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Faculty Biographies:
Nataliya Andriyevska, is originally from the Ukraine where she received her
choreographic education from Kherson Cultural College, Ukraine, majoring in ballet,
historical ballroom dance, modern and character folk dance. She began her career touring
with various venues throughout Ukraine, Bulgaria, Lebanon, Greece and Macedonia.
Since she moved to Hawaii in 2001, she has been involved as a dancer and choreographer in many venues
around Honolulu, including Mardi Gras Follies, the Honolulu Academy of Arts, Hawaii Opera
Theater and Army Community Theater and is currently involved in the Allure Dance Ensemble
project as well as teaching creative dance and ballet classes for the beginners at NIXPAC
and Ballet Hawaii in Kapolei .
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Yvonne Yanagihara Goss has a Bachelors degree in Marketing with a minor in
Dance from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. She trained with Nolan Dingman in
Orlando, Florida in the late 80s. She was the ballet instructor for the female
water-ski team at Sea World in Florida and The Columbus Dance Center in 1987, and
was the dance instructor at the American School in Japan for four summers in the
early 90’s.
Over the last 13 years Yvonne has appeared locally performing in numerous
Diamond Head Theatre musicals, and productions for Lisa Matsumoto's Ohia
Productions.
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 Daphne
Hargrove - began her training at the School of American ballet. In 1993 she performed
with the New York City ballet in its Balanchine celebration. The following year, Ms.
Hargrove graduated from the High School of Performing Arts and joined the Miami City ballet
where she performed various soloist and principal roles. During this time, she performed in
Washington D.C. at the Kennedy Center Honors for President Clinton and other distinguished
guests. In 1998, Daphne left Miami to become a founding member and principal dancer with
Carolina Ballet.
During the next four years in North Carolina, she created many principal roles in
world-premier ballets by renowned choreographers such as Lynn Taylor-Corbett and Robert
Weiss, as well as being featured in many class works. Her repertoire includes Balanchine's
Rubies, Concerto Barocco, Who cares, and Steadfast Tin Soldier, Anthony Tudor's Lilac
Garden, Jose Limon's Moor's Pavane, and Peter Martin's Valse Triste.
 WillieDean
Ige (Dancer, Choreographer, Instructor)
WillieDean began his ballet training with Rhonda Kimura at the tender age of 12
and seriously began studying the art with Yasuki Sasa at the University of Hawaii
1976. In 1977, WillieDean was invited to join the Honolulu City Ballet (HCB), a
CETA funded program. While with HCB, WillieDean danced various soloist and
principal roles in the Nutcracker, Coppelia, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Prince
Igor, Shubert Songs, Olomana, Koi, and other featured ballets. He also trained
with guest teachers/choreographers such as Alexandra Danilova, Sir Frederick
Franklin, Michael Utoff, Paddy Stone, Patrick Franz and others.
By 1980, the Honolulu City Ballet’s funding was cut leaving a group of trained
ballet dancers without employment. WillieDean and Charlys Ing co-founded the
Hawaii Ballet Theater for Youth (HBTY), a non-profit local dance company, which
later became Hawaii Ballet Theatre. At HBT, WillieDean danced principal roles,
co-directed and choreographed major ballets including La Boutique Fantasque,
Hansel & Gretel, Nutcracker, Cinderella, Ode to Faun, Stars & Spangles, Pekelo &
Pua’a, Ka Manu Ahi, Still and other original ballets.
In 1986-87, WillieDean traveled to Japan to perform as guest artist with the
Takata Ballet Company where he danced the lead in Swan Lake, La Sylphide and Le
Corsaire. He traveled to New York to study dance and theater. Notable instructors
were Wilhelm Burhman, Alexander Dukodovsky and faculty of the Alvin Ailey School
of Dance. By 1988, WillieDean began a long affiliation with Ballet Hawaii and the
Friends of the Ballet where he has performed in the Nutcracker, Carmen, Romeo &
Juliet, Urashima Taro, Giselle, Cinderella La Sylphide and other ballets.
In 1989 -90, WillieDean traveled to the Big Island to collaborate with Earnest
Morgan. They co-choreographed the Hawaiian Nutcracker based on historical Hawaiian
Monarchy during the reign of King Kamehameha the III. The people of Hawaii raved
about the Hawaiian Nutcracker which played to sold out houses. As a part of a
Pacific Rim National Grant, both WillieDean and Earnest traveled to Guam and
Saipan to perform a mixed repertoire of dances, which delighted audiences.
WillieDean was a recipient of the prestigious Hawaii State Dance Council
Choreographic Award on two occasions. He choreographed “Still” with music by the
Commodores and “The Kiss” with music by Debussy. WillieDean performed in popular
musicals including Carousel and Oklahoma as a part of the Diamond Head Theater’s
seasonal repertoire. WillieDean’s passion for dance is clearly displayed through
his dance, instruction and choreography.
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 Minou
Lallemand graduated from the New York High School of Performing Arts and the Joffrey Ballet
School. She has danced solo and principal roles with Ballet Arizona, American Repertory Ballet,
Ballet Chicago, Eglevsky Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, and Ballet Hawaii and performed with The Phantom
of the Opera national tour and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular.
Minou currently teaches for Ballet Hawaii, Queen Emma Ballet, Pacific Youth Ballet and Drill Team
Hawaii, and has been a guest teacher at the Virginia School of the Arts. She has created works for
Ballet Arizona, the New Choreographer's on Point Workshop, Chamber Music Hawaii, and is the Artistic
Director of the Onium Ballet Project.
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 Caitlin Nichols began her training with Diggs School of Dance in Gloucester, Virginia where she
eventually became a teacher at the school. She performed regularly with their student company,
Bayside Youth Ballet. In addition to her training there she also took classes from Todd
Rosenlieb Dance Center and Virginia Regional Ballet. Caitlin also danced for a season with
Busch Gardens Williamsburg in 2007. After teaching for 3 years with Diggs, Caitlin moved to
Hawaii and is enjoying her first year with Ballet Hawaii.
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 Susan
Ushijima Quong received her early ballet training in the states of Oregon, Montana, and
Washington. Her most extensive training was with Madam Gabriella Darvash in New York City.
While in New York, she was co-founder and co-director of the professional company,
BalletWorks, Ltd. and later became a teacher and resident choreographer for the Ulster
Ballet Company in upstate New York.
Her works were shown in New York City, and in Hawaii, with Danceworks, The Dance Company,
Big City Studios and the Honolulu Dance Studio. She presently is associated with Ballet
Hawaii and teaches mainly at the Leeward branch in Wahiawa.
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Marie Takazawa - began her dance training in Hawaii. She studied and performed at the
University of Hawaii at Manoa, with Dances We Dance Company and Hawaii Dance Theatre. Moving
to New York she performed on Broadway, with the Uncompany as the lead dancer in the Yul
Brynner production of The King and I, and in a tour of The King and I,
starring Rudolph Nureyev.
Returning to Hawaii, Takazawa was co-director of Danceworks Honolulu, which was selected
as the 1994 People’s Choice Awards "Best Dance Company." Ms. Takazawa is a freelance
choreographer and teaches jazz, ballet, modern and street dance at local dance studios and
fitness centers. She is presently Ballet Mistress and resident choreographer for the Tau
Dance Theatre and on the faculty of Ballet Hawaii.
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takashi koshi has been the piano accompanist for Ballet Hawaii since 1981. Before that
he was the music accompanist for The Cloudgate Dance Theater of Taiwan from 1979-1981.
He is originally from Denver, Colorado and has a Music Education Degree from Oberlin
Conservatory and Master's Degree in Music Performance in bassoon from the University of
Northern Colorado.
He has received numerous commissions for his music compositions, and his one-hour ballet "Urashima
Taro" was performed in 2005 as the Spring Recital of Ballet Hawaii.
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