DIRECTOR | CHOREOGRAPHER

Emma Andres is a professional ballet dancer and contemporary/classical ballet choreographer who has experience working in the techniques of jazz, contemporary, modern, and ballet.    Andres earned her BFA in Dance Choreography at UC Irvine where she was a recipient of the merit-based William Gillespie Scholarship. During her time at UCI, Andres had the pleasure of working with distinguished faculty, including Lar Lubovitch, Diane Diefenderfer, Molly Lynch, Vitor Luiz, Tong Wang, Loretta Livingston, and Dr. Ama Wray.  She has performed nationally and internationally, including in Shanghai, China, and Panama.  In 2019, Andres showcased her first original choreographed work in a main-stage production, Façade Azur — a contemporary ballet piece experimenting with the different states of water.   Recently, Andres performed as a soloist in Petra Conti & Eris Nezha’s covid-friendly production of Giselle and has created several new ballet works that combine technique and whimsy, including In The Cosmos and American In Paris.  She is currently the Studio Manager, teacher, and resident choreographer for Pasadena Civic Ballet (PCB). Andres is a Ballet Teaching Artist for the Music Center in Los Angeles and is the Co-Artistic Director of SCOPIXdance, a new dance organization emphasizing exciting choreography from up-in-coming choreographers.

PRODUCTION ADVISOR

ARTISTIC DIRECTOR OF PASADENA CIVIC BALLET + ARTISTSPLUS PRODUCTIONS

Diane De Franco Browne is a Los Angeles-based choreographer and producer.

She is a Director of Pasadena Civic Ballet, ArtistsPlus Productions, and owns Theatre Threads, a costume design company. Current projects include immersive performances at Heritage Square Museum and sponsorship of choreographic collaboratives at Stomping Ground LA and Los Angeles Dance Project. Other projects include commissions and collaborations with the American Youth Symphony, Music & More SummerFest in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Angeles Chorale, ArtNight Pasadena, Bel Canto Chorale and Orchestra, LA Art Show, LACMA, MUSE/IQUE, International Masters of Musical Whistling and other Pasadena museums and arts organizations.

PRODUCTION ADVISOR

SOUND ENGINEER

ASSISTANT WRITER NARRATION

Ross Clark started his performing career with the National Ballet in Washington DC at the age of 7 in the Nutcracker. He performed with the National Ballet when they needed a young boy until he was cast in his first Broadway show, “Take Me Along” starring Jackie Gleason two weeks before his 10th birthday. He continued to work on Broadway and in National tours of “Music Man”, “Bye Bye Birdie”, “Gypsy”, “Oliver!”, “Mame”, “Annie Get Your Gun” and “The Lion In Winter” through his teen Years. He attended Northwestern University, Purdue University and The Pasadena Playhouse College of Theatre Arts as part of the last graduating class. He continued his studies at USC as a directing major where he received his MFA in Theatre and Film.

After graduation Ross began writing and producing shows for amusement parks all over the country as well as producing product introductions for companies such as Apple Computer, Ford Motor Company, Anheuser-Busch and Adobe Systems.

Ross is currently the Director of the Musical Theatre/Children’s Theatre Ensemble at the Pasadena Civic Ballet and with them helped bring children’s theater back to Pasadena. Ross is a board member of the Pasadena Playhouse Alumni and Associates. Working on The Fantasticks at the Pasadena Playhouse completes the circle that began with Ross playing the piano for the 1969 student production of the show.

COMPOSER

Daniel Robbins was born in New Orleans on November 4, 1947. He attended California State University at Long Beach, graduating in 1970 with a Bachelor of Music in composition. Additional studies in composition earned him a Master of Music from USC in 1976 and a Ph.D. from UCLA in 1997. Daniel Robbins is considered the leading authority on the music of film composer Miklos Rozsa, whose music he has arranged for new commercial recordings. His suite from Rozsa’s “Julius Caesar” was performed at the 2015 Krakow Film Music Festival and again in 2016 by the BBC for its “Shakespeare at Stratford” concert. Dr. Robbins instituted courses in film music at Cypress College, Golden West College, and Chapman University, and recently was a participant in “The Music of Miklos Rozsa”, a Zoom event of the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers. His autobiographical book, “Wednesdays with Rozsa” is due for publication soon.

LEAD WRITER - NARRATION

Denise’s extensive performing background includes New York and National Tour stage credits, as well as TV, Commercial, Voice Over & Film roles. She has received critical acclaim for her original one-woman multi-character shows (GIRLY SHOW, GROWING UP & LIKING IT). The New York Post called her “… a versatile actress comparable to the most well-known character comedienne, Lily Tomlin ...” Recent appearances w/Pasadena Civic Ballet: Wicked Witch – THE WIZARD OF OZ; Giselle’s Mother – GISELLE; Stepmother – CINDERELLA. Denise dedicates her performance to her late husband, Craig Williams.

VIDEOGRAPHER

James Folsom grew up in Los Angeles, CA, and began dancing at PCB at the age of three. He first picked up a camera when he was around 13 and started to photograph the world around him. After finishing high school at the Kirov Academy of Ballet, he then went on to dance with ballet companies such as Ballet Austin, Dayton Ballet, and State Street Ballet. Throughout his career as a professional ballet dancer, he continued to practice photography. After a 6-year dancing career, he decided to move on from the stage. He still wanted to stay connected with the dance community and share the art form, and this is where videography came into the frame. As one of the best ways to share the art form, videography has become a passion for him. The kinetic movements of the camera share the energy of the performance while highlighting details that can often be overlooked. He has now found himself dancing a duet with the performers again — this time from behind the camera.

HEAD COSTUMER

SET CURATOR

At 18, José began his dance training under the direction of Diane DeFranco. His college classes introduced him to ballet, where his joy for dance blossomed. Three years later he was invited to perform in his first PCB show, Hansel and Gretel, where he brought to life the characters of a raccoon and a tree. 

José is an invaluable part of the PCB community!