Summer Intensive Faculty

The 2026 WBC Summer Intensive faculty brings together accomplished artists and dedicated educators committed to serious classical training. Each instructor upholds the program’s standards of discipline, artistic integrity, and meaningful mentorship.

Artistic Director  -  Ballet Technique • Pointe • Repertoire • Ballet History • Audition Preparation Workshop

Born in Santiago, Chile, Sebastian Vinet began his training at the Escuela de Ballet del Teatro Municipal de Santiago before continuing on full scholarship at Houston Ballet Academy under Ben Stevenson. He joined Houston Ballet in 2009 and San Francisco Ballet in 2010, performing principal roles by renowned choreographers including Kenneth MacMillan, William Forsythe, Christopher Wheeldon, Helgi Tomasson, Stanton Welch, Mark Morris, and John Cranko.

Vinet has appeared at international galas worldwide and was a prize winner and apprenticeship recipient at the 2009 Prix de Lausanne. He has served as a juror for prestigious competitions including Prix de Lausanne and Youth America Grand Prix, becoming one of the youngest invited judges in their histories.

In addition to his performing career, Vinet has directed international ballet projects and is an international guest teacher for institutions including ABT, Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, San Francisco Ballet, and Princess Grace Academy. His teaching work inspired the creation of the Bailarines del Mañana scholarship program and his artistic leadership of the Westchester Ballet Company Summer Intensive.

Guest Artist – Master Class  • Health & Injury Prevention Workshop • Q&A

Born in London and raised in the United States, Miko Fogarty is a former award-winning professional ballet dancer who gained international recognition at a young age. She rose to global prominence as one of the featured dancers in the critically acclaimed documentary First Position, which followed her journey to the Youth America Grand Prix Finals.

Miko went on to earn top honors at prestigious competitions worldwide, including the Gold Medal at the Moscow International Ballet Competition and distinction at the Prix de Lausanne. At sixteen, she joined the Birmingham Royal Ballet, the United Kingdom’s premier touring company, performing in productions such as Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, The Nutcracker, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

Following her professional dance career, Miko transitioned into medicine. She graduated with honors from the University of California, Berkeley and is currently a Foot and Ankle Surgery Resident at Harvard’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC). As an educator, she is widely respected for her thoughtful approach to technical excellence, injury awareness, and long-term dancer health.

Born in Manila, Philippines, Denise Parungao began her professional career with Ballet Philippines, where she rose to the rank of Principal Dancer. She performed leading roles in Swan Lake, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, Cinderella, Carmen, and The Nutcracker while completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Dance.

In 2022, Parungao joined New Jersey Ballet under the direction of Maria Kowroski. Her repertoire has expanded to include works by George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, Christopher Wheeldon, and original creations by Harrison Ball and Lauren Lovette.

Parungao was a participant in the 2018 USA International Ballet Competition and has performed in international galas throughout Australia, Asia, and the United States. In addition to her performing career, she serves on the faculty of New Jersey Ballet School and appears in the Amazon Prime series Étoile.

Ballet Technique • Pointe • Pre-Pointe

Born in Monterrey, Mexico, Andrea Salazar began her training at the Escuela Superior de Música y Danza de Monterrey before graduating from the John Cranko Schule in Germany. She danced professionally with Stadttheater Bremerhaven, Compañía Nacional de Danza in Mexico City, and Ballet de Monterrey.

Throughout her career, Salazar has worked with choreographers including Ben Stevenson and Demis Volpi, performing classical and contemporary repertoire. She has performed and taught internationally across Europe, Asia, Australia, and the Americas.

Salazar is a certified coach and PBT instructor currently teaching in New York City. In addition to her ballet career, she is co-founder of the Bailarines del Mañana scholarship program and maintains a parallel career as a professional makeup artist.

Ballet Technique • Conditioning • Pointe • Pre-Pointe • Stage & Character Makeup

Ingrid Thoms began her training at the Kintz Mejia Academy of Ballet in McLean, Virginia, before continuing her studies at the Harid Conservatory in Florida. In 2016, she entered the American Ballet Theatre Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School under the direction of Cynthia Harvey and attended summer programs at Kirov Academy, Ellison Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and American Ballet Theatre.

Thoms joined ABT Studio Company in 2017, became an apprentice with American Ballet Theatre in 2018, and joined the corps de ballet in 2019. Her repertoire includes roles in Giselle, Swan Lake, Alexei Ratmansky’s The Nutcracker, The Seasons, Songs of Bukovina, Crime and Punishment, and Mercurial Son.

She is an ABT National Training Curriculum Certified Teacher, Pre-Primary through Level 7.

Repertoire • How to Take Corrections & Journaling • Preparing for Pointe – A Dancer’s Journey

Giuseppe Bausilio is a multifaceted actor, singer, dancer, choreographer, cinematographer, and producer born and raised in Switzerland. He began his dance training at the age of three under the guidance of his parents and quickly rose to international recognition, earning top placements at the Youth America Grand Prix Finals. At just eleven years old, he made his Broadway debut in the title role of Billy Elliot the Musical.

His Broadway credits include Newsies, Aladdin, Cats, Hello, Dolly!, Hamilton, and most recently serving as Dance Captain for Sunset Boulevard. In addition to his stage career, Bausilio has appeared as Alfie in The Next Step and in the films Ode to Passion and Dead Man Down.

Beyond performing, Bausilio is an active judge and faculty member for Youth America Grand Prix. Proudly Brazilian-Italian-Swiss, he speaks seven languages and brings a uniquely international perspective to his work as both performer and educator.

Musical Theater

Born in Moscow, Russia, Arina Clavel trained at the Moscow State Academy of Choreography (Bolshoi Ballet Academy), where she studied from 2006 to 2014 and graduated as a Ballet Dancer under the mentorship of Irina Syrova. Upon graduation, she was invited to join the Bolshoi Theatre Ballet Company, rehearsing under the guidance of Marina Kondratyeva.

She later completed her studies at the Academy, earning a Bachelor’s Degree as a Teacher of Classical Dance under Vera Kulikova. She holds a BA degree in Classical Ballet Technique and is ABT National Training Curriculum Certified (Pre-Primary through Level 3).

Clavel has performed with the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, the Theater of Miniatures in St. Petersburg, and Ballet Memphis in the United States. She has also served on the faculty of the Russian Ballet Academy in New York, the ABT JKO School, and the Joffrey Ballet School, teaching Classical Ballet Technique, Character Dance, and Pointe.

She is currently based in New York, where she continues her work as a classical ballet educator and choreographer.

Character Dance

Elias Re, born in Milan, Italy, trained at La Scala Ballet School, Sarasota Cuban Ballet School, and Escuela Nacional de Ballet de Cuba. His professional experience includes performing with Dance Theatre of Harlem, American Repertory Ballet, New Jersey Ballet, Cleveland Ballet, and RP Civic Ballet Training Company.

Re's repertoire features works by renowned choreographers such as George Balanchine, Jerome Robbins, William Forsythe, Christopher Wheeldon, Geoffrey Holder, Stanton Welch, Robert Garland, Claire Davidson, Anna Rita Larghi, Gino Labate, Victor Alexander, and Da’Von Doane.

Conditioning

Rosanne Soifer was born in New York City and has built a multifaceted career as a composer, arranger, producer, and pianist. She began accompanying ballet classes at the age of fifteen while performing in dance bands, marking the beginning of a lifelong connection to the dance world. Rosanne is a graduate of the Indiana University School of Music.

Her professional work spans music production, publishing, and education. She has lectured extensively on music business and professional development at the college level and is the author of Music in Video Production, published by Focal Press. Rosanne has written for Pro Sound News, MIX, and other industry publications.

In 2013, she released Rock Your Ballet Class, a collection of piano arrangements of classic rock for ballet class, produced in collaboration with dancer and studio owner Sally Tierney. The recording is distributed through major dance retailers and online platforms.

Based in Brooklyn, Rosanne continues to collaborate with dancers and educators while contributing to conversations about music and ballet through her writing and teaching.

Music for Dancers

Kristen Welsh-Piazza is a proud New Jersey native and professional dancer, adjudicator, and dance educator based in New York City.

Since 2017, Kristen has performed in her dream role as a Radio City Rockette at the legendary Radio City Music Hall. In addition to the annual Christmas Spectacular, she has appeared with the Rockettes in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, LIVE! with Kelly and Ryan, FOX & Friends, CBS Weekend News, NBC Weekend News, and News 12 New Jersey.

Her New York performance credits also include Saturday Night Live, New York Fashion Week, Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops, and Anything Goes at Theater Row. Regionally, she has performed in Beauty and the Beast at The Muny, 42nd Street at Ogunquit Playhouse, Mamma Mia! at Theater by the Sea and Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, and A Music Box Christmas at Hershey Park.

Dance Workshop led by a current Radio City Rockette