Cast

Originally from Santos (SP), Ariele Gomes began her studies with her sister Marcela Ribeiro. At the age of 15, she graduated from the Royal Academy of Dance through the Escola de Ballet Lúcia Millás. At 17, she was hired by Julio Bocca to join the Ballet Nacional Sodre in Uruguay, and at 21 she was promoted to soloist of the company, where she performed until 2022; during this period, she also had Igor Yebra and Maria Riccetto as directors. In 2022, she was hired by the Ballet de Catalunya under the direction of Elias Garcia and was promoted to soloist in February 2023. She danced soloist roles in works such as: Le Corsaire, Swan Lake, La Bayadère, The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, The Merry Widow, Coppelia, among others. And in choreographies by Nacho Duato, Jiří Kylián, William Forsythe, and Goyo Montero. She joined the SPCD in 2025.

At the age of 13, Caio Veneziano began his studies in Classical Ballet through a cultural workshop project promoted by the City Hall of São José dos Campos (SP). In 2013, he was invited to take classes with the Youth Dance Company of São José dos Campos, where he was hired in 2014. He continued his training by enrolling, also in 2014, at the Marco Dance Institute, in the regular course of classical ballet and contemporary dance. In July 2018, he had the opportunity to apply for the Trainee Program at the Margaret Barbieri Conservatory of Ballet in Sarasota, USA. In 2019, he was selected for the Professional Division of the Dance Company of São José dos Campos. He joined the São Paulo Dance Company (SPCD) in 2025.

Born in 1998 in São Paulo, Brazil, Carolina Pegurelli began her dance training at the age of ten at the Escola Municipal de Bailado de Taboão da Serra. At thirteen, she joined Grupo Jovem Paulista and Raça Centro de Artes. Throughout her training, she received awards in several national and international competitions.

In 2017, she was a finalist at the Youth America Grand Prix in New York, where she earned her first professional contract with The Washington Ballet. During the same period, she performed in The Nutcracker with Cisne Negro Companhia de Dança. In 2018, at the age of nineteen, she joined São Paulo Companhia de Dança (SPCD), where she has performed leading roles in classical ballets such as Swan Lake, Giselle, Don Quixote, and Les Sylphides, among others. Her repertoire also includes works by renowned national and international choreographers, including Nacho Duato, Édouard Lock, Jiří Kylián, Joëlle Bouvier, Stephen Shropshire, Shahar Binyamini, Cassi Abranches, and Henrique Rodovalho, among others. In 2024, she was nominated for the APCA Award (São Paulo Association of Art Critics) in the Best Performer category.

Born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she began her dance studies at the AMA Institute and was accepted in 2014 to the Maria Olenewa School of Dance at Theatro Municipal do RJ (TMRJ), under the direction of Maria Luísa Noronha, graduating professionally in 2018. She performed with the Ballet de Santiago in Chile in Romeo and Juliet during the performances at TMRJ in 2018. Hired in 2019 by TMRJ, she danced in Dalal Achcar’s Coppélia in the same year. She was a dancer at the Ballet da Escola Maria Olenewa (BEMO) from 2018 to 2021 under the direction of Jorge Teixeira and Hélio Bejani. She became a member of SPCD in 2022. 

Born in Praia Grande (SP), Dandara Caetano began her classical ballet training at Balé Jovem de São Vicente. She participated in international courses and competitions, refining her technique and gaining stage experience with teachers such as Aracy de Almeida, Toshie Kobayashi, Guivalde de Almeida, and Milton Kennedy.

In 2015, she participated in Tanzolymp, where she placed 4th among more than 120 ballerinas from around the world. She received awards at the Joinville Dance Festival and performed roles in classical repertoire ballets such as The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Le Corsaire.

Between 2019 and 2020, she danced with Cisne Negro Dance Company. In 2021, she joined the São Paulo Dance Company, where she remained for four years. In 2025, she joined the National Moravian-Silesian Theatre Ballet in Ostrava, Czech Republic, and in 2026 she returns to Brazil and rejoins the São Paulo Dance Company.

Hellen Teixeira, born in Valença, Bahia, began her dance education at the Bolshoi Theatre School in Brazil in 2021. There, she had the opportunity to perform in renowned ballets such as Don Quixote, Giselle, Raymonda, and Paquita, among others. Following this, she joined the Bolshoi Brazil Youth Company. In 2022, she earned a full scholarship to the Miami City Ballet School, where she briefly trained as a student. Returning to Brazil in 2023, she initially became a member of the Curitiba Dance Company and later joined the São Paulo Dance Company (SPCD).

Helena Mandrote, a graduate of Vivartes Dance School in São Paulo (SP), joined the professional training program at Anacã Dance Company in 2025, under the direction of Edy Wilson. She is a three-time champion of the Joinville Dance Festival in the senior women’s contemporary solo category and was nominated for Best Dancer in the 2024, 2025, and 2026 editions. She joined the SPCD in 2026 through the 2026 Talent Scholarship Program in partnership with the Joinville Dance Festival Institute (IFDJ).

Born in São Paulo (SP), he graduated from the Gisele Bellot Dance School. He took classes with Eduardo Bonnis, Valéria Mattos, and Paulo Vinicius, and danced with Cia Estável Promodanca, performing in ballets such as The Nutcracker and Majísimo. As a professional dancer, he participated in the “Apprentice of Maestro” series at Sala São Paulo and in the opera La Belle Hélène, choreographed by Luiz Arrieta. In 2022, he was part of Ballet STAGIUM. He joined the São Paulo Dance Company in 2024.

Jean Dornelles Chagas is a graduate of the Dicléa Ferreira de Souza Ballet School in Pelotas (RS) and holds a bachelor’s degree in dance from the Federal University of Pelotas. He was a member of the Pelotas Ballet Group and, in 2026, joined the São Paulo Youth Dance Company. His career spans both classical ballet and contemporary dance, and he also works as a teacher and researcher in the fields of dance creation and training. He joined the SPCD in 2026 through the 2026 Talent Scholarship Program, in partnership with the Joinville Dance Festival Institute (IFDJ).

Born in Belo Horizonte (MG), she began dancing at the age of 4 and received her training in classical ballet, jazz dance, contemporary dance, and urban dance at the Suelly Freire Dance School. In 2015, she joined the GED – Corpo Cidadão group, where she performed works such as “Corpo Fala” by Rodrigo Pederneiras. From 2016 to 2024, she was part of the Ballet Jovem Minas Gerais, a professional dance group directed by Andrea Maia, where she danced pieces by choreographers like Tíndaro Silvano, Alex Soares, Alessandro Pereira, and Oscar Arraiz. In 2024, she graduated with a degree in Anthropology from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, focusing her research on themes related to classical ballet and society. She joined the São Paulo Dance Company in 2024.

Born in Santos (São Paulo), Kauã Andrade graduated in Portugal from Pallco – Performing Arts School and Conservatory in 2021. His international trajectory includes a three-year period (2022–2025) with a contemporary dance company in Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal, working with artists such as Menghan Lou, Maura Morales, Tamar Porcelijn and Ana Casquilho.. In 2026, he joined the São Paulo Dance Company.

Laura Vaz holds a degree in classical ballet and contemporary dance from Studio Arte Dança in Divinópolis (MG), the city where she began her artistic career. Her involvement with the Joinville Dance Festival began in 2021, when she was selected for the Variations Final. The following year, she was part of the winning cast in the Senior Contemporary Ensemble category of the Competitive Showcase, and in 2023, she took second place in the same category. She joined the SPCD in 2026 through the 2026 Talent Scholarship Program in partnership with the Joinville Dance Festival Institute (IFDJ).

Born in Teresina (PI), Layne began her dance studies at the age of ten with the Cordão Grupo de Dança, a project developed at the public school she attended. With the group, she took part in festivals in Fortaleza and São Paulo. Later, she was awarded a scholarship to study at the Centro de Dança Mariana Alves, where she was introduced to the Royal Academy of Dance methodology and began taking exams, completing the Advanced 2 level in 2021. Alongside her dance training, she enrolled in the Physical Education program at the Federal University of Piauí (UFPI). From September 2023 to October 2024, she danced with the Cia Jovem Basileu França in Goiânia (GO), performing in both classical and contemporary productions in the city and in other Brazilian cities such as Joinville and São Paulo, as well as on an international tour in Turkey. She joined SPCD in 2025.

Originally from Rio de Janeiro, Letícia Cola began her ballet studies in Vitória (ES), at the Lenira Borges Ballet Studio. In 2013, she returned to Rio de Janeiro, where she continued her training at the Petite Danse Dance School, completing her studies in 2023. She had her first professional experience with the Bolshoi Youth Company in Brazil after receiving the Talentos Scholarship at the Joinville Dance Festival, becoming the first classical dancer trained outside the Bolshoi Theater School in Brazil to join the company’s cast. In 2025, she performed in the season of the classical ballet Giselle with Curitiba Cia de Dança and in the production of Swan Lake with São Paulo Companhia de Dança. In the same year, she joined the SPCD ensemble.

Born in São Paulo (SP), he began ballet classes at the age of four. In 2010, he started his dance studies at the former Municipal School of Dance of Theatro Municipal de São Paulo under the direction of Susana Yamauchi. He received instruction from esteemed teachers such as Beatriz Hack, Cristiana de Souza, Armando Aurichi, Will Helvécio, Flávio Lima, Gustavo Lopes, José Maria Pérez, Dani Stasi, Greice Kerche, Miriam Matsuda, Christiana Sarasidou, Welton Nascimbene, among others. He graduated in 2019 under the guidance of Luís Fernando Bongiovanni and Katiah Rocha. Additionally, he earned a degree in Human Resources Technology from Anhanguera College in Osasco. He became a member of the SPCD in 2023.

Maria Clara Albino Pereira graduated from Lapidari Núcleo de Artes in 2021 and completed her Royal Academy of Dance exams in 2024. As a member of the company, she performed in classical ballet repertoire pieces and neoclassical ballets that won first place in the Competitive Exhibition at the Joinville Dance Festival in 2021 and 2026. In both editions, Lapidari also received the Best Group award. She joined the SPCD in 2026 through the 2026 Talent Scholarship Program in partnership with the Joinville Dance Festival Institute (IFDJ).

Born in São Paulo (SP), she received her classical training at the Escola de Ballet Dac and, in 2020, joined the ballet company of the Instituto de Orientação Artística in Jundiaí (SP), where she performed in repertoires such as Giselle, Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Sleeping Beauty, and Le Corsaire, under the direction of master Lars Van Cauwenbergh. In 2021, she performed with Ballet Stagium and, in the following years, joined companies awarded under the PROAC programs. She won awards at the Brasília International Dance Seminar, and in 2024, participated in Tanzolymp Berlin, also working with German companies such as Ballett X Schwerin, Anhaltisches Theater Dessau, Landestheater Detmold, and Theater Altenburg Gera. She joined the São Paulo Dance Company in 2024.

Originally from Rio Grande do Sul, Marina Sachet graduated in Classical Ballet from Ballet Concerto, under Victoria Milanez. Between 2016 and 2017, she studied at Atelier LeLoft in Vevey, Switzerland. In 2018, she joined the Ballet of UFRGS, under the direction of Lisete Arnizaut and Rui Moreira. In 2023, she became a member of the Companhia Municipal de Dança de Porto Alegre. She joined SPCD in 2025.

At the age of six, in 2002, he began his training at the Suely Freire School in Belo Horizonte (MG). In 2007, he joined the Compasso Dance Academy, where he initiated his studies in classical and contemporary techniques under the guidance of notable figures like Bettina Bellomo, Lúcia Vieira, and Tindaro Silvano. In 2013, he continued his education at The Harid Conservatory in Boca Raton (USA), directed by Gordon Wright. After returning to Brazil, he joined the Cisne Negro Company in 2016. In 2018, he danced at the School of the Municipal Theater of Rio de Janeiro under the direction of Jorge Teixeira and Hélio Beijani. He became a member of the SPCD in 2018. 

Born in Campinas (SP), he began his dance studies at the age of 14 at Opus Studio Academy. Simultaneously, he studied and danced at Beth Rodrigues Ballet, Iris-Ativa Lina Penteado, Espaço D, and Studio A Camila Juste Ballet. In 2014, he joined the Faces Ocultas Dance Company. In 2015, he was part of the cast of La Sylphide, by São Paulo Dance Company. He was chosen as the best dancer at the Campos do Jordão Winter Festival, where he received a scholarship for the Miami City Ballet School. He became a member of the SPCD in 2017.