Western Ballet Faculty ALEXI ZUBIRĺA, Artistic Director Alexi Zubiría has danced with ballet companies worldwide including the International Ballet of Caracas (principal dancer), Ballet Nuevo Mundo (principal dancer), Deutsche Oper Berlin (soloist), Roland Petit’s Ballet National de Marseille (principal dancer) and San Francisco Ballet (soloist). His career with San Francisco Ballet (1986 – 1994), included roles as the male lead in Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, the Pas de Deux from Le Corsaire and the Cavalier in Christensen/Tomasson’s Nutcracker. His other works with San Francisco Ballet included leading roles in Lew Christensen's Divertissement d'Auber and Tomasson’s Bizet Pas de Deux. In 1982 he competed in the II U.S. International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi, winning a Silver Medal. His talents made him an extremely versatile dancer, proficient in classical, neo-classical and modern styles of dance. After retiring from San Francisco Ballet, Mr. Zubiría earned a degree in biology and has accumulated a number of years of experience in the high tech business world. Mr. Zubiría brings a wealth of experience and a passion for teaching of the highest standards to Western Ballet. Listen to an interview. FRANCISCO AVELLAN Originally from Nicaragua, Francisco Avellan has studied classical ballet extensively with teachers such as Alexi Zubiría and Maria Vegh. He is known for his warm and compassionate teaching style with students from absolute beginners to advanced levels. He has danced professionally since 1985 with many Bay Area companies including Marin Ballet. Francisco is Pilates certified and also has a great deal of experience teaching ballet for rhythmic gymnastics. ERIC BOURMAN Eric Bourman has performed nationally and internationally with over 50 companies in such classical and contemporary works as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, Giselle, Paquita, Don Quixote, Coppelia, Le Corsair, Cinderella, Anna Karenina, Rosalinda, Sylvia, The Three Musketeers and in pieces by George Balanchine, Massine, Anthony Tudor, Frederic Franklin, Paul Taylor, John Butler, and others. His teaching credits include the University of Missouri at Kansas City, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, St. Louis Municipal Theater Association, Metropolitan Ballet Theatre, Ballet Tennessee, Kansas Regional Ballet, the American Academy for Dance, and others. KAI DAVIS Kai Davis began dancing at the age of 5 at the Ruth Page Foundation under Mr. Larry Long.  After graduation High School, Ms. Davis was offered a contract with the Boston Ballet where she danced for 5 years in many of the classics including Swan Lake, Don Quixote, and La Bayadere.  Kai was then offered a contract with Ballet San Jose, and most recently finished her fourth season with Ballet British Columbia of Vancouver, Canada.  Ms. Davis has moved back to California to teach and continue her dance career with Liss Fain Dance of San Francisco. DAVID FONNEGRA David Fonnegra was born in Venezuela and was a principal dancer for the Ballet de Caracas directed by the legendary choreographer, Vincente Nebrada. After seeing him perform on tour, Mr. Fonnegra was invited by Edward Villella to join the Miami City Ballet. During his tenure, he appeared in principal roles in ballets such as Romeo and Juliet and Don Quixote. Mr. Fonnegra joined State Street Ballet in Santa Barbara for their 2002-03 Season and appeared in principal roles in Taming of the Shrew, Hollywood Nutcracker, and Romeo and Juliet. Since joining Diablo Ballet in 2004, Mr. Fonnegra has been featured in The Legend of Taj Mahal, Petrushka, They’ve Lost Their Footing and Who Cares? KIM GARDNER Kim Gardner has been teaching ballet in the South Bay for over 20 years. She is known for her clarity and her ability to impart an experiential knowledge of the anatomy and aesthetics of ballet technique. Also a Certified Pilates Instructor, Kim runs the Dance Medicine program at the Center for Sports Medicine, O'Connor Hospital where she develops individualized exercise programs to serve a variety of rehabilitation issues. Her clientele includes dancers and instructors, competitive and recreational athletes and individuals affected by stroke and multiple sclerosis. In 2001, O'Connor Hospital awarded her the Certificate of Excellence. Prior to working at the Center for Sports Medicine, Kim danced professionally for 17 years, performing with the Milwaukee Ballet, Alonzo King's Lines, Margaret Wingrove Dancers and touring the United States with Oakland Ballet. As principal guest artist with San Jose Dance Theatre, Kim is best remembered as the Sugar Plum Fairy in the annual Nutcracker and as Beauty in Beauty and the Beast for which she received critical acclaim. ALEJANDRO GOMEZ Alejandro Gomez began his studies at the ‘Instituto Superior de Danza’ in Caracas, Venezuela. He then joined the ‘Ballet Nacional de Caracas’ where he danced an array of choreographies by Vicente Nebrada. Next, he joined ‘Ballet Nuevo Mundo de Caracas,’ under the direction of Zhandra Rodriguez, where he performed choreographies by Choo San Goh and Donald McKayle, among others. With these two companies, he toured throughout South America, the Caribbean, the United States, and Europe. Alejandro later came to the US and since then, he has danced with several companies, such as Minnesota Dance Theatre, Island Moving Company of RI and Ballet Theatre of Boston. He also has performed in various festivals, such as International Ballet Festival of Miami and Dance Festival of Joinville, Brazil. As a choreographer, he has created several pieces for Island Moving Company and various dance schools. SYLVIA MARTIN Sylvia was born in Lima, Peru. She graduated from the Escuela Nacional de Ballet in Lima, Peru. As a scholarship recipient, she continued her professional training in ballet at the Teatro Colon de Buenos Aires in Argentina. Among Ms. Martin's credits are soloist work with Compania del Ballet Nacional de Peru, and the Gary Palmer Dance Company where she broadened her reputation as a versatile modern/ballet dancer. Sylvia has enjoyed teaching classical ballet in the Bay Area since 1991. Some of the schools she has been an instructor at include San Jose Dance Theater and The School of Ballet San Jose/Silicon Valley. She is also a preschool teacher for the Santa Clara Unified School District. She developed curriculum and lesson plans for children 3 to 5 years old and created motor development activities for young children. She earned a certificate of achievement in Early Childhood Education from San Jose City College and is currently working on earning a Bachelor degree in Child Development. LINDA RICKERT As a student, Linda was selected for a full scholarship by Igor Youskevitch, guest teacher with the Princeton Regional Ballet Company. She was awarded a scholarship to the school of Pennsylvania Ballet, studying with Edward Caton, Maria Swoboda, David Howard, Maggie Black and Benjamin Harkavy. Linda joined the Pennsylvania Ballet upon the invitation of Benjamin Harkavy and performed numerous works including Les Sylphides, Raymonda Variations, Serenade, Four Temperaments, Concerto Barocco and Symphony in C. Linda has taught extensively in schools on both the East and West coasts including Maryland Youth Ballet and San Jose Dance Theater. ALISON SHARE Alison was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. She trained at Western Ballet under the direction of Mark Foehringer. At Western Ballet, Alison has performed principal and soloist roles in Paquita, Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Coppelia and Cinderella and has danced in contemporary ballets by Mark Foehringer, Gonzalo Espinoza and David Popaliski. She is currently dancing with Peninsula Ballet Theatre. GRANT SPENCER Grant Spencer trained with Jon Cristofori and Kathleen Sinclair at Yuma Ballet Academy in Yuma, Arizona. He supplemented his training at Joffrey Ballet, San Antonio Ballet, Ballet Met, and Pacific Northwest Ballet, where he received full scholarships. His professional experience began with Sacramento Ballet where he danced soloist roles in works by Alan Heinlein, Septime Weber, and Katherine Posin. Grant continued his career with Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, where he performed soloist roles in much of the classic Russian repertoire, including Swan Lake, Paquita, Tarantella, and Stars & Stripes. Grant is now a member of Company C Contemporary Ballet. NICOLE YIP Nicole Yip grew up in Littleton, Colorado where she received the majority of her ballet training.  She attended the International Ballet School studying under German Zamuel and Mark Carlsen and continued her training with Irina Brecher.  Nicole has danced at the Usdan Center for the Performing Arts in Long Island, New York and more recently, joined Ballet San Jose from 2005-2007.  With the company, she performed in ballets including Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, The Firebird, and Les Sylphides.  EILEEN ZUBIRĺA Eileen Zubiría received her ballet training in Marin County, California, studying at Marin Ballet, Dance Theater Seven and with Christine Walton. She danced with Oakland Ballet from 1995 through 1998, where she was a soloist and participated in three national tours. Her broad repetoire there included many early twentieth century ballets and featured roles as The Young Girl in Kurt Jooss' The Green Table, Anna Pavlova in Pavlova Gavotte, Martha and Mrs. Lenox in Ronn Guidi's The Secret Garden and The Rose Queen and The Sugar Plum Fairy in Ronn Guidi's The Nutcracker. In 2001, Eileen joined the faculty of Marin Ballet and for three years taught children and adults of all ages. She is featured in an instructional DVD for ballet teachers produced by teacher Mary Lynn. In 2006 she returned to Oakland Ballet to perform in The Nutcracker, and in 2009 she performed in the Western Ballet Spring Gala and The Nutcracker.