Claudia Rudolf Barrett
Founder and Director
Claudia Rudolf Barrett received her initial training at the College Conservatory of Music (CCM), and earned her BAS and MFA from CCM. As an original dancer, soloist and Ballet Mistress of the Cincinnati Ballet Company from 1963 until 1990, Ms Barrett worked under five artistic directors and with teachers and choreographers from major companies around the world. In 1993 Claudia opened her school, ballet tech® of ohio, bringing many instructors of world renown to inspire her students.
Cervilio Amador
Born in Camagüey, Cuba and raised in Havanna, Cuba, Mr. Amador danced with Ballet Nacional de Cuba for two years before joining Cincinnati Ballet as a Soloist in 2004. He was promoted to Principal Dancer in the 2006-07 season. His training includes The Vocational Ballet School in Camagüey, Cuba and The National Ballet School in Havana, Cuba. While still a student at the National Ballet School, Mr. Amador received third place in the International Festival of Cuba. Mirtha Hermida and Loipa Araújo are his most significant teachers. Mr. Amador has been on tour all over the world in Spain, Holland, Mexico, Venezuela, Cost Rica, and Italy. His most memorable dance moment was performing in the International Festival of Cuba with principal dancers from the world's best companies. During the summer of 2005, Mr. Amador was chosen by Victoria Morgan to perform with Opera Theatre of St. Louis in Glorianna by Britten and in Beauty and the Beast by Gétry. Mr. Amador was also invited to perform in the Bravura! Festival in Pasadena, CA, and in the Gala of International Ballet Stars in Cincinnati. In 2015, Amador was invited for the third time to dance at the TITAS Command Performance gala in Dallas, Texas.
Gema Diaz
Born in Pinar del Rio, Cuba and raised in Havana, Diaz has been dancing since the age of three. She trained with The National Ballet School in Havana and The Vocational Ballet School in Santa Clara, dancing with Ballet Nacional de Cuba for three years. Diaz won a silver medal in the International Ballet Competition of Cuba in 1999, and has toured all over the world. Gema performed with the Cincinnati Ballet for 10 years before retiring as a senior soloist in 2015.
Edward Gonalez Kay
Edward Gonzalez Kay trained with the Elemental Cuban Ballet School and The National Cuban Ballet School. In 2008 he became a trainee with The National Cuban Ballet Company and was quickly promoted to the corps de ballet. During the 2012-2013 season, Edward was promoted to a coryphée. In 2013, Gonzalez Kay joined the Sarasota Ballet as a soloist and was promoted to a principal dancer for the 2016-2017 season. During his career he has had the opportunity to tour the U.S. - including performances at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival in 2014 and New York City's Joyce Theater in 2015, as well as Australia, Italy, Mexico, Canada, and Brazil. Edward joined the Cincinnati Ballet as a senior soloist in 2017 and has worked with BTO since that time.
Rebecca Rodriguez-Hodory
Repetiteur for Edwaard Liang and guest ballet mistress with the Cincinnati Ballet, Rebecca was a former principal dancer with the Cincinnati Ballet under Ivan Nagy, Richard Collins, and Nigel Burgoine. She returns to Cincinnati after 19 yrs with BalletMet Columbus, the 10 last years of which, she worked as Ballet Mistress. She first came to Cincinnati after dancing as a soloist with the Dallas Ballet for Vivi and Flemming Flindt of the Royal Danish Ballet. Born in Manila, she received her training from Eduardo Elejar of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. She continued on to the Philippine High School for the Arts, the University of the Philippines, and became a member of the Asian Youth Delegation to Lourdes, France, directed by Fr. James B. Reuter, sj, after which she gained entrance to the prestigious San Francisco Ballet School on scholarship. She has worked with renowned choreographers/repetiteurs and directors such as, Deanna Carter, Gerard Charles, Ma Cong, Bart Cook, Randy Duncan, Brian Enos, Maria Glimcher, Susan Hadley, Stella Kane, James Kudelka, Edwaard Liang, Harrison McEldowney, Darrell Grand Moultrie, David Nixon, Jimmy Orrante, Dwight Rhoden, Gustavo Sansano, Margo Sappington, Birgit Scherzer, Vicky Simon, William Soleau, Lynn Taylor-Corbett, Stanton Welch, and Doug Varone.
Valery Lantratov
Valery Lantratov has had a distinguished career as a dancer in the companies of Vladimir Vasiliev, Maya Plitsetskaya and Ekaterina Maximova and international tours with Rudolf Nureyev. Most recently he has made international headlines for his role as Czar Nicholas II in a production of the new ballet Rasputin, with Farouk Ruzimatov of the Marinsky Theater (Kirov). A graduate of the Moscow Academic Choreographic College, Lantratov was selected as a first soloist with the Moscow Stanislavski Ballet. With the theater he danced principal roles in such ballets as Don Quixote, Copellia and Romeo and Juliet. In 1993, Lantratov began working for the Kremlin Ballet. This same year, he formed the Russian National Ballet Foundation. He has toured as a solo guest artist in such countries as Japan, Germany, Italy, Greece, France, Portugal, Spain and the United States. The Russian National Ballet Foundation has toured in Europe, Asia, The Middle East and the United States. In 1997, Russian president Boris Yeltsin named Valery Lantratov “ People’s Artist of Russia,” the Russian Federation’s highest artistic honor. Mr. Lantratov holds a teaching certificate from Russia's renowned National Academy of Theatrical Arts- GITIS.* For three years, Mr. Lantratov served as a guest instructor at the Boston Ballet.
Ka-Ron Brown Lehman
Ms. Lehman came to Ohio in June 2007 from home town Los Angeles, California. She trained intensely under Carolyn Skyers, J. Erglis Smaltzoff, George Zurich, Michael Panaieff, Karol Shook, Tanaquil LeClercq, Doug Rivera, Thelma Hill, James Truitte, Eunice Cane, and Jimmy Fields. An established, featured muse for well-known choreographers like Joseph Rickard, Claude Thompson, Donald McKayle, Jamie Rodgers, Andre Tremaine, Miguel Godreau and a host of others. Ms. Lehman taught Contemporary Modern and Choreography at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts for 21 years, and provided Artistic Direction for the Dance Department 2001-2006. She earned a Distinguished Teacher Award by the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars, the American Choreography 2004 Educator Award, LACHSA Alumni Association's Outstanding Arts Educator Award in 2006, and nominations for Disney Teacher of the Year. Since moving to Ohio, Ms. Lehman has been an adjudicator for the Overture Awards semifinals, participated in CDT 35th Choreographers Without Companies Festival at the Aronoff, guest instructed at Ohio State, CDT, and the CBA 2008 Summer Dance Intensive. She is presently Co-Director of Cincinnati Choreographers' Collective, Adjunct Dance Professor at UC College Conservatory of Music, and teaches at the Cincinnati Ballet Academy.
Sergey Pakharev
A native of St. Petersburg, Russia, Sergey Pakharev trained at the Academy of Russian Ballet and The School of the Kirov Ballet. Upon graduation, he danced as a Soloist at the Maryinsky Theater. He has had an exciting career, receiving diplomas at both the International Ballet Competition of Rudolf Nureyev in Budapest, Hungary and the International Ballet Competition of Maya Plisetskaya in St. Petersburg, Russia. Since coming to the United States, Mr. Pakharev danced as a Soloist with the Fort Worth/Dallas Ballet. Mr. Pakharev was with Cincinnati Ballet in 2003-2008 and has performed lead roles in Coppelia, Swan Lake, Balanchine's "Who Cares? and "Prodigal Son and the Tchaikovsky pas de deux. Sergey formerly danced with Cincinnati Ballet Company.
Serena Helene Hanavan
Serena Helene Hanavan, originally from Cincinnati, began her ballet training with Claudia Rudolf Barrett. At age ten she was awarded the Bronze Medal at Youth America Grand Prix New York City Finals. In 2011, while a student of Oliver Arana, Hanavan won the Youth Grand Prix Award at Youth America Grand Prix and the Silver Medal at the World Ballet Competition. Hanavan relocated to Florida in the fall of 2011 to train with Magaly Suarez at the Art of Classical Ballet. While training in Florida, she appeared frequently as a soloist with Florida Classical Ballet. She was also featured in the Young Medalists Gala at the Miami International Ballet Festival in 2011 and 2012. After winning the Gold Medal at Youth America Grand Prix in both 2012 and 2013, Hanavan was chosen to dance as a soloist in The Stars of Today Meet the Stars of Tomorrow Gala and Ballet’s Greatest Hits Gala. In 2013 Serena joined Boston Ballet II. During her two seasons with BBII, she danced as a member of the corps de ballet in more than 11 full length ballets as well as several contemporary works. Serena joined Cincinnati Ballet for the 2015-2016 Season and feels blessed to be dancing in her hometown again.
