“Carmen” takes place in 19th century Seville and the nearby mountains. Carmen, a passionate and independent Bohemian in search of love, works in a cigarette factory along with her friends. She gives her love to a gendarme, Don José, who is expected to marry a peasant girl from back home, Micaëla. When Carmen is arrested for murder, she talks her way out of her predicament and escapes, but Don José is arrested for letting her go. Months later, in a tavern, Carmen and Don José are reunited, but the flashy Matador, Escamillo, catches Carmen’s attention. When she and her friends travel deep into the mountains, they cast Tarot cards and Carmen gets “Death!” Micaëla arrives and Carmen abandons Don José to run off to Escamillo. With Escamillo's bullfight going on in the background, Carmen and Don José have a final encounter.

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We are pleased to feature Megan Jones Medford as Carmen, Marcelo Martinez as Don José, Clara Zander as Micaëla, and Kendall Teague as Escamillo. 

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Megan Jones Medford received a BA in Dance Education from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. She spent six years in NYC as a professional dancer and teacher. Along with freelance work Megan was a company member with Periapsis Music & Dance, LiNK! the movement, and Shauna Sorensen and Dancers. Her performances include SummerStage, Jazz at the Lincoln Center, American Dance Guild Festival, Symphony Space, New York Moves, Carnival, and Choreographers Canvas. Megan trained with Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Alonzo King LINES Ballet, Martha Graham School, and American Dance Festival. She was on faculty for the Children & Teen Program at Broadway Dance Center and at All Star Studios in NYC. She has guest taught and choreographed for studios and conventions around the States. Megan and her family moved back to her hometown of Asheville, NC, where she performed with Lindsey Kelley Dance and currently performs with The Asheville Ballet and with Stewart/Owen Dance. She is thrilled to be able to share her love of dance by teaching students throughout the area. 

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Marcelo Martinez was born in Paraguay where he began his training at the former Academia de danza Bettina Ramos. He then continued his training in Brazil at the Centro de Dança Rio under the instruction of Maria Angelica Fiorani. At age 17 he was accepted into the Companhia Jovem do Teatro Municipal do Rio De Janeiro where he danced under the directions of Dalal Aschar and Mariza Estrella. Mr. Martinez accepted a position with The Washington Ballet where he danced lead roles including Cavalier in The Nutcracker, Stravinsky Violin Concerto by Balanchine, and The Rite of Spring by Trey MacIntyre. From 2007 to 2024, he performed with Carolina Ballet, where he danced many principal roles, captivating audiences for 17 seasons. Mr. Martinez has also appeared as a guest artist with Greensboro Ballet, Susan Farrell Ballet, Arka Ballet, The Raleigh Dance Theater, and The Asheville Ballet. 

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Clara Zander began her dance training at Westchester Center for the Arts in New York, training under Mimi Wallace and Cynthia Anderson. In high school, she was accepted on full scholarship to Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre's Junior Division where she worked with choreographers and teachers such as Earl Mosley, Christian Von Howard, Hope Boykin, and Renee Robinson. After moving to North Carolina for college, Clara performed with The Asheville Ballet, dancing Sugar Plum Fairy, Dew Drop Fairy, and Snow Queen in the Nutcracker, as well as soloist roles in contemporary premieres. Clara has had the opportunity to work with Netflix on their series Dance Monsters, Fox and Beggar Theatre for their tour of Tarocco, Rising Appalachia for their music video Cuckoo, The ReHappening, and Perpetual Motion at the Jacoby Arts Center. Most recently, Clara performed with The Florida Grand Opera in their production of The Magic Flute, directed by Jeffery Buchman and choreographed by Rosa Mercedes.  

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Kendall Teague was raised in the mountains of western North Carolina and attended the South Carolina Governors School for the Arts and Humanities in Greenville, SC. Teague began his career in the Bay Area in 2008 as a corps de ballet member of San Francisco Ballet. He has since worked with North Carolina Dance Theater, Complexions Contemporary Ballet under Dwight Rhoden, Ballet San Jose, Alonzo King Lines Ballet, ODC/Dance, and Kate Weare Company, and is working locally with NVD Project and Stewart/Owen Dance.

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Asheville Ballet, North Carolina’s oldest non-profit ballet company, has built a reputation on the belief that dance plays a vital role in the education and culture of the community. As a key component of its Educational Outreach Program, The Asheville Ballet performs its entire production of the holiday classic, The Nutcracker, for school children every year.

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First incorporated in 1963, the Asheville Ballet has created and presented work in Asheville every year since. In an average season, formal and educational outreach programming affects a culturally diverse audience of approximately 23,000 people. An active advisory panel and a strong, well-organized volunteer base assist a committed board.

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“Asheville is so fortunate to have a resident ballet company of this caliber,” says Ann Dunn, Artistic Director. “The community has, essentially, a year-long resident repertoire company. Seasoned ballet fans and novices alike have the opportunity to watch consummate professionals perform a wide variety of roles, from classical to contemporary.”

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A perfect opportunity for people, both young and seasoned, to encounter professional classical dance and a dynamic, passionate story, in a real theatrical experience. 

 

Asheville Ballet has produced residencies by historical choreographers (Anna Sokolow, Douglas Dunn, Lori Bellilove), hosted master classes and workshops by international dance stars (Sean Curran, Mark Dendy, Chuck Davis, David Dorfman), produced the three-week Fall Into Dance festival, and commissioned both classical and contemporary choreography.

 

Asheville Ballet productions reflect the region’s varied interests. In addition to an ongoing relationship with The Biltmore Estate and The Dirty Dancing Festival at Lake Lure, work has been produced for fund-raisers (The Health Adventure, The Arts Council), civic events (Martin Luther King Day, Bele Chere Festival), and commercial events (The Dirty Dancing Festival, opening for the Pointer Sisters).

 

Since its inception, Asheville Ballet has produced both cutting edge interdisciplinary work and full-length major work. The company has collaborated with other local art agencies (the Asheville Symphony, Asheville Bravo Concerts, Asheville Community Theater, Asheville Lyric Opera), and has worked live with the area’s major musical, poetic, and visual artists.

 

In addition to promoting new work and a year-round professional ballet company for our region, Asheville Ballet offers an annual lecture series on dance appreciation, in coordination with other local dance presenters, and generates educational articles on dance history and appreciation for national and local publications. The company has built a full library of dance-related materials.

 

Asheville Ballet’s commitment to supporting its professional adult members is evidenced by its challenging and stimulating performances, choreography, and teaching opportunities. The company also continues to nurture the careers of advanced youth members. Dancers who have worked with the ballet have performed with Alvin Ailey, Kirov Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Fort Worth Ballet, Dance Theatre of Harlem, Colorado Ballet, Hartford Ballet, Boston Ballet, Geneva Ballet, National Ballet of Cuba, and the Radio City Music Hall Rockettes. Company dancers have appeared in Broadway musicals, Hollywood films, and have won titles all the way up to Miss and Mrs. America. They have also been accepted at the schools of the New York City Ballet, American Ballet Theater, Juilliard, Boston Ballet, Jose Limon, Paul Taylor, Martha Graham, Merce Cunningham, Robert Joffrey, and The Dance Conservatory at Purchase.

 

Asheville Ballet has created and found funding for scholarships for advanced dancers to pursue professional work in New York and Europe, and for underprivileged children to study dance in Asheville. The company has worked with Project Steam, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Helpmate, Elida Home, Presbyterian Home for Children, and local churches to locate and encourage new dancers and dance-appreciators. The Tix for Tots program makes hundreds of tickets available to introduce young people to the wonders of dance.

 

For more information call Ann Dunn at (828) 215-3728 or email dance@ashevilleballet.com