THE PAPILLON PROJECT: THE BECOMING Performers

Katina Kumar was born and raised in Reading, Pennsylvania, where she began her training with Berks Ballet Theatre. While there, she performed with their company through her senior year in high school, receiving lead roles in the conservatory’s classical and contemporary performances and she was awarded scholarships of excellence in contemporary and classical performance at Regional Dance America. After graduating high school as Valedictorian, Katina went on to receive her B.F.A. in Dance Performance from Adelphi University in New York. At Adelphi, Katina trained closely under Frank Augustyn in classical ballet and many styles of modern. Katina was privileged to perform in a variety of repertoire including, solos from La Esmeralda, Napoli, and Don Quixote; Martha Graham repertoire; original choreography of Adelheid B. Strelick; William Briscoe; and many more! Throughout her collegiate years, Katina danced professionally with companies such as Eglevsky Ballet and she was a principal guest artist with American Theater Dance Workshop and Glen Cove Ballet. Upon graduating summa cum laude in 2017, Katina became a founding company artist with Magnum Opus located in Madison, Wisconsin. While dancing with the company, Katina trained to become a licensed Progressing Ballet Technique instructor and in the Leap ‘n’ Learn curriculum. During the summer of 2018, she became certified in Adaptive Dance through Boston Ballet. As a teacher of over 14 years and with experience working in the special needs, elderly and infirmed, and underprivileged communities, her priority is to inspire and encourage each and every one of her students. Katina was named Director of Ballet at HappyFeet Dance School and Performance located in Plano, Texas where she taught ballet, pointe, variations, lyrical, contemporary, and more to students of all ages: toddler through adult. While there, she choreographed and directed several full length ballets, including her premieres of Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. She is currently an instructor of ballet at XJ Star Academy in Plano. Additionally, she provides private coaching and choreography along with teaching yoga, barre, and Pilates. While in Texas, Katina has had the wonderful opportunity to guest as a soloist with HappyFeet Dance School, Festival Ballet of North Texas, and Toby’s School of Dance. She was formerly a founding company member of Ballet North Texas as well as a company member with ImPulse, Ballet Dallas, 6 O’ Clock Dance Theatre, and performed as a professional artist with Zion Dance Project: Summer and Winter Series Katina Kumar is humbled to be the Founding Artistic and Executive Director, as well as a company dancer with and choreographer for Ballet Papillon, based out of DFW, Texas. By beginning her own nonprofit professional ballet company, Katina is able to share her passion for the art of movement, the beauty of expression, and the gift of community and compassion with her dancers, staff, and audience members alike!

Alexis Wood was born in Atlanta, Georgia, where she began ballet with Atlanta Dance Theatre. After moving to Boston and dancing under Boston Ballet School, she moved to New York to pursue professional training at Joffrey Ballet School under the direction of Era Jouravlev. There she had the opportunity to perform classical repertoire, such as Paquita and Nutcracker, as well as staff-choreographed contemporary and contemporary ballet pieces. After a short time in Italy, working with HumanBodies, a contemporary program, she refined her classical technique with Arrais Ballet, led by Paulo Arrais, before joining Ballet Papillon in 2025.

Anthony Wade Jr., MFA is a choreographer, performer, author, and educator originally from Wilmington, Delaware. He holds an MFA in Choreography from the University of Roehampton in London, England, and a BFA in Ballet and Modern Dance from Texas Christian University where he graduated Cum Laude from the School for Classical & Contemporary Dance. Anthony currently serves as an adjunct professor of dance at Texas Woman’s University and has performed with B. MOORE DANCE for seven seasons. His choreography has been presented in festivals, concerts, and educational showcases, recognized for its emotional depth, musicality, and cultural resonance. He has taught and choreographed for institutions and organizations across the United States and the United Kingdom, including the Joffrey Ballet School Dallas Summer Intensive, Texas State University, EVIDENCE, Beckles Dancing Company, Textures Contemporary Ballet, and the International Association of Blacks in Dance. Through performance, choreography, and mentorship, Anthony remains dedicated to inspiring the next generation of artists.

Originally from Little Rock, Arkansas, Chloe Fox began her dance training at the age of 5 at Shuffles and Ballet II. At 15, and in her pursuit of a more professional level of dance, she joined Kansas City Ballet School's Daytime Program. When she was 16, she took the opportunity to go to Sarasota Ballet School and train in their conservatory program. At 18, she got into Texas Ballet Theater's Professional Training Division which brought her to the DFW area. Since then, her performances include "Beauty and The Beast" with Texas Ballet Theater; "Swan Lake" and "Don Quixote" with Ballet Frontier; "Bruno"; as well as excerpts of "Swan Lake" and "Pulcinella" with Avant Chamber Ballet.

Elizabeth (Beth) Sabol is from Erie, Pennsylvania, and grew up dancing at Erie Dance Conservatory. Later, she joined their pre-professional company, Erie Contemporary Ballet Theatre, and began attending and performing at numerous Regional Dance America festivals. Her training also includes summer intensives such as Charlotte Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Huntsville Ballet, Koresh Dance Company, and Mercyhurst University. After high school, Beth went on to study at Wright State University on scholarship, where she was mentored by Theresa Wylie McWilliams, Gina Walther, Ashley Pabst, Erin Robbins, and Gregory Robinson. While earning her degree, she danced corps de ballet roles with Dayton Ballet under the direction of Karen Russo Burke in their productions of The Nutcracker, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Dracula: Bloodlines, and Swan Lake. She was promoted to an apprentice position under the new direction of Brandon Ragland after graduating from WSU, where she performed roles in Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Cinderella, and Coppelia. She was also hired as the Registrar of the Dayton Ballet School in addition to being a teacher and choreographer for the pre-professional Dayton Ballet School Ensemble. Now, Beth is excited to start her next chapter with Ballet Papillon for the upcoming season.

Malik DaeQuan Arevai is a multidisciplinary artist and performer hailing from Omaha, Nebraska. Driven by a passion for performance, Malik DaeQuan believes movement is one of the highest manifestations of communication. For him, dance is more than movement; it is storytelling, discipline, and transformation held in one dynamic medium. His artistic foundation spans ballet, modern, jazz, hip hop, and Korean contemporary dance, shaping a style rooted in precision, theatricality, and raw emotional expression. Drawn to work that explores identity, resilience, and the full intensity of human experience, Malik DaeQuan approaches both featured and ensemble roles with curiosity, stamina, and respect for the craft. He continues to seek opportunities that challenge his technique and expand his artistic voice with clarity, courage, and purpose.

Originally from Encinitas, California, Natalia Pinpin began dancing at her hometown YMCA at age six, and through high school she furthered her studies at a local ballet studio. She proceeded to train in ballet, modern, and jazz at the University of California, Irvine under faculty including Tong Wang, Diane Diefenderfer, Molly Lynch, and Dr. S. Ama Wray, ultimately receiving her B.A. in Dance and B.S. in Computer Science. Upon graduating, she began a career in the tech industry. At that time, she reconnected with her hometown dance community and had the opportunity to dance with contemporary company LITVAKdance under Artistic Director Sadie Weinberg. Most recently, she spent time in the Training Ground program with the Alonzo King LINES Ballet before joining Ballet Papillon in 2025. This is Natalia’s second season with the company.

Born and raised in Chicago, Ryan began training at Sammy Dyer School of The Theatre under the direction of original Dyerette, Muriel Foster. She later received her more formal ballet training from The Ruth Page Center for the Arts under Victor Alexander and Dolores Long as well as under Russell Talbert at the Russell Talbert Dance Studio. Ryan continued her education at Butler University, graduating Cum Laude with a BA in Dance Pedagogy. At Butler, Ryan worked with David Ingram and Susan McGuire and performed in several full-length ballets, including soloist roles in not only "The Nutcracker" but also several contemporary works such as "How Bitter the Fruit" and "Le Jeux Qui Sont Joués" by Ramón Flowers. Recently, Ryan finished her 2nd season with Dayton Ballet’s Studio Company, where she performed as a 'Spanish' demi-soloist in "The Nutcracker", as well as many corps de ballet roles. Ryan still enjoys staying close to the Arts in her free time, attending galleries and watching films to add to her ever-growing DVD collection!

Alexa is from Uxbridge, Massachusetts. She started her professional career as a trainee at Ballet Rhode Island under the direction of Kathleen Breen Combes in 2021. She was promoted seasonally until she received a Company Dancer contract with Wonderbound in Denver, Colorado, in 2025. Alexa has trained at Ballet X Summer Intensive in 2026, Orsolina X Ballet BC in 2024, Hubbard Street Create Intensive in 2022, and at Boston Ballet Summer Intensive in 2019. During her career, she has performed soloist roles in multiple ballets including Yury Yanowsky’s, “Es Muss Bien”, “Death and the Maiden”, and "Jackie”; Garrett Ammon’s “Rock Ballets”; Katarzyna Kozielska’s “Ode”; Chanel DaSilva’s “Yet, my Heart”; and, 'Gwendolyn' in “Gwendolyn the Graceful Pig”. She has also performed in “Cinderella”, “Swan Lake”, “Paquita”, “The Nutcracker”, and was 'Little Red' in “Sleeping Beauty”. Alexa has also choreographed two world premieres for Ballet Rhode Island.

Originally, from Springfield, Missouri, Daniel Walley began his dance training at age 17 with Springfield Ballet where he studied for six years while also attending Missouri State University. He has trained at summer intensives with Springfield Ballet, Kansas City Ballet, and Burklyn Ballet Theatre, where he also served as a Resident Assistant. Daniel began his professional career as an apprentice with Ballet Frontier before joining Ballet North Texas in 2025 as a Company Dancer. Some notable roles include the 'Nutcracker Prince' in "The Nutcracker", 'Scarecrow' in "The Wizard of Oz", 'Prince Siegfried' in "Swan Lake", the 'Male Lead' in "Les Sylphides", 'Basilio' in excerpts from "Don Quixote", 'Solor' in "La Bayadère", and C'ontinuo” by Antony Tudor. He has had the privilege of working with choreographers such as Dylan Crossman, Alexandra F. Light, Penny Saunders, and others.

Gabriel Francisco Richardson is a professional dancer and dance educator in the DFW Metroplex. For the past 5 years Gabriel has worked with Zion Dance Project as a Main Company Member, Rehearsal Assistant, and Residency Teacher. As a Guest Artist, Gabriel has performed with The Dallas Conservatory, Toby’s School of Dance, Capitol Dance Company, Ballet Papillon, Rockwall Dance Academy, and Silas Farley. Gabriel grew up in San Jose, CA, where he trained in musical theater, jazz, ballet, contemporary, hip hop, and tap. Gabriel studied ballet and modern at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City where he earned his Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Dance. Gabriel received additional training from San José Dance Theatre, DanceWorks Chicago, Ad Deum Dance Company, and AMDA. Gabriel currently teaches ballet at Rockwall Dance Academy in Rockwall, TX.

Julius Johnson was born in Lancaster, California and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. He started dancing in high school and trained outside of school at Studio 305 under the direction of Tyrell Rolle. There Mr. Johnson was trained in ballet, jazz, and modern. Also having exposure to worldly dance such as African and Polynesian. Mr. Johnson then furthered his training by attending Point Park University with a concentration in Classical Ballet. In his time there he was able to showcase work by Teena Marie Custard. Afterwards, Julius went on to work with companies such as Atlanta Dance Connection and The Rolle Project in concert dance, as well as RWS Entertainment and MSC doing commercial work. Working with choreographers: Allyne D. Gartrell, Christopher Huggins, Kellen Stencil, Kareem Goodwin, and more. He has completed two seasons with DBDT: Encore!, and is excited to work with Ballet Papillion for the first time.

Matthew Roberts is an Ohioan who, at the age of 10, discovered he was bilingual and his real native language was dance. After studying at the Akron Dance Institute, he moved to New York looking to become more fluent and graduated from Marymount Manhattan College in 2013 with a BFA in Dance with a Concentration in Choreography. There he performed works by Lar Lubovitch, Robert Battle, Jessica Lang, and Shen Wei. He has danced with Lustig Dance Theatre, Oakland Ballet Company, Awakening Movement, Molissa Fenley, Tami Stronach Dance, Neos Dance Theatre, Bruce Wood Dance, Zion Dance Project, and Störling Dance Theatre. He has recently entered a season of freelancing as he starts his own contemporary dance company in Akron, Frtrss Dance Theatre. He enjoys teaching ballet, jazz, tap, contemporary, and hip-hop, but his love for storytelling, choreography, and sharing the human experience are what fuel his passion to create. This is his 2nd appearance with Ballet Papillon.

Savion Mosley is a dance artist from Fort Worth, Texas, pursuing a double major in Modern and Ballet at Texas Christian University’s School for Classical & Contemporary Dance. Savion is one of a few recipients of the Nordan Scholarship in Dance, and he has also had the privilege to train with Kansas City Ballet. He previously trained at the Fort Worth Academy of Fine Arts where he built a strong foundation in ballet, modern, and jazz. Some of his performance credits include "The Nutcracker", "The Addams Family", "Oklahoma!", "Ocean Ballet", "Romanza", and "Bowl Bells". In addition to performing professionally with Beckles Dancing Company, B. Moore Dance Company, and 619 Productions, Savion has had the opportunity to perform works by acclaimed choreographers Mark Morris and Anthony Wade Jr. Committed to continuous growth as an artist, Savion strives to bring athleticism, versatility, and authenticity to every performance while pursuing a professional career in concert dance.