FACULTY
Alice Arja
Alice Arja had her Professional Qualification Course completed at the Centro de Dança Rio, having danced at the Cia de Dança Rio in the role of Giselle, Raymonda, Paquita and others. Her deep love for the dance and for teaching made her specialize in the Classical Dance Technique in methodologies such as English, Cuban, and Russian, as well as the Curriculum Training ABT (NY / USA). With that, she created her own pedagogical system (SEAA), created for her institution and now applied in several Dance Schools in Brazil and abroad. She is currently the Artistic Director at the Art and Dance Center of Campo Grande, which has implemented her teaching system. She also has a specialization in Children's Dance, Terminology and Codification of Classical Dance. Her experience in classical repertoires has allowed her to become a specialist in reassembling traditional ballets such as Giselle, Coppelia, Don Quixote, and others. With the formation of the Cia de Ballet do Rio de Janeiro, she went on to be a choreographer of schools, companies, experimental groups, TV commercials and commissions in the carioca carnival. Alice’s company has its own repertoire created by her and other renowned international choreographers. Currently she is the Official Representative in South America of the Miami City Ballet and Brussels International Ballet School as well as the International Curriculum Consultant for Sanctuary of the Arts and the Inter-American Choreographic Institute.
Rafi Maldonado-Lopez
Rafi Maldonado-Lopez has been working for over thirty years in myriad areas of the arts, education, community development, and human services either as a performer, teacher, director, administrator, or producer. He has a diverse and extensive background as a dancer, teacher, and choreographer with both national and international companies. He holds a BA in Arts Management and Applied Arts Education. After many successful years in development, arts administration, education, and community outreach with organizations such as Minnesota Dance Theatre, New World School of the Arts, and Miami City Ballet he founded the Inter-American Choreographic Institute (ICI) in 2014. In 2018 he became the Founding Artistic Director of Compañía Ballet Metropolitano de Medellin (Colombia). In 2021, he assumed the role of Principal Managing Director for Sanctuary of the Arts. In 2022, Rafi was named a Knight Arts Champion by the Knight Foundation.
Maria Teresa del Real
Maria Teresa del Real has held the position of Principal Ballerina with the English National Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Scottish Ballet, Royal Ballet of Flanders and Pittsburgh Ballet Theater. She has travelled extensively as a guest Prima Ballerina dancing with legendary partners including Rudolph Nureyev, Fernando Bujones, Carlos Acosta, Jose Manuel Carreño, and Maximiliano Guerra. Representing the U.S.A., she won a bronze medal at the Varna International Competition, bringing the United States its first medal in 10 years and was received by President Reagan at the Oval Office. She won the prestigious Soviet Ballet Prize at the Moscow International Competition and HRH Queen Elizabeth II recognized her as an Outstanding American Ambassador for the Arts in London, U.K. As a dancer, her extensive repertoire includes works by masters such as Tudor, Balanchine, Ashton, Ailey, Limon, MacMillan, Cranko, Taylor, Bournonville and Naharin as well as the lead role in many of the great established classical and romantic ballets. Upon retiring, she joined the full-time teaching staff at the prestigious Central School of Ballet in London, U.K. where she taught close to a decade. To help care for her parents, Ms. del Real moved to Miami, Fl. where continues to teach at New World School of the Arts, Armour Dance Theatre and as a guest of Sanctuary of the Arts.
Liz Malm
Elizabeth Malm is a native Miamian. She graduated from New World School of the Arts where she was featured in work by guest choreographer Michael Utoff of the Arizona Ballet. She has danced with companies such as Momentum Dance, and Karen Peterson and Dancer, Ballet Florida, SoFlo Ballet, and Ballet Theater of Miami. This has been her fifth year performing in the Florida Dance Festival. She has choreographed many music videos, danced, and toured with artists such as Lenny Kravitz, Ricky Martin, Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction, Beastie Boys, Lil' Romeo, Jay-Z, Baha Men, Carlos Ponce, Jaime Camil, Tito Puente, Sam Beam and Kevens. She has also choreographed many commercials and television shows for Bud Light featuring Cedric the Entertainer, Virgin Mobile featuring Missy Elliot, Samsung, Lays, Herbal Essence, Pollo Tropical, "Truth", MTV, BET, CBS, Telemundo and Univision. She is currently teaching Jazz and Ballet in the Musical Theater Division at New World School of the Arts High School and College Division.
Ariel Rose
Ariel Rose first began choreographing in 2002 through student choreographic projects and in 2015, was a recipient of the choreographic fellowship from Jennifer Homan’s Center for Ballet and the Arts at New York University. He has since been commissioned to create new works by many professional companies, including the Miami City Ballet, Cia De Ballet do Rio de Janeiro, Medanza, Ballet Metropolitano, The Skylar Campbell Dance Collective, Revolve Dance Project, and Dimensions Dance Theater of Miami. His choreographic works have been performed in cities all over the Americas, and at estimable theaters such as, Jacob’s Pillow in Becket, Massachusetts and the Joyce Theater in New York City. He has also created works for distinguished schools including Miami City Ballet School, Boston Ballet School, and Ballet Academy East. His first work for Miami City Ballet, Amorada Pas De Deux, was commissioned by Artistic Director, Lourdes Lopez, in 2021 and went on to be performed at the Nantucket Dance Festival. In 2022 Rose was commissioned by Daniel Ulbricht to create a piece for his Stars of American Ballet. Rose received a grant from The Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs for his choreographic work in 2022, and has also collaborated with widely celebrated Miami based musicians and composers, such as the fellows of the New World Symphony, Frost School of music professor Orland Jacinto and acclaimed latin grammy winner Jorge Mejia. Rose’s work Hesperion, choreographed for Cia de Ballet do Rio de Janeiro, was awarded the silver medal in choreography at the Valentina Kozlova International Ballet Competition (2017). In addition to choreographing, Rose creates, edits, and directs film projects. Traveler, a three-part dance film, which he choreographed and co-directed, was selected by the Canadian International Fashion Film Festival (CANIFF).
Ralphie Ruiz
Rafael Ruiz-del-Vizo was born and raised in Miami, Florida and obtained a Bachelors of Fine Arts from New World School of the Arts where he trained in classical ballet, modern, jazz and contemporary dance. He has worked closely with choreographers such as Jamar Roberts and Stephanie Martinez, also performing in works by Martha Graham, Paul Taylor, Robert Battle, and Ohad Naharin. Currently, Rafael dances with Dimensions Dance Theater of Miami, a Contemporary-Ballet Company directed by Jennifer Kronenburg and Carlos Guerra, he has also choreographed work for their upcoming 9th season. He also has a passion for teaching all around South Florida, mainly at Miami Dance Project and Sanctuary of the Arts Pre-Professional Ensemble. In 2021 Rafael co-founded Syncopate Collective, a collaborative group of diverse multidisciplinary artists that aim to provide a safe space for professional dance artists to share with the vibrant South Florida community. He serves as Creative Director and has helped create this community by scheduling classes and workshops and creating performance opportunities. Rafael continues to refine his skills for movement research and developing choreography by being a present member of the Florida Dance Community and wishes to continue sharing his passion to future generations.
Guess Faculty
Renato Penteado
Renato Penteado was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he began his dance training at the age of 7. In 1998, he competed in the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi, where he then was invited by Miami City Ballet Founder and former Artistic Director Edward Villella to join the Company as a member of the corps de ballet. He was promoted to Principal Dancer in 2004. Throughout his career, Mr. Penteado has danced nationally and internationally in numerous classical, Neoclassical, contemporary and modern works by world- renowned choreographers such as George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Twyla Tharp, Alexei Ratmansky, Paul Taylor, Christopher Wheeldon, John Cranko, Justin Peck, Edward Villella, Liam Scarlett, Sir Frederick Ashton and many others. In 2016, Mr. Penteado was nominated and voted the winner of Dance Magazine’s Readers Choice Awards for Best Male Performance. In addition to his professional performing career, Mr. Penteado has taught extensively as a faculty member of Summer Dance Programs throughout the United States. Mr. Penteado was a Faculty Teacher at Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet Academic year 2019-2020 under the leadership of the Artistic Director Darla Hoover. Currently Mr. Penteado is a Faculty Teacher at Naples Ballet and Company under the leadership of CEO Ms.Toshiko Tompkins and the Artistic Director Christophe Maraval former Principal Dancer with Pacific Northwest Ballet.
Richard Amaro
Richard Amaro is a Miami born dancer and choreographer. He moved to New York to start his career with the Ailey II company, and danced in a wide range of styles over the years. He performed in musicals and films such as Jerome Robbins’ Broadway and Chita Rivera: The Dancer’s Life, Dangerous Games, toured with West Side Story, Kiss of the Spider Woman and The Dancer’s Life. His film credits include The Mambo Kings and Jeffrey. Amaro has choreographed for Chita Rivera, Dreamgirls, Lounge for Miami City Ballet and Magic City STARZ TV. He has taught at the Ailey School, Steps on Broadway, American Ballet Theater, Broadway Dance Center, Miami City Ballet, PDC Japan, Pineapple London and New World School of the Arts. Amaro has performed with Michael Jackson, Tina Turner, Michael Bolton, and Vanessa Williams.