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WHO'S WHO IN THE ARPINO DANCE FESTIVAL? Guest artists FABRICE CALMELS, born and raised in France, began ballet training at three years old. At age eleven, he entered the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet School, and following his graduation, he moved to the United States, where he joined the Rock School in Philadelphia and danced with the Pennsylvania Ballet. Calmels furthered his training in both Russian and Balanchine techniques and Boston Ballet and the School of American Ballet. In 2002, he established himself in Chicago with the Joffrey Ballet, where became a lead dancer two years later. Calmels was honored to perform the Othello pas de deux for the 2016 Benois de la Danse Gala at the Bolshoi Theatre, and in December 2019, he took his final bow with the Joffrey Ballet in order to pursue other artistic ventures. In 2014 and 2016, Calmels was a guest judge on So You Think You Can Dance and was later signed by IMG Models New York. As a model/performer, he has appeared in several international fashion magazines, including the Versace 2016 fall/winter campaign. Calmels can be seen on the Fox series The Big Leap, and at over 6’ 6”, he proudly holds the Guinness World Record for Tallest Ballet Dancer. KEBRA-SEYOUN CHARLES (they/them) is a double bassist and composer lauded for their innovative and integrated approach to musical expression, as both soloist and creator. As a modern virtuoso and composer of concerti, ballets, and pop ballads, Kebra’s music has been praised for its “buoyancy and verve — pushing the far reaches of tonality while savoring hummable grooves” (ICareIfYouListen). A rising star and advocate for a more inclusive classical music community, The Strad confirms that “Versatility defines Charles’s approach.” The 2024/2025 season opens with the world premiere of Kebra’s new double bass concerto Nightlife conducted by Mei-Ann Chen at Carnegie Hall featuring the American Composers Orchestra. This season also features the premiere of a new ballet commissioned by Peter London Global Dance Company in Miami, plus chamber collaborations with NYC supergroups Bang On a Can, Alarm Will Sound, and International Contemporary Ensemble. Kebra has been featured on Performance Today, Young Arts, and NPR’s From The Top, and they have soloed with orchestras including the New World Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Wilmington Symphony, and Sphinx Virtuosi. Other notable performances include those at Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Aspen Music Festival, and the Library of Congress. Kebra has also collaborated with esteemed improvisers and composers such as Jon Batiste, 2024 Pulitzer Prize winner Tyshawn Sorey, and jazz musician/composer Jason Moran, as well as new music supergroup Bang On A Can. Originally from Miami, Florida, Kebra received their Bachelor’s degree from the New England Conservatory of Music and Masters degree from the Juilliard School. ANGELO GRECO (Principal, Houston Ballet), born in Nuoro, Italy, grew up in Modena and then trained at Il Balletto di Castelfranco Veneto and then La Scala Ballet Academy in Milan before joining La Scala Ballet where he had a life contract. Honed on prestigious stages around the world, his experience and breadth of repertoire led him to follow his passion arriving in the United States in 2016 where he danced as a soloist at San Francisco Ballet and was promptly promoted to principal in 2017. He joins Houston Ballet as Principal Dancer in July 2024. Numerous renowned choreographers have created works on Greco, including Yuri Possokhov’s Optimistic Tragedy, Helgi Tomasson’s Harmony, Dwight Rhoden’s LET’S BEGIN AT THE END, Christopher Wheeldon’s Bound To, and Stanton Welch AM’s Bespoke. He has also performed principal and featured roles in Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet, Rudolf Nureyev’s Don Quixote, Alexei Ratmansky’s The Sleeping