Company Dancers

Hannah Joy Bontrager

Executive Director, Dancer

Hannah has studied the eight levels of the Vaganova Syllabus and Vaganova pedagogy with Donna Marisa Bontrager (Ballet Fantastique). In addition to spending two summers at the Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington, D.C. under Artistic Director Oleg Vinogradov (also Artistic Director of the Kirov Ballet in Russia), she was one of five students invited internationally to join renowned Kirov prima ballerina Mme. Alla Sizova’s advanced class. Hannah also trained with Vaganova Academy graduate Inessa Pakri-Plekhanova at the Academy of Colorado Ballet.

Hannah graduated summa cum laude and phi beta kappa from the Robert D. Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon, where, as a full scholarship student, she earned concurrent BA’s in Dance and English Literature and a minor in Community Arts through the graduate Arts Administration program, and participated in master classes with Dance Theatre of Harlem, Alvin Ailey, and Paul Taylor Dance Company. Hannah has performed as a guest dancer and/or contributing choreographer with a number of Northwest companies, including: Colorado Ballet, Co-Art Dance Company, Traduza Dance Company, Rose Children’s Theater, and the Staton Foundation. With Ballet Fantastique, Hannah has performed soloist and principal roles from a number of ballets, including Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella, The Nutcracker, Raymonda, Le Corsaire, and La Bayadere. Her original choreography includes collaborations with Artistic Director Donna Marisa Bontrager for Ballet Fantastique productions with the Oregon Mozart Players, Eugene Symphony, and the Trio Voronezh. In 2008-2009, Hannah appeared in dual performance rosters with Ballet Fantastique and with Manassas Ballet Theatre in northern Virginia, where she performed the principal role of the Sugar Plum Fairy with partner Vadim Slatvitskiy, and was coached by renowned Vaganova expert master teacher Dina Fadayeva.

Ashley Blake Bontrager, Dancer

Ashley has studied classical ballet at Buffalo City Ballet, the Conservatory of Classical Dance, Ballet Fantastique, and the University of Oregon. Under Ballet Fantastique Artistic Director Donna Marisa Bontrager, she has performed roles such as Little Red Riding Hood, Carabosse, the Gold Fairy Variation, and the Fleur de Farine (Sleeping Beauty), Chocolat (The Nutcracker), Odette and the Four Little Swans (Swan Lake), and in numerous contemporary ballet pieces, many of which she has played an active role in choreographing. In addition to her work with Ballet Fantastique, Ashley is currently a Journalism-Broadcasting major at the University of Oregon. She has appeared in Ballet Fantastique chamber company concerts in venues ranging from the Umpqua Dance Festival, to the University of Oregon School of Music and Dance Spring Loft, to the Slavic Festival, and in the Nutcracker with Buffalo City Ballet. Register-Guard dance critic Janet Descutner applauds Ashley’s “serious performance style” (2005).

Ya Xi Fu, Dancer

Ya Xi began ballet training at the dance department in Shanghai Childrens Palace when she was four years old. In 1993, she was accepted into the Shanghai Ballet School, where she graduated in 2000. In 1997, she garnered the Best Performing Award in the senior ballet division at the Tao Li Bei National Ballet Competition in Shanghai. In 2000, she joined the prestigious Shanghai Ballet Company, where she performed Swan Lake, The Butterfly Lovers, The White-haired Girl, The Nutcracker, Coppelia, La Sylphide, Giselle and Don Quixote as a member of the ballet corps and a group soloist. From 2001 to 2004, Ya Xi danced with the Showa Performing Arts School (SPAS) in Tokyo, where she performed Coppelia and La Sylphide as a soloist. In 2002, she trained at the Royal Opera House in London as a member of SPAS. In 2005, she spent one year in Shanghai teaching ballet and Chinese folk dance. Ya Xi joined Ballet Fantastique in 2008.

Leanne Mizzoni, Dancer

A Northern Virginia native, Leanne started her training under Susan Blazy at the Metropolitan Ballet School. She later went to Virginia Ballet, where she trained under former Ballets Russes dancers Oleg Tupine and Tania Rousseau. Leanne continued her training at the Hartt School, where she graduated cum laude with a B.F.A. in Dance Pedagogy. At Hartt, Leanne trained under Peggy Lyman, Peter O’Brian, Alla Nikitina and Hilda Morales. She performed with American Ballet Theatre in Kirk Peterson’s Nutcracker and Jean Gran-Maitre’s Romeo and Juliet. Leanne also trained at the Joffrey Ballet for four summers and one summer at the Virginia School of the Arts. Prior to joining Ballet Fantastique, Leanne danced for four years at Manassas Ballet Theatre, performing soloist roles to rave critical reviews, including Helena from Midsummer’s Night Dream, Arabian and Spanish from The Nutcracker, Michaela from Carmen, Canary Fairy from Sleeping Beauty and many pieces choreographed for and premiered by the company. This is Leanne’s first season as a company soloist with Ballet Fantastique.

Alonzo Lee Moore IV, Dancer

Alonzo began his dance training in the fall of 2002 in Loyola University’s Ballet Repertory Program under the direction of Laura Zombrano and Gayle Parmele. While there, he worked with resident guest artists from Miami City Ballet, Nashville Ballet, and Alabama Ballet. He also danced for the New Orleans Metropolitan Opera and New Orleans’ only professional ethnic dance ensemble, Komenka. While with Komenka Ethnic Dance and Music Ensemble, Alonzo participated in three separate European tours, performing across Poland, Bulgaria, and France. Since relocating in the Northwest, Alonzo danced in locally-based Traduza Dance Company, a contemporary Brazilian ensemble under the direction of Brazil native Valeria Ball, and with Rita Honka Dance Company and Dance Theatre of Oregon. Alonzo has also worked with a number of other local artist-choreographers, including Walter Kennedy, Margo Van Ummersen, Cheryl Lemmer, Robin Steihm of Ashland’s Dancing People Company, and Bonnie Simoa. Alonzo has also been a featured performer in Oregon Festival of American Music (OFAM) productions of South Pacific and Babes in Arms. He starred in OFAM’s closing night gala, performing a classic dance scene originally danced by Gene Kelly in Slaughter on 10th Avenue. With Ballet Fantastique, Alonzo has danced principal roles from Raymonda and Swan Lake, and actively contributed to the creation of a number of original works, including ”A Novel Experience“ with the Oregon Mozart Players.

Amelia Unsicker, Dancer

Amelia began her ballet training at Pacific Festival Ballet at age eight under the instruction of John Gardner. In 2000, she was accepted into the School of Oregon Ballet Theatre (SOBT), where she trained for seven years while concurrently appearing in a number of company productions. Amelia attended American Ballet Theatre’s Austin, Texas summer intensive in 2003. While at SOBT, she was trained by renowned artists such as Damara Bennett, James Canfield, Elena Carter, Tracey Durbin, Tracey Katona, Elise Legere, Fred Locke, Lavinia Magliocco, Josie Moseley, and Christopher Tabor. Amelia has performed various roles in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, Il Distratto, La Source, Napoli, Peter and the Wolf, Raymonda, Snow White, and Swan Lake. Amelia also studies both science and dance at the University of Oregon. She joined Ballet Fantastique in 2008.