22-23 guest artists
Kathryn Karrh Cashin
Performance Director and Resident Choreographer
Kathryn Karrh Cashin has choreographed for The Tallahassee Ballet for more than 30 years, including The Nutcracker and numerous chamber works, most notably Boléro. Her full-length ballets include Beauty and the Beast, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Coppélia, Cinderella, and The Sleeping Beauty. She has also choreographed several children’s ballets. She has served as choreographer for more than 20 Florida State Opera works, most recently The Mikado, Eugene Onegin, Orpheus in the Underworld, and Romeo and Juliet.
Dr. Cashin holds a Bachelor of Arts in Russian/Business Administration, Master of Arts in Slavic and East European Studies, and a PhD in Humanities. She is on the faculty of Florida State University’s Program in Interdisciplinary Humanities, supervises the multicultural film course, and frequently teaches in Europe during the summer.
Dr. Cashin, a former president of the Junior League of Tallahassee and graduate of Leadership Tallahassee, serves on the Leadership Council of FSU’s College of Arts and Sciences, and is a former curriculum and steering chair for Youth Leadership Tallahassee. She serves as vice-president of scholarships for Alpha Delta Pi Sorority National Foundation. She is the 2014 recipient of The Tallahassee Ballet’s Melissa Villella award for volunteer service.
Katy E. Cashin
Choreographer
Katy E. Cashin is a freelance choreographer in New York City, creating works for White Horse Theater Company (WHTC) and The Tallahassee Ballet (TTB). Cashin’s WHTC productions include Tennessee William’s A Cavalier for Milady, Sam Shepard’s Eyes for Consuela, and WHTC Artistic Director Cyndy Marion’s world premiere, You Are Perfect, which was selected for the 2017 Toronto Fringe Festival and restaged in Los Angeles, CA in 2018. Cashin has created ten original works for TTB, including Rhapsody, Retour, Focus, Mainframe, and Rebonds B. She created works for “First Look” presented by Brooklyn Ballet and South Georgia Ballet's FUSE: Boots & Ballet.
Cashin received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in dance performance and Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Southern Methodist University, where she performed soloist roles in masterworks by George Balanchine, Maurice Béjart, Arthur Mitchell, and Gerald Arpino. She trained with The Tallahassee Ballet (TTB) under the direction of Joyce Fausone as well as under Christina Paolucci (New York Theatre Ballet), Sheila Humphreys (Royal Ballet), and Richard Sias (National Ballet of Canada). At TTB, Cashin performed several principal and soloist roles in full-length ballets such as The Nutcracker, Coppélia, Cinderella, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Beauty and the Beast. Cashin received her Master of Public Administration degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs in New York City. Cashin is an ABT® Certified Teacher who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.
Meagan Helman
Choreographer
Meagan Helman is a faculty member at Florida State University’s School of Dance and Company teacher at The Tallahassee Ballet. She performed professionally as a principal dancer with Ballet Theatre of Maryland (BTM), where her repertoire included: Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, Coppélia, Cinderella, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Firebird, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Nutcracker, Carmen, and The Scarlet Letter, among many other contemporary works. Helman served as the Ballet Mistress for BTM from 2009-2014, where she also choreographed and taught for the company and school. Her choreography has been performed by Ballet Theatre of Maryland, The Tallahassee Ballet, Delaware Dance Company, Goucher College, and at the American College Dance Association. Helman holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance from Goucher College and a Master of Arts degree in Dance from Florida State University. She is currently the photographer for FSU’s School of Dance and the performance photographer for The Tallahassee Ballet. Her photographs have been published in Dance Magazine, Dance Studio Life, and Dance Teacher Magazine. Helman is an American Ballet Theatre® Certified Teacher, who has successfully completed the ABT® Teacher Training Intensive in Pre-Primary through Level 3 of the ABT® National Training Curriculum.
Caleb Mitchell
Choreographer
Caleb Mitchell was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, where he started his serious early ballet training at the age of 16 under Rose Marie Floyd. After graduating cum laude in 1998 with a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree in dance from the University of Arizona, Mitchell joined the Houston Ballet under Ben Stevenson, O.B.E.-emeritus, and later Stanton Welch, Artistic Director.
During his tenure with Houston Ballet (1998-2007), Mitchell performed many featured roles in works by George Balanchine, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, Sir Frederick Ashton, Ben Stevenson, O.B.E., Glen Tetley, William Forsythe, Paul Taylor, Christopher Bruce, Ronald Hynd, Lila York, Natalie Weir, Julia Adams, Trey McIntyre, Stanton Welch, James Kudelka, and David Parsons. In 2007, Mitchell was awarded a Chancellor’s Distinguished Fellowship (Helen Russell Scholar) at the University of California-Irvine. In June 2009, Mitchell received an Master of Fine Arts degree in dance, and soon after became Assistant Professor of Dance faculty at Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi where he received tenure (2009-2016).
Mitchell’s guest choreographic, teaching, and guest panel engagements include the following institutions: Co-choreographed with late legendary choreographer and teacher Dr. Donald Mckayle on a creation for University of California, Ad Deum Dance Company, Irvine’s Etude Dance Ensemble entitled Sanctuary (2009), METdance, Ballet 5:8, The Link School of the Arts, Vivid Ballet , Ballet Hartford, Ekklesia Contemporary Ballet, Cirque du Soliel: Elvis, Brigham Young Univeristy Department of Dance, Texas Ballet Theater Professional Division, University of California Irvine’s Etude Ensemble (Dr. Donald McKayle–Artistic Director), Charlotte Ballet Summer Intensive, The Masterworks Festival, Belhaven University, University of Utah, University of Oklahoma, University of Oklahoma Summer Dance Intensive, East Carolina University School of Theater and Dance, Santa Monica College, Houston Ballet 2, Southern Methodist University, and others.
In the fall semester 2016, he joined Santa Monica College Dance Department (Santa Monica, California) as a full-time Associate Professor of Dance. Currently, since August 2018, Mitchell serves as a full-time Assistant Professor of Dance at Florida State University’s School of Dance.
Christopher L. Huggins
Choreographer
Christopher L. Huggins is a visionary dance innovator. He is an Alvin Ailey disciple and historian, developing multilayered storytelling through dance. Christopher attended Purchase University, the Julliard School, and was a merit scholar at the Ailey School. He’s a former soloist of the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Aterballetto of Reggio Emilia, Italy.
His work is rooted in research that memorializes our darkest history: this is found in his ballet THE LIST, a story about the systemic genocide of a Jewish family and those in concentration camps, and in his ballet NEW FRUIT, inspired by Nina Simone’s music, documents terror lynching.
Through his dance initiative, he provides access to emerging dancers and choreographers to study abroad with him. He works around the globe and held residencies at over 25 universities and colleges.
Christopher is a multi-award winner, including the 2021 Guggenheim Award Winner for Choreography, two Alvin Ailey Awards from Black Theater Alliance, a Walt Disney Diversity award, a Critics Choice award, and silver medalist of the International Dance Competition in Seoul, Korea. In addition, he holds the distinction of being “repetiteur” of Mr. Ailey’s ballets. Learn more about Christopher’s artistry here. Christopher wants his work to heal, entertain, and inspire mankind as he continues his dance legacy.
Deloise Chagas Lima
Music Director
Collaborative pianist Deloise Chagas Lima is a native of Curitiba, Brazil. She joined the College of Music keyboard faculty at Florida State University in the fall of 2005. During the summer months she has been a member of the artist faculty at the Brevard Music Center since the summer of 2008, and in 2013 she implemented a new collaborative piano program at this festival. Prior to teaching in the United States, Dr. Lima was on the faculty of the School of Music and Fine Arts of Parana for over twenty years, teaching collaborative piano and chamber music.
As a sought-after collaborative pianist and orchestral keyboardist, she has performed extensively throughout the US, Europe, and South America with many distinguished artists, including Frank Almond, Sydney Outlaw, David Pittsinger, Paul Edmund Davis, Ian Clarke, Steve Cohen, Bill Ludwig, Joe Luloff, Marianne Gedigian, Amy Porter, Bill Preucil, and Alex Klein, among others. She also performs regularly with her husband, oboist Eric Ohlsson. In Brazil, she was the pianist of the Minas Gerais Symphony for two seasons and was a soloist with that orchestra and the Curitiba Chamber Orchestra. She was appointed principal keyboardist of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra in 2015 and she is also an official accompanist for the Florida Flute Association. She is the music director for An Evening of Music and Dance, a yearly collaboration with the Tallahassee Ballet and the College of Music at Florida State University.
She received the Bachelor of Piano Performance from the School of Music and Fine Arts of Parana, Brazil, a Performance Certificate in piano from Trinity College of Music, London, and is an Associate of the Royal College of Music in organ performance. Following her early studies, Lima received the Master of Music in Piano Performance and Literature from University of Notre Dame du Lac and the Doctor of Musical Arts from Florida State University.
Leon Anderson, Jr.
Conductor
Leon Anderson, Jr., is Associate Professor and Director of Jazz Studies at FSU. His musical experience includes that of a classical and jazz percussionist, educator, clinician, and composer. Mr. Anderson earned the B.A. degree in Music Education at Louisiana Tech University and the M.A. degree in Percussion Performance at Southeastern Louisiana University. Mr. Anderson currently teaches drum set, jazz ensembles, jazz combo, and jazz history at the FSU College of Music.
In 1997, Mr. Anderson was a featured soloist with The Marcus Roberts Trio’s performance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra at the Hollywood Bowl, and he was the selected drummer for the “Great Saxophone Legends” concert at the Jacksonville Jazz Festival, featuring Jimmy Heath, David Sanchez, Javon Jackson and
Red Holloway.
Anderson also has performed with the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in the roles of drummer and percussionist. Additionally, he has performed with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra with the Ellis Marsalis Trio; National Orchestra de France with the Marcus Roberts Trio conducted by Seiji Ozawa; Umbria Jazz Festival, Perugia, Italy; Ingolstadt Jazztage in Ingolstadt Bavaria; Switzerland Jazz Festival in Basel, Switzerland; North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and Ascona Jazz Festival in Ascona, Switzerland.
His professional collaborations include performances with numerous artists: David Sanchez, Red Holloway, Donald Brown, Wynton Marsalis, Mike Wolf, Judy Collins, Henry Mancini, Victor Goines, and many others.
Anderson has also been featured in a review of the jazz composition “Afro Blue” for the text Teaching Music Through Jazz (December 2007) and an article entitled “JazzEd Scene” by Steve MacQueen, published in Research and Review (Vol. XIV, No. III, Fall, 2004). He also occupies the drum chair in The Jazz Orchestra at the Dr. Phillips Center in Orlando, Florida.
At FSU, Anderson continues to implement innovative ways in an effort to enhance and expand the Jazz Program. Since its inception, the program has grown exponentially and yielded numerous successful students, many of whom have solidified careers nationally in Jazz performance and education.
Dr. Alexander Jiménez
Conductor
Alexander Jiménez serves as Professor of Conducting, Director of Orchestral Activities, and String Area Coordinator at the Florida State University College of Music. Prior to his appointment at FSU in 2000, Jiménez served on the faculties of San Francisco State University and Palm Beach Atlantic University. Under his direction, the FSU orchestral studies program has expanded and been recognized as one of the leading orchestral studies programs in the country. Dr. Jiménez has recorded on the Naxos, Neos, Canadian Broadcasting Ovation, and Mark labels. Deeply committed to music by living composers, Dr. Jiménez has had fruitful and long-term collaborations with such eminent composers as Ellen Taafe Zwilich and the late Ladisalv Kubik, as well as working with Anthony Iannaccone, Krzysztof Penderecki, Martin Bresnick, Zhou Long, Chen Yi, Harold Schiffman, Louis Andriessen, and Georg Friedrich Haas. The University Symphony Orchestra has appeared as a featured orchestra for the College Orchestra Directors National Conference and the American String Teachers Association National Conference, and the University Philharmonia has performed at the Southeast Conference of the Music Educators National Conference (now the National Association for Music Education).
The national PBS broadcast of Zwilich’s Peanuts’ Gallery® featuring the University Symphony Orchestra was named outstanding performance of 2007 by the National Educational Television Association.
Active as a guest conductor and clinician, Jiménez has conducted extensively in the U.S., Europe, and the Middle East, including with the Brno Philharmonic (Czech Republic) and the Israel Netanya Chamber Orchestra. In 2022, Dr. Jiménez will lead the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in a recording of works by Anthony Iannaccone. Deeply devoted to music education, he serves as international ambassador for the European Festival of Music for Young People in Belgium and serves as Festival Orchestra Director and Artistic Consultant for the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in Michigan. Dr. Jiménez has been the recipient of University Teaching Awards in 2006 and 2018, The Transformation Through Teaching Award, and the Guardian of the Flame Award which is given to an outstanding faculty mentor. Dr. Jiménez is a past president of the College Orchestra Directors Association and served as music director of the Tallahassee Youth Orchestras from 2000-2017.