Housed at:
The Las Cruces School of Dance & Music / 1390 North Main, Las Cruces, NM 88001 / 575-525-5670 / Email: borderlands.ballet@gmail.com
Meet the Artists
(2023-2024 Season)
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John Pohl
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BBC Company since 2021
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Principal Dancer 2022
JP (as he prefers to be called) studied ballet in Florida. He spent two years on scholarship at the School of American Ballet’s Summer Intensive as well as the Rock School Summer Intensive. He currently teaches at Las Cruces High and teaches men’s class at LCSDM. Recent performances include The Nutcracker (Nutcracker/Cavalier, 2021), and Don Quixote (Basilio, 2023). In 2015 and again in 2022 he had the opportunity to play his favorite role — as Dumpy, the Ugly Stepsister (Cinderella). JP is currently an instructor at Las Cruces High School.
Janelle Hernandez
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BBC Company since 2021
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Principal Dancer 2022
Janelle Hernandez has been dancing for over 17 years, primarily under the direction of Monique Foster. She currently teaches ballet and jazz classes at the Las Cruces School of Dance & Music. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, with a supplemental major in Law & Society from New Mexico State University. Recent roles include Cinderella 2022 (Fairy Godmother), The Nutcracker 2022 (Sugar Plum Fairy), and Don Quixote 2023 (Flower Seller). Janelle was privileged to be selected for the 2022 Arts Lab Desert Peaks pre-professional/professional workshop hosted by Dark Circles Contemporary Dance.
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Rachel Breck
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BBC Apprentice 2016
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BBC Company since 2022
Rachel has been studying with the Las Cruces School of Dance and Music since 2012, where she has performed innumerable times. Favorite roles include Helena (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 2018) and Coffee, Snow Queen, and Rat #4 (Nutcracker), Cinderella (Cinderella, 2022), and Mercedes (Don Quixote, 2023). She holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from NMSU.
Juliana Garcia
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BBC Apprentice 2022
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BBC Company since 2023
Coming
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Daniel Lindsay
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BBC Company since 2016 (founding member)
Daniel has studied ballet for the last 18 years at both the Academy of Ballet and the Las Cruces School of Dance & Music. He originated the lead male role, Jake Marlowe, in the BBC's production of Café Noir (2017); he also originated the role of Altan in The Persistence of Air (2018). Additional roles include: The Nutcracker Prince/Cavalier (Nutcracker, 2022), The Beast (Beauty and the Beast, 2016), Billy the Kid (Billy the Kid, 2017), the Lead Thief (Don Quixote, 2023), Lysander (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 2018) and most memorably one of the Ugly Stepsisters (Skinny in Cinderella, 2015 and 2022).
Joshua Godman
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BBC Company since 2016 (founding member)
Josh has danced at the Las Cruces School of Dance & Music for eight years. He originated the detective Ethan Stone in Café Noir (2017), Erebus Grimely in The Persistence of Air (2018), Don José in Carmen (2019), the Prince (Cinderella, 2022), and Basilio (Don Quixote, 2023). In addition, he has performed as the Beast (Beauty & the Beast, 2016), Demetrius (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, 2018), and numerous roles in The Nutcracker (Nutcracker/Cavalier, Rat King, Snow King, Coffee). Josh graduated from NSMU with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering.
Olivia Leon
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BBC Company since 2021
Olivia began dancing at 3 and has trained at Las Cruces School of Dance and Music since age 7. She has participated in workshops and/or performances with State Street Ballet, Dance Across America, and the Moscow Ballet’s The Great Russian Nutcracker. Olivia made her solo debut as Clara in The Nutcracker (2019). In 2021, she danced the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy (Nutcracker), which she reprises here. Other recent roles include, Summer Faerie (Cinderella, 2022), Amor (Don Quixote, 2023). Olivia is currently an engineering student at NMSU.
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Megan Krier
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BBC Company since 2023
Megan began dancing at four years old and trained with Ballet Repertory Theater of New Mexico for 14 years. She has attended numerous BRT summer intensives and has performed in The Nutcracker, Alice in Wonderland, Coppelia, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Magic Flute, and Alice in Wonderland with BRT. She has also attended Ballet West’s summer intensive and performed in The Nutcracker with New Mexico Ballet Company. Megan is currently a Biochemistry major at NMSU.
Allene Barton
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BBC Apprentice 2017
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BBC Company since 2022
Ally began her dance training at the age of three -- taking ballet, tap, jazz, character, and modern dance. After studying the RAD program for seven years, she began her training with Monique Foster at LCSDM in 2017. She recently performed as a guest artist in El Paso Ballet Theatre’s production of Les Sylphides and The Nutcracker. Some of her favorite performances include: Billy the Kid, Carmen, Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Nutcracker, and Cinderella. She also originated the role of Air in BBC’s production of The Persistence of Air and Kitri (Don Quixote). In her personal life she enjoys volunteering at church, working with kids, and baking.
Brooke Gonzales
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BBC Apprentice 2021
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BBC Company since 2023
Brooke started dancing at the age of 6 at Las Cruces School of Dance & Music under. She has also participated in summer intensives by Jennifer Boren and Marina Fliagina. Featured roles in BBC productions include Tea (Nutcracker), Harlequin Doll (Nutcracker), Autum Faerie (Cinderella), and the Dryad Queen (Don Quixote).
Tara Gandy
Isabella Olivares