|
|
Brett Hahalyak- Assistant DirectorBrett Hahalyak is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He began his dance training at the age of 16 with The Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts (CAPA) and The Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera Academy. Brett’s first attempt at choreography, X Marks the Spot, was accepted into the Student Choreography Concert at the 2008 National High School Dance Festival in Philadelphia. His work was performed at The Merriam Theater along with 10 other student works. He was lucky enough to dance, on scholarship from NHSDF, at The Bates Dance Festival and The Jacob’s Pillow School for Jazz. He also attended Point Park’s International Summer Dance and The University of the Arts Pre-College Program. Brett would like to thank his family and amazing friends for their unending support. He would also like to thank Michael for giving him this amazing opportunity. This is Brett's fourth season with Xhale. He has performed in past Philly Fringe Festivals, The Choreographers' Canvas in NYC, The Koresh Artist Showcase, The Music of Katie Thompson and Xhale's Spring Concerts, The Seven Deadly Sins and Moments of Love. Brett spent the summer dancing in Hershey Park (Pa), and is studying at UArts wehre he is a junior Modern Dance major. Brett is the Assistant Director of Xhale.
Lauren Long- Dance CaptainLauren is from Fairfax Station, Virginia where she danced for 16 years with Buffa’s Dance Studio. She has participated and competed in numerous competitions and conventions, including Dance Makers Inc. where she was a National Solo Winner. Over the past few summers, Lauren has danced with The Richmond Ballet, The American Academy of Ballet, Point Park University, Virginia School of the Arts, and NYCDA. She also performed with the Burke Civic Ballet’s Nutcracker, dancing lead roles such as Clara, Dew Drop, and Snow Queen. Over the past three years Lauren has also performed in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the London New Year’s Day Parade, and the Paris New Year’s Day Parade. Lauren is currently a junior Jazz Major at The University of the Arts, where she plans to earn a BFA in Jazz Dance Performance. This is Lauren's third season with Xhale; she was recently seen in Moments of Love and The Music of Katie Thompson. Lauren has been the Dance Captain for two seasons.
Gillian Balzano Originally from Mount Laurel, New Jersey Gillian began her training at the age of three at Jazz Unlimited Studio of Dance Arts, where she studied jazz, ballet, modern, tap and hip-hop. She then began traveling nationally with the Jazz Unlimited Dance Ensemble, competing in many regional and national dance competitions, where they won many prestigious awards. Gillian has also had the opportunity to work with many noted choreographers at conventions and festivals she has performed at. She graduated from Lenape High School in 2009 with honors and is currently a sophomore at the University of the Arts as a dance major, planning to concentrate on jazz performance. This is Gillian’s first season with the Xhale dance company, which she is extremely excited for! |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
