Atlanta Ballet Artistic Director Gennadi Nedvigin has announced the new 2025|2026 members of Atlanta Ballet and Atlanta Ballet 2 (AB2). Nedvigin, who is in his 10th season with Atlanta Ballet, and Sharon Story, dean of Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education, carefully selected 12 versatile, highly trained performers to join Atlanta Ballet and AB2, with two advancing from AB2 to the Company.

“We are committed to discovering performers from different backgrounds and styles and uniting them to create synergistic movement that is truly memorable on stage,” said Gennadi Nedvigin. “This year’s roster boasts strong talent and promises to wow our audiences across our repertoire of performances.”

“Our dancers shape the identity of our organization, and we meticulously chose the next generation of artists who execute exquisite technique, showcase a deep passion for the art and meet the excellence expected of Atlanta Ballet,” added Sharon Story, who oversees one of the largest dance schools in the nation. “As each of these new dancers embarks on their journeys with Atlanta Ballet, our staff is excited to play a role in helping them hone and excel in their craft.”

The announcement of the new 2025|2026 performers follows a demanding process of finding the top performers for the Atlanta Ballet stage, which includes visiting domestic locations, attending competitions around the world, monitoring the year-round work and progress of dancers in the Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education and reviewing submitted video auditions.

The organization also continues to grow and advance talent from its pre-professional program to the Company as two AB2 members, Júlio Santos and Rachel Olivia Zinman, are being promoted.

Atlanta Ballet is proud to blend fresh talent with returning dancers this upcoming season.

New Atlanta Ballet Company Members

Valeria Chaykina was born in Podporozhye, a small town in Russia and began her training at the Vaganova Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg at the age of 7. Throughout her years there, she performed at the Mariinsky Theatre and danced the role of Marie in The Nutcracker at age 13. After graduating in 2012, she danced with multiple acclaimed Russian ballet companies in Moscow and St. Petersburg. In 2014, Chaykina moved to the U.S. to study at Miami City Ballet School on full scholarship, where she danced principal roles and was featured in Teen Vogue’s Strictly Ballet. In 2015, she joined The Joffrey Ballet in Chicago, where she spent 10 seasons performing a diverse repertoire and collaborating with some of today’s most renowned choreographers, including John Neumeier, Yuri Possokhov, Christopher Wheeldon, Alexander Ekman, and Justin Peck. Chaykina’s repertoire highlights include Serenade by George Balanchine (Russian Girl); Hummingbird by Liam Scarlett; The Nutcracker by Christopher Wheeldon (Marie); Anna Karenina by Yuri Possokhov (Kitty); Midsummer Night's Dream by Alexander Ekman; Don Quixote by Yuri Possokhov (Amour, Kitri's Friend); The Little Mermaid by John Neumeier; and Cinderella by Sir Frederick Ashton (Spring Fairy).

Talisson Farias is originally from Resende in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 2011, at age 8, he started his dance training at the Bolshoi Theatre School in Brazil, where he studied for nine years with renowned masters such as Galina Kravchenco and Vladimir Vasiliev. Upon his graduation, Farias joined the Junior Company of the Bolshoi School in Brazil where he performed in ballets such as Don Quixote, Raymonda, The Nutcracker and Les Sylphides. In 2021, Farias joined Tulsa Ballet Second Company and then Tulsa Ballet as a Corps de Ballet member in 2023, performing works by Ma Cong, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Andrew McNicol, Kenneth Tindall, and other great choreographers.

Milei Lee was born in Melbourne, Australia and started dancing at the age of 3. She trained at the Brian Nolan Academy of Dance and the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School. At the age of 16, she moved to London, where she furthered her training at the English National Ballet School (ENBS) for three years. In her graduate year, she was invited to perform with the English National Ballet in Wayne Eagling’s The Nutcracker and with Hong Kong Ballet in Vladimir Malakhov’s La Bayadere. Upon graduating ENBS in 2023, she joined Teatrul De Balet Sibiu in Romania where she performed a variety of soloist roles including the First Shade in La Bayadere, Clara in The Nutcracker, Pas De Trois and Small Swans/Cygnets in Swan Lake, Cupid in Don Quixote, Spring Fairy in Cinderella, as well as the Pas D’escalve Pas De Deux from Le Corsaire. One year after joining the company, she was cast for her first principal role in the title role of Cinderella.

Sayron Pereira was born in Campinas, Brazil, and at the age of 12, joined the Bolshoi Theater School in Brazil. Soon after his graduation in 2016, he was selected to join the Youth Company of the Bolshoi Theater School where he debuted in repertoires such as Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, and Raymonda. 18 months later, Pereira began his international career as a soloist at Perm Opera and Ballet in Russia, where he performed several ballets from the Russian repertoire over the course of three years in Russia and on tour. His roles included Hilarion in Giselle; Neapolitan Dance in Swan Lake; Conrad in Le Corsaire; Shaherezada, The Musician in Romeo and Juliet; and Polovtsian Chief in Polovtsian Dances. Pereira joined the Ballet Theater of Sibiu in Romania in 2022, where he performed leading roles such as Solor in Lá Bayadère, Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake, Prince in The Nutcracker, Basílio in Don Quixote, and Prince in Cinderella. Other neoclassical works in Romania included Bolero and Vivaldi Seasons.

Jonas Tutaj grew up in Chicago, where he started his training at Ruth Page Center for the Arts. Under Victor Alexander, he trained in many styles of dance and traveled to Cuba to train at Uscuela Nacional de Ballet de Cuba. He studied Cuban and Bournonville technique, as well as taking the influence of Larry Long. At age 14, he moved to New York to train at the School of American Ballet. During his time there, he participated in New York Choreographic Institute, performances with the New York City Ballet, and in the annual Workshop Performances. Additional training consisted of Summer Programs at the School of American Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, and Pacific Northwest Ballet. In 2022, Tutaj started his professional career with the Los Angeles Ballet, directed by Melissa Barak. In his time there, he performed Prince Ivan in Yuri Possokhov’s Firebird, Prince in Edward Liang’s Cinderella, and Cavalier in The Nutcracker, as well as in works by Justin Peck, Christopher Wheeldon, Val Caniparoli, and Hans Van Manen.

Promotions from Atlanta Ballet 2 to the Company

Júlio Santos was born in Araruama, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and was introduced to ballet at the age of 7, after having learned acrobatic dance through gymnastics. Santos commenced his ballet training following an audition to the Bolshoi Theater School in Brazil at age 8. Upon graduating in 2023, Santos joined the Bolshoi Brazil Junior Company and competed in and placed second at the Youth America Grand Prix Finals in Tampa, Florida. He then joined the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School, where he trained until May 2024. Santos joined Atlanta Ballet 2 in August 2024 and now joins Atlanta Ballet for the 2025-26 Season.

Rachel Olivia Zinman is from Montreal, Québec where she trained as a competitive gymnast until age 11. She then joined Canada’s National Ballet School in Toronto, Ontario where she studied for the next six years. During her time at the school, Zinman performed in the 2015 Pan American Games opening Ceremony, and participated in Assemblée Internationale in both 2017, and 2023. In grade 11, Zinman returned home to Montreal, where she was granted the opportunity to work with John Alleyne, a mentor who played a pivotal role in guiding her transformation from student to dancer. Upon graduating National Ballet School, Zinman spent a year in their Company life program and was then offered a contract with Atlanta Ballet 2, where she had the opportunity to perform in a variety of acclaimed productions, including La Sylphide, Coppélia, and Coco Chanel: The Life of a Fashion Icon. She also portrayed both Odile and Odette in Bruce Wells’ The Swan Princess. After completing two years in Atlanta Ballet 2, Zinman is being promoted to Atlanta Ballet as a company dancer for the 2025-26 season.

New Atlanta Ballet 2 Members

Caroline Giltner trained primarily in the Chicago area at Salt Creek Ballet, West Suburban Ballet, and Hinsdale Dance Academy. Most recently, she trained at the San Francisco Ballet School (SFBS). While at SFBS, she rehearsed with the company for performances of Helgi Tomasson’s Nutcracker and Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon. Giltner competed at Youth America Grand Prix, where she was awarded top three in both Classical and Contemporary categories and competed as a finalist in 2022 and 2024 in Tampa and New York City. She has attended various summer intensives, including American Ballet Theatre in New York, San Francisco Ballet School, Joffrey Ballet Chicago, and in 2025 at both Tulsa Ballet and Philadelphia Ballet School as the Mary Ann Scholler Scholarship recipient.

Sakura Natorigawa began her dance journey in London at the age of 3 and received her early training in Japan and New York. At age 13, she joined the Ellison Ballet Professional Training Program in New York, where she attended for four years and graduated this past season. During her time at the school, she won numerous awards at international competitions including first place in Youth America Grand Prix and second place at the American Dance Competition Youth International Ballet Competition. In 2023, she took her studies to Germany to attend the Palucca University of Dance, Dresden. While there, she had the opportunity to participate in the prestigious Prix de Lausanne competition in Switzerland and was a winner of the 2024 Young Creation Award.

Isabela Oku, originally from São Paulo, Brazil, began her dance training at Studio de Danças Márcia Pee and, at age 12, was accepted into the Dance School of the Theatro Municipal of São Paulo (EDASP). She participated in several national and international competitions, including Premio Internazionale Danza (PID) in Rieti, Italy; Youth Grand Prix Brasil; and Valentina Kozlova International Competition. She attended American Ballet Theatre’s virtual summer intensive in 2021 during the pandemic and the Kaatsbaan summer intensive in 2022. In 2023, she was accepted into the Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education Academy program and moved to Atlanta. Last season, she had the privilege of performing the role of Young Marie in Yuri Possokhov’s The Nutcracker, and over the past two seasons performed Snowflakes and Flowers in the same production. Oku also performed in Coppélia by George Balanchine. Oku has been promoted to Atlanta Ballet 2 from the Centre for Dance Education Academy 6.

Tommaso Troso is from Naples, Italy, and began his ballet training in 2018 at the Centro Danza Ballet Studio. In 2022, Troso was awarded a scholarship from the Birgit Keil Foundation, which supported his studies at the Akademie des Tanzes in Mannheim, Germany that year. He then continued his training under the same scholarship for two further years at the John Cranko Schule in Stuttgart, Germany and graduated in 2025.

Kahlen Wright was born in Tokyo, Japan, and moved to Atlanta, Georgia at the age of 3 where she began training at the age of 4 in hip hop, jazz, tap, and contemporary. She joined Atlanta Ballet Centre for Dance Education in Academy 1 in 2016 and progressed through all six levels. During her time in the Academy, Wright was awarded a Decade 2 Dance scholarship. She worked with choreographer Yuri Possokhov on the world premiere of Atlanta Ballet’s The Nutcracker, performing as a party child and Fritz in the early years. From 2022 to 2024, Wright danced the role of Young Marie and, while in Academy 6, performed in the Snowflakes and Flowers scenes. She also performed in George Balanchine’s Coppélia and Johan Kobborg’s La Sylphide. Additionally, she participated in many ballets choreographed by Bruce Wells, including Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, The Swan Princess, and Snow White.

Atlanta Ballet’s 2025|2026 performance season kicks off with Balanchine & Peck, a mixed repertory featuring the iconic works of George Balanchine and Justin Peck. Premiering September 12-14, 2025, the two works by Balanchine, “the father of American ballet,” include Prodigal Son and Emeralds, paired with In Creases by Peck.

Find out more about the new and returning Atlanta Ballet and Atlanta Ballet 2 dancers.