2022 NFB Beauty & the Beast Playbill - Other - Page 13
GUEST ARTISTS & SOLOISTS
Iori Araya, Guest Artist
Iori Araya, a native of Japan, danced at Singapore Dance Theatre and New Jersey
Ballet prior to joining Ballet Memphis in 2017. She has danced Aurora in The
Sleeping Beauty, George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, Serenade, Allegro
Brillante, Divertimento #15, Stanton Welch’s Maninyas, Val Caniparoli’s Chant,
Edwaard Liang’s Age of Innocence. She was a finalist at the 10th Asian Pacific
International Competition, winning a scholarship to The Australian Ballet School
where she was chosen to be a part of The Australian Ballet’s Dancers Company
Tour. Her noted performances with Ballet Memphis include George Balanchine’s
Square Dance and Matthew Neenan’s Water of the Flowery Mill.
Jonathan Carter, Guest Artist
Jonathan Carter started his ballet training at the age of three and, at nine,
began attending the NFB Académie, where he trained under the direction
of Todd Eric Allen and Dorothy Lister. During his time with NFB, Carter has
performed numerous principal and soloist roles, including The Prince in both
Cinderella and Firebird, the male lead in Fernando Bujones’ Jazz Swing and
the Snow King and Russian in The Nutcracker. Carter has also trained with
Ballet West, Next Generation Ballet, The Juilliard School and Atlanta Ballet.
As a professional, Jonathan has danced with Atlanta Ballet II under Gennadi
Nedvigin, Cincinnati Ballet II under the direction of Victoria Morgan and
Alabama Ballet under Tracey Alvey. In 2020, he joined Northwest Arkansas
Ballet Theatre and is now a company member with American Repertory Ballet.
Rafael Ferreras, Guest Artist
Rafael Ferreras received his early ballet training in New York with the Dance
Theatre of Harlem and the Joffrey Ballet School. Audiences know him for
his leading roles in Romeo and Juliet, Dracula, The Firebird, Angels in the
Architecture, Midsummers Night’s Dream, The Nutcracker, Swan Lake and
The Sleeping Beauty. He danced with Ballet Memphis, Tulsa Ballet, Hartford
Ballet, New Jersey Ballet and Elisa Monte Dance. Ferreras is currently the Ballet
Master for the San Antonio Ballet.
Samantha Huebner, Guest Artist
At the age of 16, Samantha was accepted into the University of North Carolina
School of the Arts where she trained under Susan Jaffe. After spending one
year at UNCSA she was invited to join the Professional Division at Texas Ballet
Theater. Samantha then joined Kansas City Ballet in 2016 and spent three
seasons in their second company. During this time she also toured Washington,
D.C. to perform The Nutcracker at the Kennedy Center. Samantha joined the
Northwest Arkansas Ballet Theatre in 2019 and has performed many soloist
and principal roles including Titania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Clara in
The Nutcracker, and Fairy Godmother in Cinderella. She is currently in her first
season with the American Repertory Ballet.
