The California Riverside Ballet proudly presents the Artistic Staff and Artists.  Each of these professionals of the California Riverside Ballet Artistic Staff and Artists bring phenominal talent and experience to the Ballet Company and provides our audiences the most fulfilling entertainment experience on the West Coast.

Artistic Director - Glenda Carhart

Glenda is a native Californian who received her beginning training in Riverside and was one of the six original CRB dancers.  Glenda left Riverside at the age of 15 to continue her training on a full scholarship at the school of the Harkness Ballet in New York City.  The following year took her to Toronto, Canada on scholarship with the National Ballet School.  She joined the National Ballet of Canada the following year, performing her first professional roles in Rudolf Nureyev's Sleeping Beauty at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.  While at the National Ballet she performed in Edward Villella's Harlequin for a nationwide CBS Television special presentation and in full-length productions of Swan Lake, Coppelia, and the Nutcracker.  She was featured in Serenade and Offenbach in the Underworld, and gained experience working with top professionals Mikhail Baryshnikov, Peter Martins, Fernando Bujones, Erik Bruhn, Rudolf Nureyev, and Celia Franca. Complete Profile.....

Artistic Advisor / Choreographer - David Allan

David was born in Boston. He is currently an Associate Professor and Director of Ballet at the University of California, Irvine. Mr. Allan was trained at the National Ballet School of Canada. He entered the National Ballet of Canada in 1974, where he was a Soloist from 1977-88, performing all over the world in ballets by Rudolf Nureyev, Erik Bruhn, George Balanchine, Sir Frederic Ashton, John Cranko, Roland Petit, Sir Kenneth MacMillian, Anthony Tudor, and many others. He has choreographed over fifty ballets since 1983, eight of which were commissioned by the late Erik Bruhn for the repertoire of the National Ballet of Canada. He has many works in the repertoire's of such ballet companies as New York City Ballet, Ohkura Ballet of Tokyo, Italy's Rome Opera House, Ballet British Columbia, Ballet Pacifica, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Nashville, and Hartford Ballets as well as for opera, film, musicals, and television. He is the recipient of the 1989 Jean A. Chalmers Choreographic Award in Canada and the 1997 Choo-San Goh Award. He was he Associate Artistic Director of the California Riverside Ballet from 1991-1996.  Complete Profile....

Choreographer - Michel Gervais

Michel a native of Sudbury, Ontario, Canada, started dancing at the age of 11 with the Ida Sauve Dance Studios. He continued his studies at the National Ballet School of Canada as well as at the school of Les Ballets jazz de Montreal. His ability to understand and teach various choreographic styles was first seen when he was assistant to the choreographer for the Canadian company Juan Antonio's Confidanse, under the direction of the late Juan Antonio.  Mr. Gervais has also worked extensively as a performer, assistant and ballet master for choreographer David Allan, setting many of his works for companies such as The National Ballet of Canada, National Dance Theatre of Bermuda, Ballet Pacifica and California Riverside Ballet where recently in spring of 2002, he choreographed an original ballet entitled MAE. Complete Profile....

Choreographer - Damien Diaz

Damien is a native of Los Angeles, California. He was a scholarship student at the School of American Ballet New York, North Carolina School of the Arts, Miami Ballet, Alabama School of Fine Arts, Houston Ballet and the Atlanta Ballet School. Damien started his career at Ballet South in Birmingham, Alabama under the direction of Dame Sonia Arova and as an apprentice of the Atlanta Ballet. Complete Profile.... 

Ballet Mistress - Kathleen Riker

Kathleen began her dance training in 1979 at Riverside Ballet Arts.  She has also studied at the Banff Centre School of Fine Arts in Alberta, Canada, Ballet West, and Stanley Holden's Dance Center in Los Angeles. She appeared as a guest artist at UCR's faculty dance Concert in Pas De Quartre, and was a member of the Modern Dance Ensemble headed by the late Frank Aguirre.  Kathleen has also performed at dance Kaleidoscope in Los Angeles. Complete Profile....

Ballet Mistress Youth Dancers - Alexandra Espana

Alexandra España began her teaching career at Riverside Ballet Arts in 2005. Alexandra began ballet at age 3, and trained under Toni Carrion, Alexander Gudunov, and the legendary Irina Kosmovska (of Ballet Russe). Alexandra studied at School of American Ballet New York, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Ballet Aspen, Lichine Academy, and Milwaukee Ballet. Complete Profile....

Guest Artist - Darci Kistler

 Darci Kistler was born in Riverside, California, the youngest of five children and the only girl. Always athletic, Ms. Kistler enjoyed many sports, including skiing, waterskiing, swimming, tennis, football, and dirt biking, before she began studying ballet. At the age of 12 she began studying with Irina Kosmouska in Los Angeles, and that same year she attended a summer session at the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet. Two years later, she received a full scholarship to SAB. Complete Profile....

Guest Artist - Nilas Martins

Nilas Martins is a principal dancer with New York City Ballet.  Born in Copenhagen, Mr. Martins received his early dance training at the Royal Danish Ballet School starting at age seven.  As a student he performed with the Royal Danish Ballet in such works as John Neumeier’s Romeo and Juliet; August Bournon¬ville’s Konservatoriet, A Folk Tale, and Napoli; and Glen Tetley’s Firebird. In 1984, he moved to New York and en¬rolled at the School of American Ballet (SAB), the official school of New York City Ballet.  Complete Profile....

California Riverside Ballet Apprentice Dancers

The California Riverside Ballet Apprentice Dancers are those of the official Company School, Riverside Ballet Arts that continually excel, reached toward the highest levels and have made the commitment toward professionalism. We are pleased to recognize these dancers as Artists and know you will have great pleasure seeing them within our performances.

 Coming Soon!