Alonzo King LINES Ballet

Archives: People

  • Carmen Rozestraten

    Carmen Rozestraten

    Carmen Rozestraten is a founding member of Alonzo King LINES Ballet and danced with the company from 1978-1996. She is a senior faculty member for LINES Ballet’s education programs and teaches the company regularly. A native of Amsterdam, she has toured the world as a performer and educator, teaching at major ballet companies such as Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, Opera de Lyon and Spain’s Compañía Nacional de Danza.

    She has choreographed for Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Institut del Teatre, Barcelona, the LINES Ballet Summer Program, the LINES Ballet Training Program, and LINES Ballet BFA at Dominican University of California.

    Carmen has also made three award-winning dance films.

    Alonzo King LINES Ballet | BFA at Dominican, Dance Center, and Summer Program

  • Liv Schaffer

    Liv Schaffer

    Liv Schaffer received her Bachelor’s degree from Alonzo King LINES Ballet BFA Program at Dominican University of California in 2013, and has spent subsequent seasons performing with AXIS Dance Company, DanceWorks Chicago, The Dance Exchange, and Robert Moses’ Kin. Liv is a Community Engagement Artist with Jacob’s Pillow Curriculum in Motion®, and a Lead Artist with the Pillow’s Medicine in Motion program, investigating ways in which dance is a tool for medical practitioners to enhance humane and holistic practices in their work. Liv teaches Contemporary Dance and directs University of San Francisco’s intergenerational dance company; the Dance Generators. Liv was named a Shawl Anderson Dance Center 2019 Artist in Residence, and her choreography has been presented by DanceWorks Chicago’s DanceMoves Choreographic Competition, Jacob’s Pillow Inside/Out Performance Series, Jacob’s Pillow Lab In Process Series, the JUNTOS Collective, The Big Muddy Dance Company, LINES BFA & Summer Programs, Western Michigan University, and Yerba Buena Gardens Festival ChoreoFest.

    Alonzo King LINES Ballet | BFA at Dominican, Summer Program

    Photography | © David DeSilva

  • Natalya Shoaf

    Natalya Shoaf

    Natalya Shoaf is a Bay Area dance educator, choreographer, and performer. She received her formidable dance education from Burbank Dance Biz, Patsy Metzger Dancers, Media City Dance, and Los Angeles High School for the Arts. Shoaf holds a BFA in Dance from the Alonzo King LINES Ballet BFA Program at Dominican University of California. Natalya Shoaf is a dance educator for Oakland School of the Arts and Shawl-Anderson Dance Center. As a performer, she has worked with Robert Moses Kin, OysterKnife, Flyaway Productions, dazaun.dance, and many more. Shoaf is a performing artist with dawsondancesf/works and guest choreographer for Cal State East Bay. She also joined the LINES Ballet Summer Program faculty in 2024.

  • Nol Simonse

    Nol Simonse

    To inquire about classes at LINES Dance Center with Nol Simonse, send him an email.

    Nol Simonse grew up in Washington, D.C., and trained at the Boston Conservatory of Music. He moved to San Francisco in 1997 and is a founding member of Kunst-Stoff, Janice Garrett and Dancers, and Sean Dorsey Dance. He is also a longtime collaborator/performer of Sue Roginski, Eric Kupers, Christy Funsch, Stephen Pelton, and Kara Davis. Nol has worked with many other Bay Area artists, including Mark Foehringer, Mary Armentrout, Todd Courage, Della Davidson, ACT director Carey Perloff, and choreographer Val Caniparoli. Nol has been nominated many times over the years for an Isadora Duncan Bay Area Dance Award, and in 2011, he was awarded one for individual performance “for his entire season, including A.C.T.’s The Tosca Project.” In 2009, Nol received a GOLDIE for dance (Guardian Outstanding Local Discovery) from Rita Felciano, who has called Nol “an intense artist”, and “a marvel of a dancer.” Nol was the first person to win Luna Dance Institute’s Choreofund prize, and Dance Teacher Magazine published an interview with him in the September, 2016 issue.

    Nol currently teaches modern at LINES Dance Center and Shawl-Anderson Dance Center. He has taught choreography, repertory, and performance workshops for adults and teens and has made dances for the LINES Summer Program, students at USF, Shawl-Anderson Youth Ensemble, ODC’s Dance Jam, and Dance Mission Theater’s Grrrl Brigade. Nol began teaching with Tina Banchero at Dance Mission Theater, and he participated in Luna Dance Institute’s summer intensive and a pedagogy workshop with Janice Garrett. Nol produced eight seasons of “Shared Space” with Todd Eckert at Dance Mission Theater from 2007–2016 and has had residencies at Dance Mission and Studio 210. Nol was one of the 25 nominated artists to create a dance for the 25th anniversary season of the West Wave Dance Festival, and he was a 2017 mentee of Margaret Jenkins in her CHIME Program.

    Alonzo King LINES Ballet | Dance Center

    Photography | © Anna Simonse

  • AMANDA SMITH

    AMANDA SMITH

    Amanda Smith grew up in Orange County, CA and trained at California Dance Academy, Pointe of Grace, and Anaheim Ballet. In 2008, she was crowned Miss Dance Drill Team California and USA. She moved to New York to study at SUNY Purchase where she received her BFA in 2012. She also studied abroad and performed at the Dance New York International Dance Festival in Madrid, Spain.

    After graduating, Smith joined Charlotte Ballet and worked with Patricia McBride. In 2015, she moved back to New York, where she joined New York Theatre Ballet. Smith also taught and participated in outside projects including The Black Iris Project and Kymera Dance, and she was featured in a national campaign for GAP. She then joined the Dance Theatre of Harlem in 2017 and was featured on the cover of Dance Magazine’s 2019 April issue. While at DTH, Smith performed many roles in ballets such as Allegro Brilliante and Blake Works IV. She also guested for Debbie Allen’s Hot Chocolate Nutcracker. Furthermore, Smith has taught classes, performed as a guest artist all over, and worked with many prolific artists such as Arthur Mitchell, Carmen De Lavalade, and William Forsythe.

    Photography: Alonzo King LINES Ballet | Dancer: Amanda Smith | © RJ Muna

  • Dazaun Soleyn

    Dazaun Soleyn

    With an intention to create art that aims to illuminate the human soul, Dazaun Soleyn (he/she/they), has presented work in the Bay Area since 2013. He received a BFA in Modern Dance Performance and Choreography from the University of South Florida and continued his dance education at the Alonzo King LINES Ballet Training Program. Recently, Dazaun graduated from California College of the Arts with a Masters in Architecture (MArch). Dazaun is an adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco, a GYROTONIC® Instructor, Reiki Master, and Apprentice Herbalists. His mediums include dance, architecture, sculpture, and interactive installations.

  • Victor Talledos

    Victor Talledos

    Victor Talledos is an international independent artist based in SF. He began his dance training at Conservatorio de Danza in Mexico City and graduated from Escuela Superior de Musica y Danza de Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico. In 2008, he moved to NYC to attend the Ailey School for two years. Victor has performed for Proyectos en Movimiento dance company and Ballet Moderno de Mexico-Las Bestias in Mexico. In 2010, Victor moved to San Francisco and became part of the Bay Area Dance community, he has worked for Robert Moses’ Kin Dance Company, Copious Dance Theater, Labayen Dance San Francisco, Alayo Dance Company, The Anata Project, RAWDance SF, among others. As a choreographer, Victor has shown his work in venues including Ailey Citigroup Theater, Dance New Amsterdam for the “Latin Choreographers Festival” in NYC, Dance Mission Theater for the “Latin American Contemporary Choreographers Festival” in SF, Safe House Arts, Cowell Theater. He has been a guest choreographer for Labayen Dance, Copious Dance Theater and Emote Dance Theater.

    Victor is currently faculty member for all education programs at Alonzo King LINES Ballet, from Teens at LINES to the BFA Program at Dominican University of California. He is part of the Modern Dance faculty at Berkeley Ballet Theater and teaches open classes (ballet, modern and contemporary) at Alonzo King LINES Dance Center. Victor has also taught in places including ODC Dance Commons, Shawl Anderson Dance Center, and Westlake School for the Performing Arts and has been a guest artist at Stanford University, guest teacher and choreographer at Mills College, guest choreographer at The Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts (SOTA). He has taught workshops in Amarillo, Texas, Mexico City and Monterrey, Mexico. Aside from his professional dance career, Victor is also a visual artist, part-time model and photographer.

    Alonzo King LINES Ballet | BFA at Dominican and Summer Program

    Photography | © Victor Talledos

  • Brooke Terry

    Brooke Terry

    Brooke Terry (she/her) is a dance artist, choreographer, and movement investigator. Native to Saint Louis, Missouri, she began her dance journey at 3 years old, and at the age of 10 shifted toward the pursuit of a more serious pre-professional dance education at the Center of Creative Arts Saint Louis (COCA).

    In May of 2022, Brooke graduated Summa Cum Laude from the Alonzo King LINES Ballet BFA program at Dominican University of California, where she completed a Psychology Minor, an Honors Program Certificate, and earned Departmental Honors. Through four years of training in the Bay Area, she has graciously studied with Marina Hotchkiss, Gregory Dawson, Maurya Kerr, Christian Burns, Brett Conway, Carmen Rozestraten, Kara Davis, and James Graham. Her training at LINES has allowed her to perform works by Sidra Bell, Dexandro “D” Montalvo, Nick Korkos, and many others. While in the program she also presented her choreographic thesis project, stone2dust, with mentorship from Kara Davis. Brooke has spent summers training at The Alvin Ailey School, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Kansas City Ballet, and at her home base dance organization, COCA, under the direction of Antonio and Kirven Douthit-Boyd.

    Brooke is jump-starting her post-graduate professional dance career with dawsondancesf, REYES Dance, and Xochipilli Dance Company, while joining the TEENS at LINES program faculty in the Fall of 2022. She aims to continue sharing her experiences as a young Black individual navigating the world of today through dance, joy, and gratitude.

  • Charles Torres

    Charles Torres

    To inquire about classes at LINES Dance Center with Charles Torres, send him an email.

    Charles Torres M.A. is currently a master/coach in demand throughout the country. He was a principal dancer and guest artist with Ballet West Arizona, Smuin Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, and San Francisco Opera Ballet. He has danced all the full-length ballets, a full Balanchine repertory, and a vast repertory of contemporary works. Charles received his Masters degree in 21st Century Leadership from St. Mary’s College and is a Floorbarre certified teacher through the Zena Rommett Foundation.

    He is currently a freelance guest dancer, ballet master, coach, mentor, and teaches at San Francisco’s LINES Dance Center and at DSG in San Francisco and San Rafael.

    Alonzo King LINES Ballet | Dance Center

  • Keelan Whitmore

    Keelan Whitmore

    Keelan Whitmore from Rockford, Illinois, trained at the Rockford Dance Company, the Joffrey Ballet School/New School University, and graduated from Michigan’s Interlochen Arts Academy and St. Mary’s College L.E.A.P. Program where he received his B.A. in Dance. As a member of Kansas City Ballet from 2001-2006, Whitmore performed works by choreographers including George Balanchine, Nacho Duato, Jerome Robbins and Twyla Tharp. In 2006, Whitmore became a member of the Suzanne Farrell Ballet. His choreography has been showcased in workshop and gala performances presented by Kansas City Ballet, Virginia School of the Arts, the LINES Ballet Training Program, LINES Ballet BFA at Dominican, and Regional Dance America, which presented Whitmore with its National Choreography Recognition Award in 2005. That same year, he co-founded Kansas City–based multi-disciplinary ensemble Quixotic Fusion. Whitmore danced with Alonzo King LINES Ballet from 2006-2013. He is currently a soloist with TanzTheater Muenster in Germany.

    Alonzo King LINES Ballet | Summer Program

    Photography | © RJ Muna

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