2012 Faculty
 

David Wilcox, Artistic Director Born and raised in Southern California, David Wilcox trained with Yvonne Cusack and Stanley Holden before starting his professional career in Europe at the age of 18.  He joined the Berlin Ballet as a soloist at the age of 24 and returned to the U.S. when he was 28 to launch a new career . He founded Long Beach Ballet Academy in 1981 and a professional company in 1982 which changed its name to the Los Angeles Classical Ballet in 1991.  This company grew into Southern California's largest professional company over a period of 15 years and attracted over 50,000 audience members annually.  Many of Mr. Wilcox's students have competed in international ballet competitions, including the International Ballet Competition in Jackson, Mississippi and the Prix de Lausanne in Switzerland.  He has produced dozens of professional dancers, students who have joined major companies such as San Francisco Ballet, the National Ballet of Canada, Hamburg Ballet, New York Ballet Theatre, Oregon Ballet Theater, and Sacramento Ballet. He has created and produced more than a dozen full length ballets, three of which were commissioned by the National Ballet of China in Guangzhou.  The list of international ballet stars with whom he has worked is long, and includes Vladimir Malakov, Cynthia Harvey, Maya Plisetskaya, Marat Daukayev, and Patricia Barker. His dancers appeared three times on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno and in 2007 he was invited by ballet presenters in China to be an official conduit from China to the U.S. ballet world.  He has presided over eight successful ballet tours to Taiwan and China since 1999.
	Johnny Zhong Mr. Zhong graduated from the Shen Yang Arts Institute in China and performed for seven years as a soloist with the National Ballet of China, Guangzhou.  He was featured as the Golden Idol in La Bayadere Cupid in Don Quixote, the Court Jester in Swan Lake, and Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, as well as many other leading roles.  His father is a well-known Chinese choreographer and Mr. Zhong has continued in his father's footsteps by choreographing for and competing in several international ballet competitions, finishing in 8th place at the Shanghai International Ballet Competition in 2005.  He recently immigrated to the U.S. as a free-lance ballet dancer and joined the faculty of the Long Beach Ballet.
	Shani Englert Ms. Englert is a Long Beach Ballet alumni and danced professionally with the Los Angeles Classical Ballet for six years. She has performed as a soloist with the Crystal Cathedral and is a co-founder of the Long Beach Ballet performing company, for which she was artistic director for eight years.
	Alexander Kalinin Born in Moscow, Mr. Kalinin began his dancing career at the age four with his father. He graduated from the prestigious Bolshoi Ballet Academy before joining the Moiseyev Dance Ensemble where he danced as a soloist in over 60 countries. Since immigrating to the U.S. in 1981, Mr. Kalinin has performed on stages from New York to Las Vegas, Reno, Australia and Southern California. He has appeared on television including The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. He has taught dance for over 29 years in the U.S. and abroad, and is known throughout the world as a teacher and performer of great skill and strength who inspires his students with passion and artistry.
	Melissa Sandvig Melissa was a soloist with the Milwaukee Ballet for five years. She toured to Asia twice as a featured ballerina with the Long Beach Ballet and is a certified Pilates instructor.  She was the first ballet dancer to make the finals in the TV hit show "So You Think You Can Dance" and became a top five finalist.  Miss Sandvig is now a free-lance dancer in Los Angeles and on the faculty of the Long Beach Ballet Academy.
	DaVenche Burks A former principle dancer with Spectrum Dance Company of Seattle,  Mr. Burks also served as ballet master of Ballet Folkorico and has taught ballet and jazz extensively throughout the inland empire.  He has been a top-rated faculty member for Long Beach Ballet's summer intensive for 14 years and performed with the Long Beach Ballet.
	Maricar Drilon Miss Drilon hails from the Philippines where she was a soloist with Ballet Philippines.  After immigrating to the U.S. she became a soloist with Ballet West and then with the Long Beach Ballet under the direction of David Wilcox.  She is now director of Northwest Classical Ballet School in Vancouver Washington.
Additional faculty to be announced