Love Stories shared through live music & dance, featuring musical works by Debussy, Piazzolla, Grieg, and more
AJ Garcia-Rameau
Executive Artistic Director of Ventana Ballet
Choreographer of Variations on a Love Theme
Lighting Design & Costume Design of Variations on a Love Theme
Daniel Kopp
Artistic Director of Austin Camerata
Music Director of Variations on a Love Theme
Navaji David Nava
Assistant Director of Ventana Ballet
Rehearsal Director & Costume Design of Variations on a Love Theme
Programme
Music performed by the Artists of Austin Camerata:
Mariama Alcantara (Violin), Patrice Calixte (Violin), Daniel Kopp (Cello), Blake Turner (Viola)
Bolded works include dance performance by the Artists of Ventana Ballet
“Kismet Algorithm” written & performed by Divya Goruganthu
The Love of the Past
Music: Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy
Dancers: AJ Garcia-Rameau & John Henry Reid
“Estrellita” by Manuel M. Ponce
“Love’s Philosophy” by Percy Bysshe Shelley, performed by Kirk Barbera
The Quest for Love
Music: As Time Goes By from Casablanca by Herman Hupfeld
Dancer: Leo Briggs
“Merry Go Round of Life” from Howl's Moving Castle by Joe Hisaishi
Excerpt from Romeo and Juliet: Act II, Scene II by William Shakespeare, performed by Divya Goruganthu & Kirk Barbera
The Forbidden Love
Music: Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet by Nino Rota
Dancers: Emily Lofton & Leo Briggs
“When We Two Parted” by Lord Byron, performed by Divya Goruganthu & Kirk Barbera
The Quarreling Love
Music: String Quartet in G minor II. Romanze (Andantino - Allegro agitato) by Edvard Grieg
Dancers: AJ Garcia-Rameau & Aidan DeWitt
“Andante Festivo” by Jean Sibelius
“Mother” by Nikita Gill, performed by Divya Goruganthu
The Mother’s Love
Music: Plan & Elevation: IV: Orangery + V: The Beech Tree by Caroline Shaw
Dancer: Emily Lofton
“Stormpolskan” by Ale Carr, arr. by Danish String Quartet
The Love Triangle
Music: Jalousie Tango by Jacob Gade + Libertango by Astor Piazzolla
Dancers: AJ Garcia-Rameau, John Henry Reid, Aidan DeWitt
~ ~ ~
Guests are welcome to hang out after the performance to meet the artists!
Meet the Artists…
AJ Garcia-Rameau
AJ Garcia-Rameau is a professional dancer, director of Ventana Ballet, partner of First Street Studio, and semiconductor engineer in Austin, Texas. AJ is the founder and director of Ventana Ballet, a professional contemporary ballet dance company based in Austin, TX whose mission is to bring more performance opportunities to local artists and to provide accessible performance opportunities to the community. AJ is also a partner owner of First Street Studio (soon to expand into a 2-studio white-box theater space and rebrand as East Side Performing Arts), an accessible performance, rehearsal, and education venue that is home to more than 75 Austin-based performing arts companies and individual professional artists. AJ’s formal training is in classical and contemporary ballet and modern dance. AJ was born in Houston, TX where she received her training at the Houston Academy of Dance and performed with the Exclamation Dance Company. AJ earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering and Minor in Dance from the University of Texas while training at the Austin School of Classical Ballet and performing as a company member of BHumn Dance Company and the Austin Classical Ballet. AJ performed with several dance festivals across the country as well as various professional dance companies while she lived in Philadelphia as a freelance dancer. AJDances.com
~ ~ ~
Daniel Kopp
Cellist Daniel Kopp is an active chamber musician, educator, and arts leader in Austin, Texas. As the co-founder and artistic director of Austin Camerata, he curates concerts that reimagine chamber music through creative collaborations with dance, visual arts, and storytelling. Austin Camerata has been praised by the Austin American-Statesman for its “unadulterated beauty” and nominated by the Austin Critics Table for ‘best classical ensemble’.
Daniel graduated from the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and the Butler School of Music at the University of Texas. His teachers include Bion Tsang, Norman Fischer, Cathie Lehr-Ramos, and Mary Lou Gotman. He has had the honor of studying chamber music with members of the Juilliard, Cleveland, and Miro Quartets.
~ ~ ~
Navaji David Nava
Navaji David Nava is a founding member and the Assistant Director of Ventana Ballet, performing in his 6th year working with Ventana Ballet. As a multifaceted artist from the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas, Navaji's journey as an artist began in 2008 as a professional ballet dancer with the Sarasota Ballet Company, representing the USA at the Rudolph Nureyev International Ballet Competition in Budapest, Hungary. Navaji's dance career is a mosaic of diverse performances and leading roles, enriched by training under esteemed figures such as Gilbert Mayer of the Paris Opera Ballet, Margaret Barbieri of the The Royal Ballet, Dominic Walsh, and Desmond Richardson of Complexions. His repertoire spans works by renowned choreographers, and he is particularly celebrated for his leading performances in pieces such as Matthew Bourne’s ‘Boutique’ and George Balanchine’s ‘Divertimento No. 15’. Now living in Austin Navaji pursued a degree in Education and Art from the University of Texas at Austin, 2021 graduate, founded his profession as a visual artist, works as a full-time arts educator with Austin ISD, and most recently published "A Soul's Life", "a multi-media art work of reassurance and inspiration to the youngest of children and to poetry and art lovers of all generations." In 2023 Navaji became a resident choreographer with Ventana Ballet, his most recent evening-length work, KOMOREBI, was a sold out success that showcased Navaji's multifaceted talents as a producer, set-builder, costume designer, and choreographer. navaji.com
~ ~ ~
Mariama Alcântara
Dog mom and mystery novels aficionado, Brazilian violinist Mariama Alcântara is a member of the Austin Symphony Orchestra, Austin Opera, and the Artisan String Quartet. Her album ‘Brazilian Landscapes: Music for Solo Violin from Brazil’, released by the Italian-Japanese label Da Vinci Classics, has earned international recognition for her artistry. Mariama earned a Doctorate of Musical Arts from the University of Colorado Boulder as a student and teaching assistant of Professor Harumi Rhodes and Ed Dusinberre of the Takács Quartet.
~ ~ ~
Kirk Barbera
Kirk Barbera is an Austin-based writer and literary educator dedicated to bringing the Western canon to life for modern audiences. He is the creator of Troubadour.Studio, where he writes, teaches and produces. Kirk hosts two YouTube shows—@troubadourchannel and @troubadourreacts—offering close readings and cultural commentary on classic literature and contemporary music. He serves on the board of Austin Shakespeare and has acted as the Prince in Romeo & Juliet and Bheema in Mahabharata Tales.
~ ~ ~
Leo Briggs
Leo Briggs is a faculty member in the dance department at Austin Community College, where he teaches ballet. Previously, he earned his MFA in Dance + Social Justice at The University of Texas at Austin under the mentorship of EG Gionfriddo. This year, Leo has performed with ARCOS Dance, Capital Contemporary Ballet, and Ventana Ballet. His choreographic work has been presented at Austin Dance Festival, OutsiderFest, and the Cohen New Works Festival.
Photo credit: Angel Blanco
~ ~ ~
Michael Brown
Michael Brown is a classical- and jazz-trained pianist with a diverse background. After a multi-year career as an environmental geologist, he returned to music full-time as a pianist and keyboardist in a variety of settings including church, musical theater, chamber music, jazz combos and big bands, and country/rock/pop bands. He has also played upright bass since his youth, and he has performed and recorded as a bassist/vocalist with several bluegrass bands in the Northern California bluegrass scene, where he began playing banjo and guitar, as well. Michael currently teaches private piano lessons in Austin, and he performs with disco and rock cover bands, singer-songwriters, and various jazz combos. He is also in demand as a pianist for dance and theater groups and throughout the Austin area and as a a session musician for various recording projects as keyboardist and bassist.
Patrice Calixte
Canadian violinist Patrice Calixte obtained both Undergraduate and Master’s degrees from Université de Montréal. He has worked with many orchestras in Canada, including the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, and the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. He then moved to Austin where he completed his Artist Diploma at the University of Texas with Daniel Ching as his mentor. He currently serves as Associate Concertmaster of the Austin Symphony Orchestra and as Concertmaster of the Austin Opera. He is the first violin of the Austin-based Artisan Quartet. Patrice performs on a violin made in 1910 in Florence by Valentino di Zorzi, kindly on loan from Lorraine and John Wang.
~ ~ ~
Aidan DeWitt
Aidan DeWitt moved to Austin four years ago after finishing his degree in Dance and Musical Theatre. He is so grateful to have found a home with Ventana Ballet where dance brings the community together in an intimate, meaningful celebration of artistry. Enjoy the show, tap into something larger than yourself.
~ ~ ~
Divya Goruganthu
Divya Goruganthu is an Austin-based writer, although most of her daily writing consists of writing technical manuals and emails. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin, after which she decided to explore her creative side by writing screenplays, essays, poetry, and short fiction. Her writing has been featured in the Rio Review, Hothouse Literary Magazine, and Voicemail Poetry. She is a two-time winner of the Innovate Literary Award (2024 & 2025), and has been shortlisted for the Ploughshares Emerging Writer's Competition. In her spare time, Divya enjoys salsa dancing and hiking.
~ ~ ~
Make it stand out
Jakob Hartz is an Austin-based jazz pianist and composer who originally hails from Portland, Oregon. Hartz began his studies in Portland under pianist George Colligan and drummer Alan Jones. Hartz received his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 2025, studying jazz under the mentorship of pianist Ross Margitza and saxophonist Diego Rivera. Since then, Hartz has shared the bandstand with local and national jazz legends, including Mike Sailors, Danny Jonokuchi, Diego Rivera, Christian Wiggs, Andre Hayward, Elias Haslanger, Daniel Dufour, and Ryan Hagler. Hartz’s compositions have been played by jazz bands across the country, including the Ulysses Owens Big Band and Vincent Gardner’s Jazz Houston Nonet, as well as his own Austin-based big band.
Joseph Hernandez
Joseph Hernandez is a pianist and composer currently studying as a graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin. His compositions have been recognized by DownBeat Magazine, earning him an award as a composer. Rooted in the jazz tradition but informed by modern harmonic and rhythmic ideas, Hernandez stays active as a performer, writer, and educator while continuing to develop his own musical voice.
Emily Lofton
Emily Lofton is a dancer, teacher, mother and friend originally from Texas. She has a BFA in Ballet Pedagogy and teaches ballet to students of all ages and levels of experience in the greater Austin area. Emily also performs as a freelance artist, working most frequently with Ventana Ballet. On the off chance you run into her outside of the studio, she’s most likely to have her hands full with a matcha latte, a terrible book, miscellaneous natural remedies, and her vibrant daughter, Bee who fills each day with immeasurable joy and clever wit.
~ ~ ~
John Henry Reid
Born in Houston, Texas, John Henry Reid began his training at the Houston Ballet Academy under the direction of Ben Stevenson. He started his training in a young mens program at the age of 10 and graduated from Houston Ballet Academy at the age of 20. While there he studied many different dance styles including classical ballet, partnering, character, modern, jazz and many others, and he was also the first to receive the Ben Stevenson Scholarship award. Upon his graduation from the academy, John was asked to join Texas Ballet Theater. At Texas Ballet he performed many principal roles from the Nutcracker Prince, Franz in Coppelia, Peer Gynt in Ben Stevenson’s Peer Gynt and Ben Stevenson’s End of Time pas de deux. He spent the next seven years dancing for companies like Colorado Ballet, where he met and danced for Martin Fredmann, to Complexions Contemporary Ballet in New York, and City Ballet of San Diego. He has guested for Cincinnati Ballet, Complexions Contemporary Ballet, Dominic Walsh Dance Theater, Twin City Ballet Theater, Houston Ballet Rep Ballet, Uptown Street Dance Company, Ballet Artisan, and the University of Oklahoma. His repertoire includes leading roles in Dracula, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Giselle, The Sleeping Beauty, Celts, Company B, 9 Sinatra Songs, Swan Lake, Walpurgisnacht, and many more contemporary ballets choreographed by choreographers such as Dwight Rhoden, Igal Perry, Jessica Lang, Darrell Grand-Moultrie, Jo Funaki, and others. Mr. Reid spent eight years continuing to expand his extensive repertoire while dancing, teaching, choreographing, and coaching in Japan. His choreographic works have been set on companies and schools across Japan.
~ ~ ~
Blake Turner
A native of San Antonio, TX, violist Blake Turner has appeared in a wide range of venues around the world, including performances in China and New York’s Carnegie Hall, the World Trade Center in Curaçao, Netherland Antilles, and Miami’s New World Center.
Blake is an accomplished orchestral musician and serves as Assistant Principal Viola of the Austin Symphony Orchestra. He is also a sought-after chamber musician and performs across Texas and the U.S. Blake enjoys teaching and has previously held positions as Viola Instructor at Southwestern University and as an orchestral and chamber music coach for the Austin Youth Symphony. When he isn’t performing, Blake works as a philanthropic advisor at UT Austin. He finds joy traveling with his family, fishing, and playing disc golf.
~ ~ ~
THANK YOU!
FISCAL SPONSOR
The Austin Creative Alliance
City of Austin Cultural Arts Division
IN-KIND SPONSORS
Tito’s Handmade Vodka
IN-KIND PRODUCTION SPONSORS
East Side Performing Arts (Rehearsal & Performance Venue)
MEDIA PARTNERS
KMFA Classical Austin
Austin Dance Hub
The Creative Admirer
The Austin Chronicle
SPECIAL SHOUT OUTS
THANKS TO OUR CREW & BARTENDERS & VOLUNTEERS!
Thank you for creating the space for us to focus on the art!
Bar: Ava, Erin, John
Crew: Kathryn, Richie, Caden, Beck, Amadeus, Benjamin
Training & Rehearsal Direction: Navaji
About Ventana Ballet
Ventana Ballet is a professional dance company based in Austin, TX, specializing in contemporary ballet dance performance. The word ventana, meaning window, embodies the company’s organizational mission and vision, seeking to provide artistically relevant, technically proficient, and publicly accessible dance performance and education opportunities to the community. Ventana Ballet’s mission is to inspire, entertain and educate audiences through disciplined and innovative approaches to presenting next-generation choreographic works. More information about Ventana Ballet can be found on the company website at VentanaBallet.com
About Austin Camerata
Since its founding in 2016, Austin Camerata has emerged as an ensemble leading the way in innovative chamber music performances in central Texas. Hailed for its “unadulterated beauty” by Austin360, Austin Camerata was nominated for “Best Classical Ensemble” by the 2018 Austin Critics Table. Dedicated to broadening the audience for chamber music, Austin Camerata performs an array of repertoire, from the most revered classical masterpieces to newly written, genre-defying works. Each season explores new possibilities for music to collaborate with different art forms. More information can be found at AustinCamerata.com
What’s Next?
Support
Ventana Ballet and Austin Camerata share a mission to create fair-pay opportunities for performing artists and keep guest’s ticket prices as low as we can. In order to do that, we rely heavily upon the support of our community. If you’re able, please consider a donation. For credit card donations, please click the PayPal button below. Also, we accept Venmo!
Ventana Ballet & Austin Camerata are grateful to you and all of our supporters!
