Gabriel Missé Gabriel Missé
Admired for his classical "tanguero" style, Gabriel Misse is considered one of the great "milongueros" of this generation. He started his formation as a dancer at the age of eight with great masters of tango such as Antonio Todaro and Pepito Avellaneda. In Buenos Aires he acted together with legendary artists such as Julian Plaza, Alberto Castillo, Mariano Mores and Armando Manzanero and participated in documentaries produced by National Geographic with Robert Duval and Japanese Television NHK (Japan Television Documentary Film). In 1996, he was the protagonist in the publicity campaign "Tango" of Gianni Versace. Gabriel was part of the Miguel Angel Zotto's company, "Tango x 2," in its world-wide tours with "Una Noche de Tango." His performances with this company include the City Center of New York, la Mason de la Danse in Lyon, France, and appearances on RAI (Italian Television) among others.
Natalia Hills Born in Buenos Aires, Natalia Hills began her theatrical career at the age of 12 and soon appeared as both a dancer and a choreographer in various national and international productions. In 1995, Natalia she was invited to perform in honor of Princess Diana Spencer at the British Embassy in Argentina. In recent years, Natalia has been featured on Broadway Schubert Theatre, with appearances on television at the "Today Show" on NBC; at the Hollywood Bowl as principal dancer with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and as special guest artist at the Hollywood's Kodak Theater, New York City Center and at the Mohegan Sun Casino. Natalia was a member of the original cast of the Broadway and London hit "Forever Tango" and the recipient of a 1998 Tony Award and Drama Desk nomination for Best Choreography.
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Naomi Uyama and Todd Yannacone
Naomi Uyama Naomi Uyama discovered lindy hop in her hometown of Washington D.C. over ten years ago. For the past decade she has taught workshops all around the world and performed for dance and music legends alike. She has won champion titles at such prestigious competitions as the Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown, the American Lindy Hop Championships, and the U.S. Open Swing Dance Championships. When she's not traveling in the name of triple steps, decorating cakes, or loving libraries, Naomi lives in Washington D.C.
Todd Yannacone Todd Yannacone is one of the most recognizable names on the swing dancing circuit today. He has won countless championship titles from the most prestigious competitions around - The American Lindy Hop Championships, The Ultimate Lindy Hop Showdown, The U.S. Open Swing Dance Championships, The National Jitterbug Championships, The Rhythmic Arts Festival - to name a few. He teaches vernacular jazz, balboa, lindy hop, and other vintage swing dances both locally and internationally, and loves spreading his passion for social dancing. He specializes in connection and musicality, which is apparent every time he steps on the dance floor. He has performed for dance and music legends alike, and frequently can be found performing and competing with the dance troupe to which he belongs, the Silver Shadows.
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Ethan Stiefel and Gillian MurphyAmerican Ballet Theater Superstars
Gillian Murphy
Raised in Florence, South Carolina, Gillian Murphy began her ballet training at the age of three in Belgium and continued her ballet classes at the age of five in South Carolina. After training in South Carolina as a member of the Columbia City Ballet, she continued her studies at the North Carolina School of the Arts. In 1994, at the age of 15, Murphy was a finalist at the Jackson International Ballet Competition. Murphy has appeared as a guest artist in Japan, Mexico, Germany, Italy, Canada, Russia and throughout the United States. Murphy joined American Ballet Theatre as a member of the corps de ballet in August 1996, was promoted to Soloist in 1999 and Principal Dancer in 2002. In March 2008, Murphy made her debut with the Kirov Ballet dancing Odette-Odile in Swan Lake opposite Kirov Ballet principal Andrian Fadeyev. Murphy is a charter member of Stiefel & Stars and directed a training program for young dancers, Dreamcatchers, on Martha’s Vineyard.
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Ethan Stiefel
Pennsylvania-born Ethan Stiefel began his dance training at the age of eight in Madison, Wisconsin. He studied for two years at the Milwaukee Ballet School. He also studied at the Pennsylvania Youth Ballet before moving to New York to attend American Ballet Theatre's School of Classical Ballet and The School of American Ballet on scholarship. At 16, he joined the corps de ballet of New York City Ballet. In 1992, Stiefel took a leave of absence to perform with the Zurich Ballet. He returned to New York City Ballet one year later as a soloist and was promoted to principal dancer in 1995.
Stiefel has toured extensively, appearing in France, The Netherlands, Switzerland, Korea, Denmark, Italy, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Russian and numerous cities in the United States. He has appeared as a guest with many companies including the Kirov Ballet, The Royal Ballet, The Australian Ballet, Zurich Ballet, New National Ballet in Tokyo, Teatro Colon Ballet in Buenos Aires, New York City Ballet, Boston Ballet and toured the United States and Russia with Kings of the Dance, of which he was involved in the original idea and concept. Stiefel joined American Ballet Theatre as a Principal Dancer in April 1997. In 2000, Stiefel starred in the motion picture "Center Stage." Stiefel was appointed Dean of the School of Dance for the North Carolina School of the Arts in 2007
