Alumni

Conservatory Dancers step into the next stage of their careers and life as accomplished young artists. Many are now performing across the world’s most prestigious stages, and others have taken the discipline and confidence their training has instilled in them as they pursue other career paths.

Universities and Dance Programs

Alonzo King/LINES Ballet BFA
Alvin Ailey/Fordham
CalArts School of Dance
Columbia University
Duke University
Georgetown University
Harvard University
Point Park University
Point Park University
Princeton
Princeton University
SUNY Purchase Conservatory of Dance
The Juilliard School
The University of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts at NYU
University of Michigan Musical Theater
USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance

Dance Companies

American Ballet Theater
Ballet Hispánico
Ballet Quad-Cities
Ballet Zurich
Bruce Wood Dance
Dance Theatre of Harlem
Gibney Dance
Golden State Ballet
L-E-V Sharon Eyal/Emanuel Gat
Lyon Opera Ballet
Mark Morris Dance Group
PBII Philadelphia Ballet
PHILADANCO!
Rubberband Dance
San Francisco Ballet
Staatsballett Berlin
Studio Wayne McGregor
The Washington Ballet

Summer Intensives, Dance Schools, and Offers

ABT National Training Scholars: Ela Sevillia, Ella Berton, Eric Poor (2023)
Arts Umbrella
B12 in Berlin
Complexions Contemporary Ballet Academy
Dance Theater of Harlem
Gallim Dance
Houston Ballet
ImpulsTanz
The Juilliard School
Kansas City Ballet
Koresh Dance Company
LINES Ballet
Miami City Ballet
Nederlands Dans Theater
Orlando Ballet
Orsolina28
The Royal Ballet School
School of American Ballet
Spectrum Dance Theater
Springboard Dance in Montreal
Steps on Broadway
The Juilliard School

Diana Amalfitano

CityDance Alumna ‘11

Grace Cho (She/Her)

CityDance Alumna ‘18

Dana Pajarillaga

CityDance Alumna ‘13

Matthew McLaughlin

CityDance Alumnus ‘17

Mariano Zamora Gonzalez (He/Him)

CityDance Alumnus '17

Mariano Zamora González (He/Him) is a Costa Rican artist residing in London. Mariano accepted a scholarship to pursue a BFA in Dance from the University of Southern California under the direction of Jodie Gates and William Forsythe, where he performed works by Forsythe, Jiří Kylián, Ohad Naharin, Jerome Robbins, George Balanchine, Alejandro Cerrudo, and Dwight Rhoden. Between 2021 and 2023, he toured with Ballet Hispánico of New York, performing at the Lincoln Center’s BAAND Together Dance Festival, as well as premiere in Annabelle Lopez Ochoa’s “Doña Perón” as part of the 2022 Fall for Dance festival of the NYCC. Mariano is currently touring the world with Company Wayne McGregor, and has since modeled for Moschino’s 40th anniversary collection at Milano Fashion Week; performed at Frieze London, Roberto Bolle and Friends Gala in Milano, and the 2024 edition of La Biennale di Venezia. He is soon to premiere McGregor’s “Deepstaria” at the 44th edition of the Montpellier Danse Festival in France. Aesthetically driven with a minor in Architecture, Mariano is interested in the intersectionality of fine arts, craftsmanship, fashion, and film. Discover him on social media @nanozamora and follow his ever evolving career.

Nicole Liebeler (She/Her)

CityDance Alumna ‘19

Ryan Carlough (He/Him)

CityDance Alumnus ‘17

Kevin Pajarillaga (He/His)

CityDance Alumnus ‘12

Jade Diouf

CityDance Alumna ‘19

Makani Yerg

CityDance Alumnus '19

Corbin Holloway

CityDance Alumnus '23

School of American Ballet Royal Ballet School 2021-2022 YAGP finals Hope award, Gold Medalist, & Silver Medalist USAIBC Jury encouragement award YAGP Gala x4

Rebecca Stewart

CityDance Alumna ‘21

Lucas Castro

CityDance Alumnus ‘19

Mackenzie Davis

CityDance Alumna ‘21

Mackenzie Davis grew up in Frederick, Maryland where she began her dance training at age 4. She started her love for dance at 24/7 Dance Studio in Frederick, Maryland where she learned all styles of dance such as jazz, contemporary, tap, hip-hop, ballet, and musical theater. She then trained at City Dance School and Conservatory in Bethesda, Maryland under the direction of Lorraine Audeoud Spiegler and Ballet Master Stanislav Issaev. Mackenzie performed many classical and contemporary works in her training, and participated in the Youth America Grand Prix ballet competition where she placed 1st in the contemporary category and Top 12 in the classical category. To further her training and evolve her love for ballet, Mackenzie attended summer intensives at the Joffrey Ballet School in Chicago and Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre. Mackenzie joined Grand Rapids Ballet under James Sofranko for the 2021/2022 season as a Trainee, and later as an apprentice in 2023. At her time in Grand Rapids she performed many roles in Val Caniparoli’s Nutcracker which include Snow and Flower Corps, Sugar Plum Doll, and Marzipan. She also performed in Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella, George Balanchine’s Serenade, George Balanchine’s Who Cares?, Christopher Stowell’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Isaac Aoki’s Soireé, and Little Red Riding Hood in Artistic Director James Sofranko‘s Spring Break for Kids. She is excited to join Golden State Ballet as a Corps De Ballet member for their 23/24 season.

CityDance Conservatory Alumni

Male dancer lifts female dancer in the air.

Female dancer in white dress leaps in the air

Male dancer hovers horizontally above ground

young male dancer lifts young female dancer in the air

Young female dancer in black dress kicks leg up in the air

Male dancer in wide room kicks leg up in the air

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Young female dancer kicks leg up in the air.

Testimonials

“I’m back in California to finish my last year of college, so I’ve been reminiscing about my past and my education and without the help and work of CityDance I wouldn’t be where I am. I just wanted to thank you so much for your support during my high school years! I really really appreciate all that you did for me and continue to do for so many children at CityDance!”

Nano Zamora

CityDance Class of 2017, USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, Class of 2021 Company Dancer with Ballet Hispánico, starting fall 2021

“I studied at CityDance because of its strong ballet and contemporary training. CityDance is special because of the lasting bonds I have made with fellow students and faculty. I have forged lifelong friendships with incredibly diverse people. Everyone in the Conservatory is so close that we are practically a family.”

Jade Diouf

CityDance Class of 2019, The Juilliard School

“I graduated in 2013 and I am now in Berlin working at the Staatsballett and also working on my own projects. After CityDance, I went to New York and trained at Juilliard for 4 years, and then after that, I was in Montreal dancing with RUBBERBAND. CityDance had prepared me for everything – a wide variety of techniques, performing anywhere and working with anyone. It was a lot of work and I feel like I am resilient because of this work. It’s really special.”

Dana Pajarillaga

CityDance Class of 2019, The Juilliard School Graduate, Staatsballett Berlin

Alumni

CityDance Conservatory Alumni

Testimonials

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The VIVA School of Dance (formerly CityDance DREAM)