Meet The Nutcracker Guest Artists
Meet the guest dancers for FPAC's 2018 production of The Nutcracker!
Kathleen Breen Combes (Sugar Plum) Born in Rockville Centre, NY, Ms. Breen Combes has been hailed by the New York Times as a “ballerina of colossal scale and boldness”. She joined Boston Ballet in 2003 and was promoted to the rank of Principal Dancer in 2009. Ms. Breen Combes is known for her diverse repertoire which includes the major classical story ballets as well as works by Balanchine, Cranko, Kylian, Forsythe, Wheeldon, McGregor, and Elo to name a few. In 2012 she was nominated for the prestigious Benois de la Danse Award for her portrayal of Juliet in Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet and Titania in Balanchine’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and was invited to dance at the Bolshoi Theatre. Throughout her career Ms. Breen Combes has danced in numerous international galas.
Yury Yanowsky (Cavalier) was born in Lyon, France and grew up in Madrid and Las Palmas, Spain. He began his ballet training with his parents, Carmen Robles and Anatole Yanowsky, and also studied at the National Ballet of Cuba. Yanowsky joined Boston Ballet's corps de ballet in 1993, was promoted to soloist in 1995 and to principal dancer in 1999. In 1992 he won first prize at the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland and the Silver Medal at Varna International Ballet Competition, and in 1994 he won the Silver Medal in the Senior Division at the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi. Throughout his career, Yanowsky has participated in numerous international ballet galas. Yanowsky is also a choreographer, and won the prestigious choreographic prize at the 2015 Eric Bruhn Competition for his ballet District. He has been commissioned to create works for Boston Ballet, The Bundes Jugend Ballet, Jacobs Pillow Opening Night Gala, Portland Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and Carlos Acosta’s Premiere’s Plus. His works have been featured in galas worldwide.
Rosario Guillen (Prince) hails from Pharr, Texas where he trained under the direction of Nadia Valdez. It is there where he began his extensive training in Ballet, Jazz, Flamenco, Modern, and contemporary dance styles. To further his training Mr. Guillen left his home town and attended various elite intensives and workshops with a myriad of companies such as; Nashville ballet, NYC beginnings workshop, TAMUCC and Joffrey Ballet. Rosario also has had the opportunity to portray several roles with theatres across Texas and Massachusetts. In film Rosario has had the opportunity to be a principal dancer for Columbia and Sony pictures production of "Little Women" dancing alongside Meryl Streep and Saoirse Ronan. Mr. Guillen has worked with highly acclaimed teachers and choreographer for instance Diane Orio, Yuri Yanowsky, and Ben Cameron. His extensive training has granted him the opportunity to continue to train at one of the nations top performing arts conservatories, The Boston Conservatory at Berklee.
Lucas Melfi (Dr. Drosselmeyer) is a New York based dancer and choreographer recently seen as Albert in FPAC's production of Newsies. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance Performance and Choreography from Elon University. He has performed as a company dancer for TERRANOVA Dance Theatre, The Kearns Dance Project, RAD | Renay Aumiller Dances, Natalie Marrone & the Dance Cure, and Gerri Houlihan. He has danced in festivals throughout the country, including the American Dance Festival, The Austin Dance Festival, the Boston Contemporary Dance Festival, and the NC Dance Festival Tour. He has also presented his own choreography in North Carolina and New York. Most recently, Lucas performed in the production "Gilded" at the Capital Fringe Festival in Washington D.C as well as "The Yellow Wallpaper" at Dixon Place in NYC. An alum of the Franklin School for the Performing Arts, his FPAC credits include The Nutcracker (Chinese Soloist, u/s Prince), Humbug! (Young Scrooge), and The Secret Garden.
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