(PRINCETON, NJ) -- American Repertory Ballet’s (ARB) three principal male dancers – Jacopo Jannelli, Aldeir Monteiro and Mattia Pallozzi – appeared as guest artists in the Gotta Dance School’s Annual Concert at Raritan Valley Community College. The three dancers joined Gotta Dance students in a performance led by the program’s Artistic Director Gabriel Chajnik, a former company member of ARB.
Jana Belot, Executive Director of Gotta Dance, says, “Professional male dancers provide our students partnering opportunities and technical development in our annual concerts. This year, we are grateful to have three professional dancers from ARB.” Gotta Dance has studios in Branchburg, Martinsville, Warren and Basking Ridge.
“It’s important for all dancers to do guest appearances because it gives them the chance to work with different choreographers and dancers, which expands their expertise and performance skills,” says ARB Artistic Director Douglas Martin. “It also builds a following for these dancers that will attract new audiences for our performances.”
Born and raised in Italy, Jacopo Janelli, trained with Fabula Saltis in Rome, with summer programs at The Royal Ballet School and Princeton Ballet School. As an ARB Trainee, Janelli performed lead roles in Princeton Ballet School productions: Toreador in Don Quixote and Siegfried in Swan Lake. Since he joined the company in 2014, Janelli has danced the role of Tybalt in Douglas Martin’s Romeo and Juliet, The Ancient One in Rite of Spring, the Prince in Nutcracker, Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and most recently Wickham in the world premiere of Martin’s Pride and Prejudice.
Aldeir Monteiro began his training at the Centro de Arte e Dança de Campo Grande in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He continued his training at the Miami City Ballet School and joined the Miami City Ballet under the direction of Edward Villella, followed by Lourdes Lopez. His repertoire includes Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, Paul Taylor’s Piazzolla Caldera, Alexei Ratmansky’s Symphonic Dances, Balanchine’s La Valse, and John Cranko’s Romeo and Juliet. He join ARB in the fall of 2016, where he has been seen in The Nutcracker, Douglas Martin’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream and as Bingley in the world premiere of Martin’s Pride and Prejudice.
Mattia Pallozzi, also hailing from Italy, joined ARB/Princeton Ballet's School’s Trainee Program in 2011, and later joined ARB in 2012 as an Apprentice-Trainee. In 2013, he was promoted to a full company member where his credits include the title role in the world premiere of Douglas Martin’s Romeo and Juliet, the Faun in ARB’s company premiere of Kirk Peterson’s Afternoon of a Faun, the Cavalier in ARB’s Nutcracker, and Darcy in the world premiere of Martin’s Pride and Prejudice.
To learn more about ARB, visit arballet.org
PHOTO: l -r Zoe Papandreou, 15, from Far Hills, N.J. with Jacopo Jannelli, Georgia Jennings, 16, Far Hills, with Aldeir Monteiro, Katie Pisciotti, 16, Chatham, with Mattia Pallozzi
