From a young age, he was a competitive swimmer, but as a teenager, his father encouraged him to explore dance. This new path became his life’s calling, leading to decades dedicated to studying, performing, and teaching ballet. His career took him to Mexico City, where he danced as a principal with La Compañia Nacional de Danza. There, he partnered renowned principal ballerinas from Cuba and Mexico in full-length ballets such as Giselle, Sleeping Beauty, Coppélia, Swan Lake, and La Fille Mal Gardée.
In Portland, as a principal dancer with Pacific Ballet Theatre (which later became Oregon Ballet Theatre), he and Elena performed many of the great principal roles together. Yet, one of his most significant career milestones came earlier, when he joined the Dance Theatre of Harlem in New York City. As a soloist with the company, he performed in George Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco, Agon, Bugaku, and The Four Temperaments. He and Elena also performed as principals in Paquita, the company’s first major classical ballet premiere in the 1980s.
After stepping away from the stage to pursue a master’s degree and a school principalship, his focus shifted toward teaching. His teaching career has included roles as Ballet Master of Dance Theatre of Harlem, the founding Director of the School of Oregon Ballet Theatre, and the owner of his own dance studio.
He is passionate about teaching dancers of all ages, from pre-ballet through adult and professional levels. Throughout his career, he has sought out strong, structured training systems, and he has found exactly that at the School of OBT. The curriculum not only builds dancers from their earliest training through the pre-professional stage, but it also offers meaningful opportunities for those who simply wish to enjoy ballet. He finds great fulfillment in sharing this curriculum, nurturing dancers’ growth, and witnessing their artistic journeys.
