toured with American Ballet Theatre Principal Nina Ananiashvili in Japan and South Korea, where he danced Espada of  “Don Quixote”. This Performance is available on video around the world. Also he toured with Bolshoi Theatre Principals E. Maksimova and V. Vasiliev in Tokyo and Osaka.

After the Jackson Ballet Competition he joined the New Jersey Ballet as a Principal Dancer.  He danced with the “Stars of American Ballet” during a 1997 summer tour in China. Mr. Jouravlev has performed the ballets of George Balanchin, Agnes de Mille , Antony Tudor, Paul Taylor and worked with contemporary choreographers Robert North, Margo Sappington, Donlin Foreman and many more.He has performed in over thirty Principals roles in classical and contemporary repertoires including “Giselle”, “Swan Lake”, Sleeping Beauty”, “Don Quixote”,The Nutcracer”, “La Bayadere”, “Spartacus”, “Raymonda”, “Romeo and Juliet”, “Coppelia”, “Cinderella”, “ La Sylphide”, “Serenade” “Theme and Variations”, “Carmen”, “Who Cares”, “ Death and the Maiden”, “Antre Dos Aguas”, “Belong”, “Allegro Brilliante”, and others.

Lara Vilches

Lara Vilches was born in Philadelphia, PA, and began her earliest training with Donna Chrostek. Lara trained under Jean Gedeon at Pittsburgh Youth Ballet where she danced many lead roles. She furthered her training under the late Edward Stewart, who created many original solo works for her. Mrs. Vilches then continued her training at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, DC. She began her professional career at Ballet Theatre of Maryland, after which she danced in the Trainee Program at the Joffrey. Recently Lara has performed with Connecticut Ballet, Mooney-Cooley Dance and Exit 12 Dance Co., where she has performed the roles of Gamzatti in La Bayadere and the Sugarplum Fairy in the Nutcracker, as well as many other classical and contemporary works.  Four years ago she co-founded Exit 12 Dance Company,NYC, where she remains as the Ballet Mistress. Mrs. Vilches has been teaching at Armonk Dance and Ballet des Enfants in Westchester County and Connecticut.  Lara is thrilled to join the incredible staff at The Joffrey this year and aspires to pass on her love of ballet to her students.

Amanda Stevenson

Ms. Stevenson graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.F.A. majoring in Dance. Since her graduation, she has trained extensively at the Paul Taylor Dance Company School and in the Martha Graham Technique. Her early ballet training began with Andrew Needhammer, of Ballet Arizona. Amanda has danced professionally with several modern/contemporary New York artists, performing both solo and ensemble roles. She is a reoccurring teaching artist with the RIOULT Company, teaching Pascal Rioult’s choreography, rehearsing and preparing children to perform with the company. In addition, she currently teaches at Discovery Programs and with Education In Dance, an integrated arts program that focuses on stimulating the growth of dance, creative movement, and music to students in public schools throughout the New York Metropolitan area. Amanda joined the Joffrey Ballet School faculty in 2012.