Genesis choreographers

Charlie Dashwood was born in Toowoomba, Queensland where he found his love for ballet at age 6.

He moved to Melbourne at age 10 where he continued his training in classical and contemporary with his mum, Andie Dashwood. In 2020, Charlie was accepted into The Australian Ballet School and has trained through levels 6, and 7 and Graduate year Level 8. Charlie loves the authenticity he feels when he dances and the escapism that both he and the audience experience.

Some of Charlie's hobbies include biking, music and vinyl collecting as well as enjoying quality time with family and friends.

Charles joined West Australian Ballet as a Young Artist in 2023 and was promoted to Corps de Ballet in 2024.

Pas De Deux Patron Mary Ann Wright

Dayana Hardy Acuña completed her training at the National School of Ballet Fernando Alonso Academy (Cuba) in 2010.

She danced as a Soloist at Ballet Santiago de Cuba before being promoted to Principal dancer with The Joburg Ballet and then Liaoning Ballet (China). While there she performed principal roles in La Bayadère, Les Sylphides, Giselle, Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, Spartacus of Africa, Veronica Paper and The Butterfly Legend.

Dayana was also a guest artist with Acosta Danza (Cuba).

Since joining the Company, her highlights include the improvised pas de deux in Aurelien Scannella, Sandy Delasalle-Scannella and David Mack’s In-Synch as part of In-Synch: Ballet at the Quarry, Nikiya in La Bayadere and Giselle and Lead Wili in Giselle.

Dayana is also a member of the International Dance Council CID.

Born in Hong Kong, Polly completed her formal training at The Australian Ballet School, earning exchange scholarships to Canada’s National Ballet School, Toronto and the School of American Ballet, New York.

After a year working off stage in The Australian Ballet’s Dance Education team she trained further with the late Prudence Bowen to rejoin The Australian Ballet for Swan Lake 2012/13.

Aurelien Scannella offered Polly a place in the Corps de Ballet in 2013 as part of his first intake of artists, promoting her to Demi-Soloist in 2014 and Soloist in 2019.

At West Australian Ballet her stage highlights include Edith (Gamzatti) in La Bayadere; Kitri, Mercedes and Queen of the Dryads in Don Quixote coached by ballet legend Lucette Aldous; Myrtha in Giselle; First Violin in Balanchine’s Concerto Barocco; Evil Queen in Snow White; Lead Sylph in La Sylphide, Stepmother and Fairy Godmother in Cinderella; and creating the role of The Ballerina in Reincarnation by Garry Stewart.

Pas De Deux Patrons Anonymous

Chihiro was born in Tokyo, Japan and completed her formal training at the Heinz Bosl Stiftung Ballet Academy in Munich.

Chihiro has received several awards and accolades most notably the Youth America Grand Prix 2005 Scholarship to Heinz Bosl Stiftung Ballet Academy and the Tanzolymp 2008 Gold medal. In 2008 Chihiro joined Norwegian National Ballet performing roles such as Clara and the Sugarplum Fairy in The Nutcracker, Peasant Pas de deux in Giselle, Pas de trois and Cygnets in Swan Lake, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Principal couples in Balanchine’s Symphony in C, Allegro Brillante, Tchaikovsky Piano concerto No.2 and Concerto Barocco.

She has worked with choreographers such as Jiří Kylián, Nacho Duato and Liam Scarlett.

In 2015, Chihiro joined West Australian Ballet and was promoted to Principal dancer in 2016. Her most recent career highlights include performing David Dawson’s Five, Ambiguous Content, Beauty in David Nixon’s Beauty and the Beast, Juliet in Youri Vamos’ Romeo and Juliet, Snow Queen and Sugarplum Fairy in Aurélien Scannella, Sandy Delasalle-Scannella and Jayne Smeudlers’ The Nutcracker, Kitri in Lucette Aldous’ restaging of Don Quixote, Daisy in David Nixons’ The Great Gatsby and Sylphide in August Bournonville’s La Sylphide.

Supported by Westfarmers Arts

Born in Melbourne, Tom began his classical training at age nine. At 13, he commenced his full-time training at the Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School whilst completing his high school education.

In 2020 he moved to Hamburg, Germany to further his training at the John Neumeier Hamburg Ballet School, after which he returned to Australia to join The Australian Ballet School. Graduating in 2022 with an Advanced and Graduate Diploma in Dance, Tom joined Queensland Ballet as a Young Artist for their 2023 season.

Tom joined West Australian Ballet as a Young Artist in 2024.

Oscar Valdés is a critically acclaimed and award-winning Cuban ballet dancer, who is a Principal dancer at West Australian Ballet, Australia’s oldest professional ballet company.

Born in Camaguey in central Cuba, Valdés started dancing at just six years old after showing interest in his sister’s ballet classes. After further studies at The School of Ballet de Camaguey, Valdés entered the highly competitive International Ballet Competition in Havana, Cuba, in 2010, winning a Silver Medal. In 2011 he returned to win the Popularity Prize and also won the acclaimed Grand Prix International Ballet Competition in Havana, staking his claim as one of Cuba’s best up-and-coming dancers.

The following years were fruitful for Valdés, winning a Gold Medal at the Cape Town International Ballet Competition in South Africa (2012), Best Dancer at the Positano Competition (Italy, 2012), Gold Medal at the Rieti Ballet Competition (Italy, 2013), a Gold Medal at the Milan Dance Competition and a prize for Best Talent at the Capri Dance International (both Italy, 2015).

In 2015, Valdés accepted an invitation from West Australian Ballet’s Artistic Director Aurélien Scannella to become a guest dancer for the Company’s gala season of Embraceable You – A Celebration of George Balanchine. Wowing audiences and receiving acclaim from critics, Valdés joined the historic Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam.

After two years at Dutch National Ballet, Scannella enticed Valdés back to West Australian Ballet on a Soloist contract, starting a golden period for Valdés with countless lead roles in Classical and Contemporary repertoire including highlights as Albrecht in Giselle, Basilio in Don Quixote, Jonathan Harker and Young Dracula in Dracula, Prince Desiré in The Sleeping Beauty and James in La Sylphide in which he won Best Male Dancer 2018 at the Performing Arts WA awards.

Valdés was promoted to the esteemed rank of Principal at West Australian Ballet, joining just three other dancers in the highest appointment within the Company’s dancers.

Born in Canberra, Australia, Jack Whiter trained under his mother at Sparkles Dance Studio (now Acclaim Dance and Cheer Co.) starting at the age of 9.

In 2015 he moved to Wellington to train at the New Zealand School of Dance, graduating in 2017. During his time at the school, Jack had the opportunity to perform alongside the Royal New Zealand Ballet during their season of Ethan Stiefel and Johan Kobborg’s Giselle.

Jack joined West Australian Ballet in 2018 as a Young Artist and became a Corps de Ballet member in 2019. Since joining WAB he has had the chance to dance many roles such as the King Rat in The Nutcracker and the Duchess in ALICE (in wonderland). He has also choreographed two works, Moonlight and Prelude for WAB’s 2019 and 2020 Genesis seasons.

Jack’s other repertoire includes George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante, Val Caniparoli’s Aria, Kenneth MacMillan’s Concerto, Graeme Murphy’s Air and Other Invisible Forces and Krzysztof Pastor’s In Light and Shadow.