Mariaelena Ruiz - Guest Artist

A native of Caracas, Venezuela; Ms Ruiz was awarded Third Place at the Third 
USA International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi. As a principal 
dancer of the Ballet Nacional de Caracas she performed principal roles in the 
classical repertoire such as Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Esmeralda, Paquita and 
La Bayadere. In 1992 she won Best Couple Award at the XV International Ballet 
Competition in Varna, Bulgaria and in 1993 won the Best Interpretation at the 
Prix Volinine in Paris. At The Cleveland Ballet she performed Principal and 
Soloist roles in such works as Agnes de Mille's Rodeo, Balanchine's Theme and 
Variations as well as standard classical repertoire such as The Nutcracker 
and Swan Lake. Ms Ruiz has participated in the Kennedy Center Suzanne Farrell
Ballet Project in both 2001 and 2002 and also serves as a faculty member of 
The Rock School of the Pennsylvania Ballet.