The Christmas Ballet Program 24-25 FINAL - WEB - Flipbook - Page 8
ARTIST PROFILES
AL ABRAHAM
AL Abraham, originally from the Philippines, holds a diploma in
Creative Performing Arts from the University of the Philippines.
He has danced professionally with Ballet Philippines, Alice
Reyes Dance Philippines, Springfield Ballet, and Oakland Ballet,
performing works by Phil Chan, Natasha Adorlee, Adam Sage, and
Graham Lustig. Abraham has won awards at the Cultural Center
of the Philippines Ballet Competition and Korea International
Modern Dance Competition. He is an aspiring choreographer, with
several of his ballets in repertoire at Alice Reyes Dance Philippines.
Abraham joined Smuin in 2024.
TESSA BARBOUR
Tessa Barbour, of Albuquerque, NM, trained at Alwin School
of the Dance before studying abroad in Warrington, England,
on a scholarship awarded to her at the Cecchetti International
Competition. Her favorite past performances include The Man in
Black by James Kudelka and Indigo by Stanton Welch. Since joining
Smuin, Barbour has performed works by Val Caniparoli, Annabelle
Lopez Ochoa, Trey McIntyre, Helen Pickett, and Amy Seiwert.
Barbour joined Smuin in 2016. As of 2023, Barbour is a certified
massage therapist.
DOMINIC BARRETT
Dominic Barrett, from Cincinnati, OH, began learning hip-hop
and ballroom before starting his ballet training at The School
for the Creative and Performing Arts and the Cincinnati Ballet
Academy. He attended the University of Cincinnati’s College
Conservatory of Music for dance on a full scholarship. He has
performed around the U.S., including at Ballet Tucson and De La
Dance Company. Barrett’s repertoire includes roles in Coppélia, La
Bayadère, and Don Quixote, as well as works by George Balanchine
and Christopher Wheeldon. Barrett joined Smuin in 2024.
CLAIRE BUEHLER
Claire Buehler, from Milwaukee, WI, trained at the Milwaukee
Ballet School and Academy. She danced in the second companies
of Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, and Nashville Ballets, and as a
company member for Minnesota Ballet and Smuin Contemporary
Ballet. Featured roles include Dew Drop in The Nutcracker, Paul
Vasterling’s Seasons, Amy Seiwert’s Been Through Diamonds, and
Sextette by Kate Skarpetowska. Buehler is a freelance dancer
represented by Go2Talent Agency. A budding choreographer who
got her start in Smuin’s Choreography Showcase, she recently
restaged her work “Kismet” in Orange County.
8 • THE CHRISTM A S BALLET • 2024
