ARTISTS

Claire Solis is a distinguished artist whose career spans elite classical ballet companies and Tony Award–winning Broadway productions. Trained at Ballet and Dance of Upstate NY and The Rock School for Dance Education, she earned top medals at major international ballet competitions. She danced with The Washington Ballet, performing works by George Balanchine, Septime Webre, and Kirk Peterson, and appeared in the historic Swan Lake at the Kennedy Center alongside Misty Copeland and Brooklyn Mack. Her theatre credits include understudying New York City Ballet principal Tiler Peck in Susan Stroman’s Little Dancer and performing in the Broadway revival of CATS. Claire spent a decade dancing principal repertoire with Syracuse City Ballet and now leads Central New York Ballet with a focus on artistic excellence and community engagement.

Xavier Pugliese-Ciulei, from Columbus, Ohio, began dancing at age eight and started ballet at fourteen. He trained in the BalletMet Trainee Program, performing corps and featured roles in Giselle, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Balanchine’s Western Symphony. In 2022 he joined BalletMet 2, dancing in works such as Liang’s Murmuration, Wounded, The Little Prince, Bugle Boy, and Solace, as well as Balanchine’s Four Temperaments and Charles’ Togetherness. Xavier joined Syracuse City Ballet in 2023 and is now a dancer with Central New York Ballet.

Alexa is from Uxbridge, Massachusetts. She started her professional career as a trainee at Ballet Rhode Island under 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. During her career, she has performed soloist roles in multiple ballets including Yury Yanowsky’s, “Es Muss Bien”, “Death and the Maiden,” “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”, was “Little Red” in “Sleeping Beauty”, and “The Nutcracker.” She has worked as an understudy learning works from choreographers like Trey McIntyre, Ken Ossola, Ja Malik, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, Second Violin in Balanchine’s “Concerto Barocco”, and Jules Perrot’s “Pas de Quatre.” Alexa has choreographed two world premieres for Ballet Rhode Island. Alexa 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 Intensivein 2019.

Abigail Stewart, originally from Baldwinsville, began her training at age three with Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet before moving to New York to study at Ballet and Dance of Upstate NY under Kathleen Rathbun. She performed in Syracuse City Ballet’s first Nutcracker and appeared as a soloist in Snow White, Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, and Swan Lake. Abigail trained at The Rock School, attended intensives with Nutmeg and IBStage Barcelona, and later danced with BalletMet in Giselle, Le Corsaire, and The Nutcracker. She has performed with Columbia Classical Ballet and Syracuse City Ballet and is excited for this next chapter.

Mackenzie Kenyon trained at Draper Center and the New York State Ballet Graduate Program before moving to Chicago to join the Joffrey Academy as a Trainee, performing in works including Arai’s Bolero, Lubovitch’s Concerto 622, and the Lyric Opera’s Twilight: Gods. She later danced with Nashville Ballet’s Second Company in roles such as Madame Bonbon and “Sugar Rum Cherry.” Most recently, she performed with New York State Ballet, appearing as the Sugar Plum Fairy. Mackenzie is excited for her first season with Central New York Ballet.

Lukas Figliozzi, from Baldwinsville, began ballet training at age seventeen at Rae’s Institute of Movement before attending The Nutmeg Ballet Conservatory, working with Kirk Peterson, Eleanor D’Antuono, Victoria Mazzarelli, and Kate St. Amand, performing works by MOMIX. He continued his studies at Marymount Manhattan College and later apprenticed with New York Dance Project, dancing repertoire by Gerald Arpino and New York–based contemporary and hip-hop artists. Lukas also performed with Syracuse City Ballet under Aldo Kattón. A founding member of CNY Ballet, he is committed to elevating the arts and community.

Loren Khan (Apprentice), originally from Syracuse, began her training at Rae’s Institute of Dance and later continued at Ballet and Dance of Upstate New York, performing with Syracuse City Ballet in productions including Dracula and The Nutcracker. She trained at the University of Utah, dancing works by Bashuan Williams, Rebekah Guerra, and Christopher Alloways-Ramsey. Most recently, she performed with Canyon Concert Ballet in Colorado in Romeo and Juliet, Giselle, and The Nutcracker. Loren is thrilled to return home and join Central New York Ballet this season.