Presenting Our 2023 Dance Finalists
Michael de la Nuez | American Ballet Theatre
Michael de la Nuez was born in Lexington, Kentucky and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. He began his dance training at age 14 at de la Dance Center, studying with his parents, former professional ballet dancers Mario de la Nuez and Meridith Benson. In 2016, he attended the Boston Ballet Summer Dance Program.
In 2016, de la Nuez joined de la Dance Company, a small professional company in Cincinnati, as a trainee, and he performed as a full company member from 2017-2018. His repertoire included the Cavalier, Snow King, Nutcracker and Russian in The Nutcracker, Paquita, Le Corsaire pas de deux, Don Quixote pas de deux and the peasant pas de deux from Giselle, as well as modern and contemporary repertory.
In 2017, de la Nuez was a finalist at the Youth America Grand Prix in New York City, and in 2018 he won the Grand Prix at the YAGP Regional Competition in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
He joined ABT Studio Company in February 2018, became an apprentice with the main Company in December 2018, and joined the corps de ballet in June 2019.
Jake Roxander | American Ballet Theatre
Jake Roxander began his formal dance training at the age of seven, studying with his parents until he was 17 years old. During his childhood, Jake took gymnastics and voice lessons and performed in several musical theatre productions in Southern Oregon. He participated in the YAGP, receiving the Youth Grand Prix Award in 2016 and 2017 and the Grand Prix Award in 2018 and 2019. He was awarded full scholarships to Pennsylvania Ballet’s “Company Experience” workshop in 2017 and 2018, and to American Ballet Theatre’s New York Summer Intensive in 2019. Jake joined Pennsylvania Ballet II in 2019. In September 2020, Jake joined ABT Studio Company, became an apprentice with the main Company in May 2022, joined the corps de ballet in September 2022, and was promoted to soloist in March of 2024. His repertoire includes Harlequin and the Chinese Lead in The Nutcracker, Benno and Neapolitan Dance in Swan Lake, Peasant Pas de Deux in Giselle, Puck in The Dream, Mercutio in Romeo & Juliet, and leading roles in Etudes and Piano Concerto No. 1.
Frances Lorraine Samson | Limón Dance Company
Hailed by the Boston Globe as "absorbing, steadfast, and compelling", Frances Lorraine Samson is a New York-based artist originally from Toronto, Canada. She has been featured by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, TEDx, and Harper's Bazaar, and has had the honor of working for institutions such as The Juilliard School, SUNY Purchase College, and the Danish National Academy of Music. Frances was a principal dancer with the Limón Dance Company (2022 Bessie Award for Outstanding Choreography) from 2017-2023 and is currently on faculty for the Limón Institute. She has had the pleasure of collaborating with artists such as Kate Weare, Francesca Harper, Raúl Tamez, Kayla Farrish, Madeline Hollander, and Aszure Barton. Frances currently works for Award-winning choreographers Twyla Tharp and Baye & Asa.
Mac Twining | Christopher Williams
Mac Twining (he/him) studied ballet with Nadege Hottier at the Premiere Division Ballet school and absorbed the influence of postmodern dance from his mother, Darla Stanley. In New York, he has worked with choreographers such as Stephen Petronio, Tere O’Connor, Kimberly Bartosik, Christopher Williams, Paul Singh, Aileen Passloff, Esmé Boyce, Douglas Dunn, Ellen Cornfield, Liz Gerring, Elise Knudson, and more. He has also been fortunate to work with the Merce Cunningham Trust on many occasions, performing in reconstructions of iconic pieces like Sounddance, August Pace, Beachbirds, and Totem Ancestor. In January of 2023, Mac was listed in Dance Magazine’s 25 to watch after his performance in Christopher Williams’s queer reimagining of Les Sylphides. In December of 2023, he joined the CCN - Ballet de Lorraine in Nancy, France.