Guest Artists

Hope Alexander has spent her life in show business. A professional for over 50 years, Hope has acted in, or directed, well over 100 plays. In addition, she also toured with Sir Michael Redgrave in Shakespeare's People, and starred in two TV series and a couple of movies, including both PRINCESS DIARIES films! As a teacher, Hope has taught at The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, The American Academy of Dramatic Arts, Los Angeles, The Drama Studio of London, Mills College, Berkeley, where she was awarded The Lucky Stern Professorship, and the Tony Award Winning American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco, among others. She is an inductee in both Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who of American Women.

Jorge Laico was born in Manila, Philippines and received his early dance training under Tony Fabella, Eddie Elejar, Inday Gaston Manosa, Vella Damian, Sonia Domingo, and Tom Pazik. After joining Philippine Ballet Theatre, he was invited to join Atlanta Ballet in Atlanta, Georgia under former Balanchine dancer Robert Barnett. He went on to become principal dancer for Eugene Ballet and worked at other companies such as Kansas City Ballet, Tulsa Ballet, Oakland Ballet, Ballet Pacifica, Grand Rapids Ballet, Manila Metropolis Ballet, and Lexington Ballet. He danced an extensive repertoire of works by Marius Petipa, George Balanchine, August Bournonville, Alonzo King, Nacho Duato, Agnes de Mille, Tony Pimble, and Fernand Nault among others. He was a faculty member at Rock School of Pennsylvania Ballet, and taught at North Carolina School of the Arts, Escuela Municipal del Teatro in Ribarroja del Turia, Spain, University of the Arts, Bryn Mawr College, Pennsylvania Governor’s School of the Arts, and workshop teacher for Cirque du Soleil. Some of his students have moved on to join New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, San Francisco Ballet, Houston Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem. He has coached and trained students that received medals and awards at Youth America Grand Prix NY and at International Ballet Competitions in Jackson, MS and Moscow, Russia. Mr. Laico was appointed by the Board of Directors to direct the Wilmington Ballet Academy in 2009.

Kristin Taylor, a Durham native, holds a BFA from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. She trained at Jacob's Pillow, and on scholarship at the Lou Conte Dance Studios with Hubbard Street II. In New York, she apprenticed with Urban Bush Women, and worked with choreographers Nathan Trice, Bridget Moore, Christal Brown and Sidra Bell. Kristin performed with the Mexico City-based Tania Perez-Salas Compania de Danza and created and performed works for Yuxtadanza Compania de Danza of Venezuela. She has taught in UNCSA’s preparatory program and as a guest of theTri-Cities Performing Arts School in Atlanta. Ms. Taylor received the Ella Fountain Pratt Emerging Artists Grant in 2011 to produce her first concert for KT COLLECTIVE. Currently Kristin works with nosiDANCE Theater, Helen Simoneau and is the Dance Educator for Riverside High School in Durham, NC.

Thomas Vacanti is currently an Assistant Professor of Dance at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He danced professionally with The Florida Ballet, Tampa Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Ballet Mississippi, Ballet Michigan and Ballet de Panama. He was one of ten dancers chosen nationally, by the prestigious Jacob's Pillow, to represent the USA in the Russian American Exchange Program. He worked with internationally renowned choreographers and teachers while performing extensively throughout Russia. He later received a Bachelor of Science in Dance from Skidmore College and an M.F.A. in Performance and and Choreography from Smith College. Thomas is also Artistic Director of the Pioneer Valley Ballet in Nothhampton, Massachusetts and his own touring repertory company Vacanti Ballets. He has choreographed for many theatre and dance companies and recently premiered three original works at the Boston University Dance Theatre and Jacob's Pillow.