July 11-13 - Isaac Sharratt

Isaac Sharratt was born in Tucson, Arizona, where he trained on scholarship at Ballet Arts. He became one of the first apprentices with Ballet Tucson at age 16 before he joined the Nancy Einhorn Milwaukee Ballet II Program in 2008. As a trainee, he represented the program for a dance festival in Cancún, Mexico. He joined the Company in 2009, where he danced as Noodler the Pirate in the world premiere of Michael Pink’s Peter Pan. Sharratt has also enjoyed performing in Pink’s Dracula, Esmeralda, and La Bohème, and worked with esteemed choreographers including Darrell Grand Moultrie, Val Caniparoli, Timothy O’Donnell, Lucas Jervies, Mauro de Candia, Lila York, Gabrielle Lamb, and Matthew Neenan. As a choreographer, Sharratt has created works for NEWaukee’s Naked Ballet events, NomadicLIMBS showcases, and studio performances for Milwaukee Ballet II and Milwaukee Ballet School & Academy. Sharratt also choreographed the music video for Volcano Choir’s “Tiderays.” This is his ninth season dancing in Milwaukee Ballet’s Company.  Isaac has also enjoyed guesting with the Hinsdale Dance Academy for the past three years in "The Nutcracker" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream".

July 18-20 - Alex Ossadnik

Alex Ossadnik was born in (formerly) East Germany and trained under full government scholarship at the prestigious Palucca School of Dance (Palucca Schule fuer Kuenstlerishen Tanz) in Dresden from 1979 - 1987. After graduating, he joined the German National Theatre (Deutsches Nationaltheater Weimar) in Weimar, where he soon became a principal dancer from 1987 - 1991, featured in leading roles of the companies’ repertory. During that time he also was a finalist at the East German National Ballet Competition, featured on national television, and premiered his early choreographic work as well as co choreographing for performances such as “The Seven Deadly Sins”, Les Noces”, and “Eugen Onegin”. In 1991 he joined Ballet Theatre de Bordeaux in France, where he danced for four years. In 1995, Ballet Theatre de Bordeaux was presented over a three month period to audiences in the United States of America and at the end of this tour, Alex decided to remain in this country and pursue a career primarily as choreographer and teacher. Besides performing with Nevada Dance Theatre and Oregon Ballet Theatre, he co founded Santa Fe Festival Ballet and served as its Artistic Director, was co founder and Resident Choreographer for Atlantic Southeast Ballet, interim Artistic Director for Ballet Theatre of Maryland and pursued numerous opportunities as teacher, choreographer and artistic advisor from the University of New Mexico to the National Ballet of Mexico (Compania National de Danza de Mexico). As Artistic Director of Santa Fe Festival Ballet and later Ballet Pro Musica, he created a vast repertory of chamber music ballets on dancers from Boston Ballet, Alberta Ballet (Canada), Colorado Ballet, Oregon Ballet Theatre and Joven Ballet de Jalisco (Guadalajara, Mexico), and his work was produced by the Savannah Music Festival, collaborating with Daniel Hope and artists of the Beaux Arts Trio.  He is also known for his original full length story ballets for non/pre-professional companies such as “Beauty and the Beast”, “Alice in Wonderland”, The Wizard of Oz” and “The Little Mermaid”.  Since 2008 he serves as Ballet Master for Ballet Idaho besides pursuing free lance engagements as teacher, choreographer and artistic advisor.

July 25-27 - Ryan Martin

With a career expanding over 27 years Mr. Ryan Martin has more than 24 years experience as a professional ballet and contemporary dancer. He graduated from two prestigious ballet schools, the National Ballet of Canada and the Kirov School, with diplomas in both the Cecchetti and Vaganova training styles.  Mr. Martin was the first American male dancer ever to be accepted into the Kirov School - now known a Vaganova Ballet Academy.  Ryan has danced with companies in Russia, Germany and the United States (Tulsa Ballet, Charleston Ballet Theatre, BalletMet, and Milwaukee Ballet) and worked closely with celebrated artists and choreographers.  He has performed principal and solo roles in the classical repertoire as well as working with important choreographers of the 20th century.  His own choreography is a reflection of his dynamic experiences and includes original works in both classical and contemporary styles.

August 1-3 - Paula Weber

Paula Weber received her Bachelor of Arts in Dance from Butler University and her Master of Fine Arts in Dance from Smith College. She has studied ballet with masters Maria Tallchief, Jean Paul Comelin, Dermot Burke, Basil Thompson, Larry Long, Marjorie Mussman and Maggie Black. During her professional career, Ms. Weber performed solo and principal roles of more than 45 major works which include such classics as Swan Lake, Giselle, Romeo and Juliet, and Coppelia, and contemporary works as George Balanchine's Concerto Barocco, Agnes DeMille's Fall River Legend, John Butler's Carmina Burana and Alvin Ailey's The River.  She has worked with renoun choreographers such as Bill T. Jones, Laura Dean, Charles Molton and Kevin Jeff. She has been a member of the Milwaukee Ballet (principal), Lyric Opera Ballet of Chicago (soloist), Chicago Ballet and the Indianapolis Ballet Theatre, and guest artist with the Hartford Ballet. She is currently a member of the Wylliams/Henry Danse Theatre and is a principal dancer/ballet mistress with the Albany Berkshire Ballet. In 1996, Ms. Weber was invited to be a guest instructor of ballet for the Shenyang Conservatory of Music, Shenyang, China, making her the second American ballet master to visit that conservatory. Ms. Weber was the recipient of the 1997 the 2001 Muriel McBrien Kauffman Excellence in Teaching Award presented to her by the Conservatory of Music and Dance, University of Missouri-Kansas City. Of most recent acclaim, Ms. Weber choreographed Toccata e due canzone for the Kansas City Ballet. She also choreographed the highly successful Carmina Burana for the Kansas City Ballet and the Albany Berkshire Ballet, Albany, NY.  Ms. Weber is the Chair of Dance and Professor of Dance at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.