Sharon Sobel Idul, Artistic Director
Sharon Sobel, a Pittsburg native began her ballet training at age 3 through the City of Pittsburg. She then studied under Helga Ishikata at Delta Ballet Academy from age 7 to 18. Ms. Sobel joined Delta Children's Ballet Theatre in 1992 and performed many principal roles in The Little Match Girl, Enchanted Toy Shoppe, Peter and the Wolf, and Bolero.
She holds a degree in Dance from Cal State University, Long Beach. She is the recipient of the 2004 Jason Robins Dance Scholarship. During college Ms. Sobel studied under a wide variety of accomplished dance educators and choreographers, such as Sophie Monat, Alaine Haubert, Keith Johnson, Sharon McKinney, Douglas Neilson, and many other guest instructors. She has performed in historic ballets such as Balanchine’s Serenade, Petipa’s Les Slyphides, among many other original works while attending CSU-Long Beach. Sharon has danced with Peninsula Ballet Theatre.
She is the owner of Delta Ballet Academy and recently made her debut as Artistic Director of Delta Children’s Ballet Theatre with their premiere of Peter Pan in April 2008. Currently, she is the President of the Pittsburg Creative Arts Building Corporation, a non-profit organization dedicate to the restoration of the historic 2,000 seat big theater, and 242 little theater in Pittsburg. In December 2009 she made her debut as Associate Director of the newly formed Black Diamond Ballet Theatre - East County's First Professional Ballet Company with Artistic Director, Michael Lowe. Black Diamond Ballet Theatre and will call the Pittsburg Creative Arts Building their home theater.
Jane Rosselle Benitez
Jane started dancing her freshman year of high school at Pittsburg High performing at the multi-cultural rally with Diversity. Although she always had a love for dance, she didn't decide that it was what she actually wanted to do until her junior year of high school when
one day she was inspired while watching Youtube videos of a professional hip hop choreographer by the name of Gigi Torres, which
is the founder of Essence dance company who is all about empowering women through the art of dance. Seeing how Gigi traveled around the world teaching and sharing her passion with others really intrigued her. Ever since then she's kept her mind focused on making her dreams into reality. Jane is currently the Artistic Director of a hip hop dance company based in Antioch called Evolution Movement. Aside from directing Evolution Movement, she is also one of the hip hop instructors at Delta Ballet Academy and Dancers Elite. She has taught at several different schools, and company classes around the East Bay.
Jane is all about community, helping and inspiring others through her love for dance hoping to make a positive impact in others lives. Jane lives and breathes dance. She is a firm believer in living life with a purpose and reaching your fullest potential. And that is exactly what she teaches her students and her Evomo dancers. It goes way deeper than just teaching choreography, but to provide them with the tools that will not only help them grow as good dancers but as good people. Jane has high hopes and a great vision for her career as a director, teacher, but most importantly as a dancer. Teaching, traveling, and performing all around the world sharing her craft and inspiring others is her goal. She can't wait for what the future has in store. Impossible is nothing. "DO WHAT YOU LOVE." is her motto. Some of her many inspirationsinclude Movement Lifestyle, Essence Ladies, but most of all her students and her Evolution Movement family.
Sarah Hernandez
Sarah has been dancing since she was 4 years of age, beginning with the Delta Childrens' Ballet Theatre where her roles included the Little Matchgirl (The Little Matchgirl), Bird (Peter and the Wolf), Ugly Duckling (The Ugly Duckling), Cinderella (The Fractured Fairy Tales) and Queen (The Enchanted Toyshop). From 2000-2003 and in 2006, she danced for Oakland Ballet under the direction of Ronn Guidi. In OBC's yearly productions of The Nutcracker, she has been cast in the roles of Marie and Louise, as well as a Snowflake, Flower, and in Spanish Chocolate. Other productions by Oakland Ballet in which Sarah has performed include “The Secret Garden”, “Les Biches” and “Hansel and Gretel”.
Sarah has also used her talent and love of working with children to teach dance (ballet, jazz, tap and lyrical/contemporary) for 7 years. She has taught at Rivertown Dance Academy and Step-2-This Dance and Performing Arts, and her students have been included on several competition teams.
Her choreography credits include Clayton Valley High School's production of "Suessical" (2006); Mountain View's Talent Show production of "Karoke Shrek Style!" (2007); Silverwood Elementary's production of "California Bound: A Fourth Grade Musical" (2008) and Highlands Elementary Talent Show "Rock On Highlands" (2008).
Throughout her career, Sarah has competed in and won numerous titles and scholarships in Northern California. Currently, she is dancing for COterie under the direction of Kimberly Valmore and the Black Diamond Ballet Theatre. When not up on her toes, Sarah is a teacher's assistant at Silverwood Elementary School in Concord, CA, as well as a student at Cal State East Bay where she is pursuing her degree in psychology.
She cannot wait to see what is in store for her next!
Stephen Keshi, Jr. (Keshi)
Honestly, there's nothing much to say about me, besides the fact that I love dancing. I started dancing in the amazing art of Hip Hop when I was 19. I later explored different styles of dance and was introduced to the wonderful art of Ballet. I used to dance in Evolution Movement and I currently dance in OCD (Opportunity Core Dance). If you were to ask me who is my biggest inspiration? I would say that all dancers are my inspiration. It will take a lot of time, hard work, and of course passion to do this, but it's well worth it.
Alexandra Lengyel
Alexandra started her ballet training in Szentendre, Hungary, at age 4. At age nine she was accepted to the Hungarian National Dance Academy’s professional ballet program. Her instructors were accomplished former dancers of the Hungarian National Ballet. Judit Rudnyanszky, Csilla Olah, Maria Berzces, Judit Muranyi. She has danced child parts at Opera House productions such as Nutcracker,
Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty.
Later she continued her studies at the Europa Ballet Schule in St. Poelten, Austria, coached by Choulpan Usmanova. She graduated at the prestigious Nutmeg Conservatory for the Arts in Torrington Connecticut. At Nutmeg, she was coached by former ABT. Principal Eleanor D’Antuono, Basel Balett principal Victoria Mazzarelli , Tereza Capucilli, Scott Thyberg, Alexi Tchernicov.
After graduation she danced and started to teach in Burlington, Vermont, at the New England Ballet Conservatory, with artistic director Vanina Wilson, former Paris Opera Ballet School. With Vanina she staged full length classical ballets for the school, such as Coppelia, Beauty and the Beast. In Budapest, Hungary she completed a historical dance /renaissance, baroque/ teacher training school with famous
music and dance historian, Rita Szell.
Miss Lengyel has been awarded by the special award of the Choreographer Competition of the Hungarian Dance Academy, and with artistic potential award of Nutmeg Conservatory.
Ricky Navarro
Ricky Navarro, was born in Pittsburg and trained at dance schools all over Contra Costa County, including Delta Ballet Academy. He later attended the California Academy of Performing Arts under the Direction of Joan Robinson, where he studied Ballet, Jazz and Lyrical, and Tap. While at the California Academy of Performing Arts he participated in several competitions and was awarded many high honors and titles from those competitions.
In later years he attended San Francisco Ballet School and studied under some of the world’s best ballet master, primarily in classical ballet, with an emphasis on Balanchine’s stylistic technique. Following his many years of training at SF Ballet, he joined the company and danced as a company member for 4 years. As a company member he performed beautiful ballet pieces such as Romeo and Juliet, Balanchine’s Donizeti, and Helgi Tomasson’s Stars and Stripes.
Mr. Navarro is currently on faculty at Delta Ballet Academy where he teaches classical ballet, lyrical, and jazz. He has also coached competition dancers of Delta Ballet to award winning honors. He currently dances with Black Diamond Ballet Theatre
Leslie Orza
Leslie Orza began her ballet training at age 4 with Ron Guidi at Oakland Ballet School. At age 6 she continued her training at Dancers Stage in San Francisco with Yehuda Maor, Michael Smuin, Kristine Eliot and Robert Sund. She continued her training with Damara Benett, Elizabeth Teinken, Sean Lavery and David McNaughten at City Ballet School. She was also coached privately by Cynthia Dreyer. During this time she performed with Joffery Ballet and American Ballet Theater as a child in Sleeping Beauty and Romeo & Juliette..
Leslie began her training with San Francisco Ballet School on a full scholarship with Ms Volmar and Ms Irina Jacobson. Leslie also trained at Marin Ballet with Cynthia Dreyer. She was selected to study with the Joffery Ballet for two summer sessions on full scholarship. Leslie continued traning at Dancers stage and City Ballet School, performing with the San Francisco Ballet in their production of Nutcracker, Dancer's Stage in their production of Paquita, and with City Ballet School in excerps from Serenade, Don Q, Sleeping Beauty and many more.
Leslie is from a family of dancers. Her five siblings are professional ballet dancers. Leslie has extensive experience and knowledge of the art of ballet.