Performers
Click on link to the right to see individual Ballet Mink performer bios
2012 Emigration Transformation Performers
Theresa Duhon, rehearsal director, dancer, originally from Austin, TX, earned her BFA in Dance from NYU-Tisch, and has danced with many NY choreographers, including Kathleen Dyer (KDNY), Guta Hedewig, and Karl Anderson. Her own choreography has been shown in NY, TX, MA, and UT. She has danced with Ballet Mink Colbert since 2007, throughout the development of the TRANSIT(ION) Trilogy.
Mario Tomic, Narrator, His last big recital of revolutionary poetry happened during communist times in his native country, former Yugoslavia, (while he was serving mandatory military service) in front of thousands of soldiers! His art of metamorphoses in the USA led him through some roles in the Off Broadway theatre Scene in NYC and in some award-winning independent NY films. He also studied and taught clowning in NYC. Some of his memorable performance teachers were Madame Sergava and Marcel Marceau, among others. He is currently involved in theatrical/ educational productions for kids. This is his first performance with Ballet Mink.
Andrea Dusel-Foil, rehearsal assistant, dancer, born and raised in Wyoming, earned her BA and Professional Training Certificate from North Carolina Dance Theatre. She danced with the Ballet Theatre of Maryland and then spent a year at the Alvin Ailey School in New York City Andrea is now living and working in Las Vegas. Andrea joined Ballet Mink in 2011 and has performed with the company in Denmark, New York and Las Vegas.
Alex Lum, dancer, originally from Hawaii, has been an actor and award winning Dub Poet, (Spoken Word competitor). As a theatre major at UNLV in “Fiddler On The Roof” he was cast as a dancer and the match was made. Now, one of UNLV’s outstanding dance majors, he has performed in Seoul, Korea, Adelaide, Australia and Turks and Caicos with the UNLV Dance Company.
Tara Nicolas, dancer, a native of Washington D.C., began her training at the Jones/Haywood School of Ballet. She was awarded a Washington Post Music and Dance Award, received a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and trained at the Ailey school and Perry Mansfield Performing Arts Summer Dance Training program.
Rachael Hayner, dancer, trained in her hometown of Kansas City at Legacy School of the Arts. She is a recent graduate of UNLV with a BFA in dance performance and choreography. Rachael has performed in numerous faculty/guest artist shows, choreographed several works for the UNLV Dance concerts and performed internationally with UNLV in Australia, Germany, Turks and Caicos, and Korea. She attended intensive workshops with Giordano Jazz Dance (full scholarship student), American Ballet Theatre, among others. This is Rachael's first full performance with Ballet Mink.
Tamara Lohrenz, dancer, born in Canada, is a former principal dancer with the Santa Barbara Ballet and the Nevada Dance Theatre where she performed leading classical and contemporary roles. She currently teaches, performs and choreographs in Las Vegas. With BALLET MINK since 1996, she has toured with the company to New York, Russia, Scotland and Denmark.
Cathy Allen, dancer Allen has trained with Alwin Nikolais, Rudy Perez, Betty Jones, Isa Bergen, Doug Nielson, Vicki Uris, Bella Lewitzsky, Bill Evans, Maria Cheng, Joann Woodbury, Shirley Ririe, and Ellen Bromberg. As an independent artist, Allen has performed works by Doug Nielson, Gregg Bielimeier, Loretta Livingston, Martina Young, Malashock Dance and Company, Rudy Perez, and Anna Nassif, as well as her own choreography. Allen teaches modern dance and is the Graduate Coordinator and Senior Advisor in the Department of Dance.
Margaret Rampey, singer Margaret's eclectic career spans dance, musical theatre, choreography, songwriting, singing and acting. Performing credits include the full run of the MGM production of "EFX!", and the role of the Devil in Margot Mink Colbert’s production of “L’Histoire du Soldat.” She holds a BFA in Ballet from North Carolina School of the Arts and ...presently teaches Pilates for Cirque du Soleil, Nevada Ballet Theatre, and Pilates by Irina.
David VanVranken, audio-video has been making Ballet Mink productions run smoothly in Copenhagen, New York and Las Vegas. He travelled the world and now resides in Las Vegas, working as an IT manager, sound and video editor. Mr. VanVranken is a practicing magician and is married to dancer Tamara Lohrenz.