Roberto Campanella

Born and raised in Rome, Roberto Campanella trained at the Scuola Italiana di Danza Contemporanea. In 1985, Roberto joined the Compagnia Italiana di Danza Contemporanea and later joined the prestigious Aterballetto. In 1993 he joined The National Ballet of Canada (NBoC) where he was soon promoted to Soloist. Roberto made his choreographic debut at The NBoC’s 1995 Choreographic Workshop and, upon retiring from the National Ballet in 1996, Roberto trained from the National Ballet School’s Teacher Training Program from which he graduated with distinction. He is now a sought-after guest teacher.​ Although Roberto choreographs predominantly for ProArteDanza, he also choreographs a wide variety of commissioned works for companies at home and abroad. In 2001, Roberto was nominated for the Bonnie Bird Choreography Award in London. In 2007, he received the Fellowship Initiative Award from the New York Choreographic Institute, an affiliate of the New York City Ballet, and in 2008, he was awarded a Chalmers Professional Development Grant. Roberto’s first full-length work “Alice in Wonderland” premiered at Ballet Augsburg in Germany in October 2008. He received the Dora Award for Outstanding Choreography with co-choreographer Robert Glumbek for “… in between …”. Today, Roberto is a highly sought-after choreographer/director for film/TV creating movement and dance choreography for The Strain, Pompeii, Mortal Intstruments, Nikita, Silent Hill and four-time Oscar winner The Shape of Water.

Dominique Dumais

Born in Lac St-Jean, Quebec, Dominique Dumais received her dance training at Canada’s National Ballet School in Toronto. After graduating in 1986, she joined the National Ballet of Canada, and was promoted to soloist. From 2002-2016, she held the position of in-house choreographer and deputy director of the dance department at the National Theater Mannheim, where she worked closely with artistic director Kevin O'Day. Since 2018, Dominique has been the artistic director and house choreographer of the dance company at Mainfranken Theater Würzburg, Germany. Dominique has choreographed over 45 pieces, including 11 full-length works for the Nationaltheater Manheim, Germany. In 2013, Dominique was awardeddedicated to American dance icon Isadora Duncan, entitled Tracing Isadora. Since taking up her post in Würzburg in 2018, she has choreographed works such as Mothertongue (2019), Alice in Wonderland (2022), Chaplin (2023), Four Seasons (2023), and Eros. Her most recent works have been a piece inspired by the music of Nina Simone, entitled Classic Soul (2024), as well a work exploring the well-known fairy tales, Cinderella, Hänsel and Gretel, and Rupunzel, interwoven into one story, entitled Grimm's Journey. Dominique has been commissioned by the National Ballet of Canada, Ballet British Columbia, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal, Alberta Ballet, American Repertory Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Het National Ballet in Amsterdam, the Komische Oper in Berlin, Gauthier Dance in Stuttgart, Ballett Augsburg, and Tanzcompany Gießen, among others. Last year she created a full-length work, A Kiss to the World (2024) for the Ballett am Rhein in Düsseldorf.

Kevin O'Day

Acclaimed choreographer Kevin O’Day was appointed artistic director of the Nationaltheater Mannheim Ballett in 2002, renamed Kevin O’Day Ballett NTM. From 2013 to 2016 he held the position of Ballett Intendant and Deputy Operating Manager. Beginning season 2018/2019 he holds the position of Artist in Residence of the Tanzcompanie Würzburg at Mainfranken Theater Würzburg. As a choreographer, O’Day has produced more than seventy original ballets. He has been commissioned to create works for the New York City Ballet, Ballet British Columbia, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Les Grands Ballet Canadiens, Stuttgarter Ballett, Les Ballets de Monte Carlo, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, Pittsburgh Ballet, Ballet Argentino, The Royal Danish Ballet, ProArteDanza, BalletX, Ballett im Revier, Ballett Augsburg, Ballett Nordhausen and Visceral Dance Chicago, among others. O’Day received his early dance training at the Joffrey Ballet School in New York. After one year he joined the Joffrey II, and the following year, he became a member of the main company of the Joffrey Ballet. In the winter of 1984, O’Day began his long association with choreographer Twyla Tharp. From 1988 to 1991, he was a soloist with American Ballet Theatre, where he performed in a wide variety of featured roles both in the classical and contemporary repertoire. In 1991 he joined William Forsythe’s Frankfurt Ballet, and from 1992 until 1995 he was a member of Mikhail Baryshnikov’s White Oak Dance Project. During that time he appeared frequently as a guest with the New York City Ballet. In 1994 Mikhail Baryshnikov invited O’Day to choreograph a new work for the White Oak Dance Project, marking his choreographic debut. In 1998 O’Day formed his own company, O’Day Dances, in collaboration with composer John King.

O’Day has been the recipient of numerous awards and nominations for his choreography. In 2000 he was nominated for an MTV video music award for best choreography in a video for So Pure by Alanis Morissette. Full Bloom, a piece choreographed by O’Day, Robert Glumbek and Luches Huddleston Jr., was nominated for the Canadian Dora Mavor Moore Award in 2010. In the same year O’Day was the first to be awarded the Koerner Award by the Canadian Banff Centre.